The Perceptionists
Black Dialogue
The bicoastal Boston/Berkeley MC Mr. Lif makes the sort of politically charged Bolshevik boom-bap that warms the coffee of both old-school hip hop fans and MoveOn.org activists. Which -- despite what that demographic might indicate -- doesn't mean that Lif can't get down and party. On Black Dialogue his new group does mill about in the classrooms of linguistic analysis ("Black Dialogue"), modern imperialism ("Memorial Day"), and old-fashioned populism ("People for the Prez"), but these Perceptionists have also got a wild streak, as demonstrated by "Party Hard," their stellar collaboration with Boston's most famous hip hop native, Gangstar's Guru. But the best thing about the album isn't the balance of politics and partying; it's the back-and-forth between Lif and his fellow Perceptionist MC Akrobatic. With a deep, forceful voice that delivers lyrical body blows, Akrobatic provides a perfect counterpoint to Lif's trebly, precisely placed vocal jabs. The result is an album that is both aesthetically and thematically balanced.
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