plorentz's Full Review: 20/20 [PA] by Dilated Peoples
The fourth album by the California hip-hop trio Dilated Peoples, called 20/20 is framed by a bit of witty subversion. The title refers both to a particularly potent variety of weed, but also, of course, to that old adage about hindsight. Not only does the album celebrate the inspirational effects of pot, but also constructs a terrific metaphor for the current moment: "seeing straight" is an controlled substance these days; take a hit and pass it around. It's an ambitious concept loaded with the kind of potential classic records are made of. But rappers Evidence and Rakaa, along with DJ Babu spend more time congratulating themselves for having made it this far to really explore the possibilities in front of them.
That's a shame because 20/20, while certainly uneven, may be the group's most listenable album to date. Like Kanye West, these guys (and I especially mean Evidence and Babu, who separately produced the bulk of the album's tracks) know their way around a pitch-adjusted, dirty, old-school soul sample, finding ways to grind a single righteous hook into our brains without letting it lose its intensity. This is especially the case on the song "You Can't Hide, You Can't Run", and even more so on "Kindness for Weakness", where Rakaa and Evidence build each line of their respective verses off the first few words of the sample - making the song sound like one long chorus of fiery funk gospel.
It's also a shame because Evidence and Rakaa's tag-team verses are littered with bits of clever wordplay - I don't smoke no more, but I don't smoke no less - and lots of fast-n'-dirty digs at the Bush Administration, all of which might have gotten a little more mileage had they been delivered in service of something other than the group's collective ego. While they admirably eschew the trappings of the bling and the gangsta, they also steer clear of any kind of engaged social consciousness too. Which leaves us with little more than some clever couplets, a sackful of snazzy hooks, and a smattering of facile lefty rhetoric.
Not that that's such a bad thing. In a sense, with their PG-13 rated battle raps, Dilated Peoples aren't doing anything M.C. Hammer didn't do twenty years ago - only when he did it, it was innovative and glitzy, made for TV and Top 40 radio. When Dilated Peoples do it, it's merely skillful, proficient, catchy, with a populist DIY edge to it, made for late-night, THC-enhanced study sessions in dorm rooms. It's still rap for a pop audience - only the costumes have changed. It's hard to deny the easy pleasures of "Back Again" or "The Eyes Have It". It's easy to admire the positive message of getting off your ass and living at the center of the closing title track. Even the sketches which punctuate the record, detailing the travels of the group's revered source Dr. Greenthumbs, are done with the innocuous and chuckleworthy goofiness of a vintage Cheech and Chong flick.
These guys clearly have talent, and 20/20 is a fine, if unchallenging, listen. I just can't help wondering what might happen if they actually started to really apply their potential. What might a Dilated Peoples record, created outside the vacuum of their smoke-filled recording sessions sound like? Who will the Dilated Peoples become now that they've established themselves? What will they care to rap about when they finish rapping about themselves? There's a great album here. I know it. But 20/20 isn't it.
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BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW:
"20/20" by Dilated Peoples
Capitol Records
Released 2/21/06
Executive Producers: Dilated Peoples and Beni B
Producers: Evidence, The Alchemist, Babu, Joey Chavez & Bravo
51 min.
SONGS: Green Trees - Back Again - You Can't Hide, You Can't Run - Alarm Clock Music - Olde English - Kindess for Weakness - Another Sound Mission - Rapid Transit - The Eyes Have It - Satellite Radio - Firepower (The Tables Have to Turn) - The One and Only - 20/20
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