From the vantage points of MTV and heavily formatted radio stations, hip-hop seems like a bland, crassly commercialized parody of itself. A few artists (Outkast comes to mind) manage to slide incredible content, style, and innovation under the decapitating wires of marketing consultants and make it through to mainstream acceptance, but that is not the norm. The masses are treated to overproduced nursery rhymes peppered with "what what's" and color-saturated money shots masquerading as videos. It's like an onslaught of bad disco, 90's and 00's style.

Sift through to the hip-hop underground, however, and the thrill is almost like the discovery of punk rock and the subgenres that branched off from it. Soul, fire, and conviction are fiercely abundant, as is invention. The Def Jux Presents . . . compilation provides a taster of the future of beats and rhymes, and leaves this listener hungry for more. Company Flow's final songs are one hell of a way to bow out while Cannibal Ox, RJD2, and Aesop Rock carry their legacy towards the horizon.

The Company Flow tracks are the antithesis of P. Diddy's silken suits. Grimy, explosive, and furious, El-P spits out unbelievable litanies while Mr. Len scratches and spins like an overheated cyborg. "DPA (As Seen On TV)" has El-P spitting out heated, weirdly funny lines like "Anonymity is a computer screen in a losing team fighting MC's in your mother's living room naked." The dirty, rat-infested production resembles a rusty, post-apocalyptic urban nightmare.

On "Simian D Aka Feeling Ignorant", El-P trades off violent verses with his buddy Ill Bill (from Non-Phixion). "Simple" is as poignant and moving as as it is tough, as El makes himself vulnerable and reflects on his troubled memories and feelings while a warped guitar loop inverts itself in the background.

RJD2 lays down a (somewhat) lighter instrumental groover called "Silver Fox". A fractured vibraphone loop rolls over tight beats, dubby guitar echoes, and doo-wop samples, creating an otherworldly prettiness that defies comparison.

El-P protegees Cannibal Ox steal the show this time around, however. Less obtuse and more poetic than Co Flow, but no less molten or threatening, their two tracks are excellent bites from their El-P-produced album The Cold Vein, itself an instant classic.

On "Iron Galaxy", Vordul carries one of the coolest flows ever to make it to tape, while the creepy music underscores the lyrics about life in the shadier realities of NYC. Then Vast Aire Kramer takes the mic and immediately becomes the Bob Dylan of underground rap. Though his voice sounds almost like a cigar-smoking cartoon bird, it makes you pay attention to his words. Rhymes like "You were a stillborn baby/mother didn't want you but you were still born/boy meets world, of course his pops is gone/what you figure, that chalky outline on the ground is a father figure?" are witty, menacing, and sad at once, and he maintains his constantly-expanding meanings and punchlines until the end of the song.

"Straight Off The D.I.C.", while still sonically and lyrically grim, violent, and murky, almost comes off as a head-bobbing anthem with it's oddly melodic hooks and confident delivery. These tracks alone have confirmed Cannibal Ox's immortality.

The only real weak spot on Def Jux Presents . . ., in my opinion (aside from the cd being too short) is the Aesop Rock track, "Kill 'Em All." His rhyming skills are quite admirable and the minimalism of the music is a nice contrast to the other songs' onslaught of density, but his voice sounds to me like a second-rate caricature of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and his words get a bit TOO intellectual and abstractly conceptual for my tastes. He's just not my flavor, that's all.

Overall, Def Jux Presents . . . is a tantalizing preview for the first-rate hip-hop from this label. Cannibal Ox's album had delivered on it's promise, and we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for the El-P and Mr. Len solo albums as well as RJD2's disc, among others. The future of rap does indeed look very bright under the surface.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends