Jneiro Jarel, Android Love Mayhem
Alpha Pup Records

Jneiro Jarel, who has recently garnered attention for his remix work with TV on the Radio and Maximum Balloon, only recently moved to Los Angeles, but his expansive approach to beat production fits with the scene’s diverse palette. In the past, he’s tackled avant hip-hop, Brazilian music and Dirty South bounce. For Android Love Mayhem, he riffs on one of 2010′s cultural memes, conjuring computerized funk and machine dreams. “You changed my life in a major way,” he croons in “Android Romance 1 & 2.” Android Love Mayhem’s bracingly idiosyncratic mix of heartfelt vocals, synth washes and weedy beats takes a few listens to absorb, but smooth head-nodders like “Lurk (Part 2)” ease its impact.

This year’s crop of hip hop albums was an improvement over last year. But it didn’t come from the artists expected to dominate.

Around this time in 2008, everyone was buzzing about the “new school” of blog-hyped rappers. They injected the medium with an enthusiasm not felt in ages. So far, however, the results of this youth movement are decidedly uneven. Wale’s Attention Deficit drew mixed reviews; even fans of it must concede that it has plenty of decent rhymes, but lacks great songs. By contrast, Kid Cudi landed a few monster singles, particularly the undying “Day ‘N Nite,” but his Man on the Moon: The End of Day seemed monotone and self-indulgent. Blu and the Cool Kids mostly kept silent, and we all know what happened to Charles Hamilton.

With the jury still out on the so-called “freshman class,” the end of the aughts belonged to the veterans. With the notable exception of Nosaj Thing and Dorian Concept, all of the artists on this list are firmly established. Some mounted surprising comebacks after years of mediocre and sub-par work; others made solid follow-ups to classic albums. Unlike 2008 and Flying Lotus’ Los Angeles (and, I would argue, the Cool Kids’ The Bake Sale), these recordings didn’t establish new stylistic tropes. In a year when populism and stubborn class and racial traditions weighed down American culture, these works met expectations and buffered the status quo, whether it was the true-school ethos or the mainstream’s street-rap-as-blues credo.

That’s not to say that 2009 wasn’t an exciting time: it was. But hip hop music thrives on youth movements, and to see blog rap’s most promising rookies disappear in a cloud of weed smoke, meandering mixtapes and incessant corporate-sponsored tours and marketing campaigns was frustrating. It certainly didn’t convince the old heads from continuing to insist that the genre is a dead zombie walking. Of course, next year could be different. But for now, this is where we are.

I don’t know if this list is unique from any other, but I suspect there may be a few surprises. Perhaps the most contentious entry is for Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt II. It has topped many lists, but it certainly didn’t top mine. If my summary reads negative, it’s in reaction to the universal acclaim that has greeted it, some of which seems unwarranted. People love their action fantasies, and Raekwon’s triumphant return has some great crime narratives. But I think some consider it the year’s best because it fits stereotypes of what a great hip hop album is supposed to sound like; other entries on this list drew strong reviews, too, but they were often considered something other than “real hip hop.”

I don’t know what that “other” may may be. Maybe “alt-rap,” “backpacker,” or some nefarious micro-genre like “wobbly”? But lists such as the Plug One 50 will continue to be an anomaly until fans stop equating the genre with criminal activity and po-faced lyrical schemes, embrace a more complex universe of sounds, and live up to Afrika Bambaataa’s vision of hip hop as a perspective on the world instead of a region-specific, drug-infested street corner.

Yes, 2009 was a good year. We got consistently great music, but we missed the excitement that made 2008 seem like a promise of better things to come. Hopefully 2010 will combine not only the tried and true, but also the shock of the new.

1. Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Downtown Records

Few albums sound as hard-earned as The Ecstatic. It incorporates everything Mos Def has done up to now, from the scat-rapping to the soulful singjay-ing that is a bedrock of his stunning live performances. Like Erykah Badu on last year’s New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), he turns to cutting-edge producers — namely Madlib, Oh No and Mr. Flash — to create a frission that his past albums lacked. Those older recordings, particularly 2007′s disastrous True Magic, made The Ecstatic a surprising comeback, but it wouldn’t have been possible without those trials and errors. Its hopeful theme, an obvious nod to President Obama’s 2008 election and the ensuing “Life in Marvelous Times,” tells of a hard road to glory.

2. Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love
Ubiquity Recordings

If Sa-Ra’s first collection of recorded material, The Hollywood Recordings, was a coked-up ode to sex, drugs and nightlife; then Nuclear Evolution showed a way out of the despair and decadence. “Love Czars,” the album’s magnificent centerpiece, rolled out a locked groove as hypnotic as a Theo Parrish track; “Cosmic Ball,” with jazz-fusion master Gary Bartz as guest, was a shambolic dance in the light. Overall, Nuclear Evolution showed the different sides of Sa-Ra with a depth not heard before, justifying their rep as one of the most talented of the new soul era.

3. Nosaj Thing, Drift
Alpha Pup Records

Here’s an excerpt from my interview with Nosaj Thing earlier this year:

The hype surrounding Drift is the inevitable result of a scene gathering media and fan attention. Thankfully, Drift isn’t a summary of beat music clichés, but a haunting suite of songs that resembles Romantic classicism, minimalism/new music theory and old-school “electronica” techniques pioneered by Global Goon and Aphex Twin. (One of Drift’s tracks is titled “1685/Bach,” a nod to the year Johann Sebastian Bach was born.) Marrying his esoteric melodies to subtly dusted beats, Nosaj Thing creates an instrumental journey that leaves an indelible impression.

4. Brother Ali, Us
Rhymesayers Entertainment

Some critics have asked why Brother Ali, with two great albums under his belt, is never ranked among today’s best MCs. Certainly, few artists could convey inner peace and happiness with such clarity. Like Animal Collective, whose Merriweather Post Pavilion used domestic bliss as a source for drama as rich as any emotional conflict, Brother Ali takes marriage and family as a starting point to wonder why the rest of the world is in turmoil. He raps with such passion and moral certitude; he truly is, as Chuck D. calls him, “a soldier of love.”

5. Aceyalone, Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones
Decon

The second in a planned trilogy of tributes to his influences (the first being 2007′s underrated dancehall venture Lightning Strikes), Aceyalone & the Lonely Ones celebrates the big beats of classic Motown and doo-wop. But it’s not just another retro-soul exercise. Aceyalone playfully inhabits Bionik’s tracks, dropping a series of clean, family-friendly rhymes reminiscent of Freestyle Fellowship’s “Inner City Boundaries.” This may not be Aceyalone’s most important album, but it’s joyously fun all the same.

6. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II
Ice H2O Records/EMI

At 22 tracks, this long-awaited sequel to Raekwon’s 1995 masterpiece was full of highs and lows, from the terrific “House Of Flying Daggers” and “Surgical Gloves” to boorish smackdowns like “Broken Safety” (featuring the always predictable Jadakiss). Importantly, this edition focused narrowly on crack dealing, all the way down to the absurd “We Will Rob You” (an interpolation of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”). Save for the anguished “Cold Outside,” it didn’t aspire towards the white-hot hellfire and spiritual redemption of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Here, drug dealing isn’t one’s lot in life, but a familiar role, like a Martin Scorsese gangster flick. The purple tint of the album cover — an allusion to the original’s limited-edition “purple tape” jewel case  — signified business as usual. However, its best songs made for undeniably spectacular mainstream entertainment.

7. Madlib – Beat Konducta, Vol. 5-6: A Tribute To…
Stones Throw

Originally released as two vinyl-only EPs (Vol. 5: Dil Cosby Suite and Vol. 6: Dil Withers Suite), this tribute to Madlib’s friend and collaborator James “J Dilla” Yancey contains real and genuine sorrow. Madlib may have been Dilla’s biggest influence in his final years; you can hear it in his masterwork, Donuts. So the Beat Konducta repays the favor by incorporating samples from Dilla’s best loved tracks, including “The Light.” It’s still quirky and weird…this is a Madlib album, after all. Call it a revival, with plenty of beers, blunts and tears to go around.

8. Serengeti & Polyphonic, Terradactyl
Anticon

Serengeti has worked quietly in Chicago, releasing poorly-distributed albums full of sharply detailed character sketches and odd hooks, which makes him a perfect addition to the left-of-center Anticon. As his official national debut, Terradactyl brings those subterranean elements to light. There is “My Negativity,” which he chants as “My Negga-negga-negga,” drawing an unconscious parallel with a historic epithet. “My Patriotism” turns not to politics but to intimate relations. Meanwhile, Polyphonic the Verbose’s electronic squalls dance around Serengeti’s tales of everyman woe like glowing brain synapses.

9. Tanya Morgan, Brooklynati
Interdependent Media

Brooklynati was a sophomore effort in every way — bigger guests, better production and a concerted effort to translate the rough charms of its debut, 2006′s Moonlighting, to a broader canvas and a wider, blogosphere-primed audience. That the group was mostly successful — the album doesn’t really take off until nearly a third of the way through, during their brilliant “horrorcore” parody “Hardcore Gentlemen” — misses the point. Von Pea, Ilyas, and Donwill continue to grow by leaps and bounds, delivering cipher cuts (“Never 2ndary”) and love jawns (“Never Enough”) with the unique perspective of three admitted rap nerds who are slowly becoming genuine indie-rap heroes.

10. DOOM, Born Like This
Lex Records

If The Ecstatic was Obama’s campaign of hope set to hip hop, then Born Like This was the rabid, red dog populist aftermath. It’s not exactly a fuck-you album on par with Prince and the Revolution’s Around the World In a Day and OutKast’s Idlewild, since DOOM bookended his first solo disc in five years with a gospelly “Thank Yah.” But after enduring rumors of alcoholism, ill health and even his death, prompted by years of eccentric behavior — he hasn’t been seen publicly without his trademark mask since the late 90s — and notorious no-shows at his concerts, DOOM sounds unrepentant. On the Charles Bukowski-quoting “Cellz” and the homophobic “Batty Boys,” among others, he sounds furious, shoving hard rhymes and third-person asides down your throat like Ron Artest. He doesn’t do it consistently enough to make Born Like This a classic, but he still manages to excite and infuriate all at once.

And here’s the rest of the list sans commentary:

11. P.O.S., Never Better
Rhymesayers

12. Finale, A Pipe Dream And A Promise
Interdependent Media

13. Shafiq Husayn, Shafiq ‘En A-Free-Kah
Plug Research

14. Busdriver, Jhelli Beam
Anti-

15. Mike Slott, Lucky 9Teen
LuckyMe

16. Anti-Pop Consortium, Fluorescent Black
Big Dada

17. Willie Isz, Georgiavania
Lex Records

18. Dorian Concept, When Planets Explode
Kindred Spirits

19. Zion-I, The TakeOver
Gold Dust Media

20. Mr. Lif, I Heard It Today
Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises

In late 2007, Jneiro Jarel and Khujo Goodie announced they were recording together under the guise Willie Isz; they subsequently leaked several well-circulated tracks on the Internet. Now comes the full length.

Georgiavania is a notable departure for Jarel, best known for his pioneering beat production under a variety of pseudonyms, including Dr Who Dat (through which he dropped the digital album Beyond Tomorrow earlier this year). Meanwhile, it reintroduces Khujo to rap fans who mostly associate him with the great Southern rap group Goodie Mob.The title Georgiavania is a hybrid of Jarel’s hometown Pennsylvania and Khujo’s native Georgia.

Willie Isz’s Georgiavania drops in June on Lex Records. The above image, illustrated by James Jarvis is from the promo sampler; it’s unclear if it will be used for the album. (May 15 update: The new release date is June 16 has been changed again to June 30.)

Here’s more from the bio:

The central concept and inspiration at the heart of the album is an imaginary 51st US state named Georgiavania. The original, cherished yet often forgotten constitutional values of hip-hop are celebrated with Willie Isz keeping it braggadocio, street smart and straight-up banging throughout. However, in this new, near-utopian territory the tired hiphop cliches of the past – swearing, sexism, homophobia, drug and gun talk – have been banished allowing a newfound, refreshing honesty and openness to prevail. In Georgiavania’s post-hip-hop paradise Willie Isz combine Southern hip-hop styles such as Crunk and Snap music with rock and psychedelia-infused influences, and the duo consciously avoided sampling in favour of live instrumentation and a super-fresh sound.

Here’s the tentative track listing. I’ll update it if more information becomes available.

• 1. “Willie Intro”
• 2. “Blast Off”
• 3. “Georgiavania”
• 4. “Loner”
• 5. “Gawn Jet” (feat. Tunde Adebimpe)
• 6. “I Didn’t Mean To”
• 7. “U Want Some?”
• 8. “Prepare Fo It (Spiritual Gladiators)”
• 9. “The Grussle”
• 10. “Violet Heart Box”
• 11. “Autopilot”
• 12. “Shine”
• 13. “In The Red”

Dr. Who Dat?
Beyond 2morrow (Lex Records, digital album)

With this review, I’m abandoning the rating system I’ve used during the past two years. I’m also tossing out the “Short Cuts” experiment that began last month with Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz 6.

The reason is that it’s impossible to summarize all of an album’s qualities in a review, unless I wanted to write a short book about each album like the 33 1/3 series. And even those monographs are built from years of critical thought and changing perspectives; these reviews, by nature, are immediate reactions to newly released work. As a result, my reviews should accomplish a few simple tasks: give you a brief sense of how an album sounds, explain some of the ideas that an artist is trying to convey, and tell you whether it’s worth checking out to or not.

Naturally, some reviews will be longer than others, so I think the “Short Cuts” appellation is unnecessary. And I tried the rating system because I wanted to rank the albums on a scale. But my year-end lists are a much better ranking system. The star system was flawed because it was often arbitrary. Often, I would only listen to an album once or twice before I gave it a rating. But I’ve since learned that the albums worth remembering after a full year, not the ones that sound great on first impression but quickly grow tiresome, are the true keepers.

So what’s the score with Dr Who Dat? It’s an alias for elusive musician Jneiro Jarel (anv Omar Gilyard), with a focus on beat production. Beyond 2morrow appeals to a specialized audience that wouldn’t care about an arbitrary rating. Instrumental hip-hop albums tend to operate under a different dynamic than hip-hop albums, or even producer showcases like Jarel’s Shape of Broad Minds project, which mixed singing and rap with an aesthetic similar to this. With the exception of the title track, where Jarel drops a few rhymes, and the harmonizing vibes of “Ghetto Dreaming,” straight-up beats are Dr. Who Dat’s specialty.

Despite its narrow parameters, Beyond 2morrow has an appealing musical tone, with notes that mutate and shift and sounds that switch and evolve mid-stream. “Lace & Candy” starts with repetitive keyboard punches, and then segues into a shuffling, watery groove – the sonic equivalent of Kompakt’s famous “schaffel” beat. It ends with a sample from a Brazilian psych break. On other tracks like the elegant “Viberian Twilight,” he creates a high drama of programmed keyboards and squealing melodies, and the whole thing stomps like a Prince track circa 1999.

Beyond 2morrow is full of pure pleasures like that. At thirteen tracks and 30 minutes, it’s not as expansive as Shape of Broad Minds, and it isn’t supposed to be. It’s really about the head-nod factor.

Last weekend, Jneiro Jarel dropped this little surprise via a MySpace post:

Lyrisict and producer Jneiro Jarel has been working under a lot of pseudonyms and aliases since he joined Lex… Four out of five members of his group Shape of Broad Minds were infact just JJ.

His debut Alter-ego was the illusive producer Dr Who Dat? haling from the tropical coast of Viberia, his Brazilian funk influenced album Beat Journey remains an instrumental hip hop classic – a must have for fans of Jneiro, Boards, Dilla, Fly-Lo.

Almost 3 years later, the sequel is here: Beyond 2Morrow is out worldwide as a digital download-only release next today in europe and this Tue in the US.

The new instrumental EP, which Jneiro has been previewing on MySpace, is available via Lex Records on iTunes and Amazon.com. The track listing is below.

• 1. “Lurk”
• 2. “Jaws of Clover”
• 3. “Space Balls”
• 4. “Lace & Candy”
• 5. “Dr. 400,000,000″
• 6. “JJ-Tron”
• 7. “Bumpy Bump Face”
• 8. “Cosmic Congo”
• 9. “Nights Over Nantes/Brakes”
• 10. “Viberian Twilight”
• 11. “Beyond 2morrow”
• 12. “Dark Moon/Cafe”
• 13. “Ghetto Dreaming”

Download: “Beyond 2morrow”

Download: “Lace & Candy”

Here is a speculative list of ten 2009 hip-hop albums. All of these titles are scheduled to drop sometime during the next 12 months. I omitted some perennial “coming soon” titles (Madvillainy 2, 9th Wonder’s The Wonder Years, Ghost & Doom’s Swift and Changeable, Big Boi’s Sir Luscious Left Foot and others). Not to say that they’ll never come out, but we’re moving on now.

Hudson Mohawke’s debut album (Warp): This may be the most hotly-anticipated of the electronic/hip-hop crossovers. Warp has a good track record of signing underground sensations who go on to record their best material for the label, with Autechre, Prefuse 73, Boards of Canada and Antipop Consortium being among the many examples. (tentative release date: Spring ’09)

Zion-I, The Takeover (Gold Dust Media): I’ve heard this album, and I can safely say that it’s Zion-I’s best to date, maybe as good as those cassette EPs they used to release back in the day. But will fans and critics give them their due recognition? People who don’t live on the West Coast tend to sleep on/underrate them. (release date: January 27)

Willie Isz, Georgiavania (Lex Records): Khujo and Jneiro Jarel have been leaking tracks from their forthcoming collaboration for the past several months. Some have sounded impressively soulful and reflective (“In The Red”), while others have sounded tinny and strange (“Gwan Jet”). It seems as if all the leaks — many which you can hear on Willie Isz’s MySpace page — are meant to get listeners comfortable with their unusual sound before the full-length drops. At the least, it should be an adventure.  (tentative release date: late February/March)

Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal (Warner Bros.): There’s some speculation whether this will come out now because Kweli’s Blacksmith management has split with Warner Bros. But I think that Warner Bros. still wants him on the label — it just didn’t feel like pushing Blacksmith’s underground slate (Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady) to the mainstream. Kweli’s last album (2007′s Eardrum) was pretty good, and Hi-Tek is long overdue for a breakout year. Keep your fingers crossed that Warner Bros. doesn’t let this one rot on the shelf. (tentative release date: TBA)

Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love (Ubiquity): Sa-Ra’s 2007 debut was a patchwork of old singles and leaked tracks, detritus from their stillborn deal with G.O.O.D. Music/Sony. It sounded like leftovers. This upcoming affair should be much more fresh and cohesive, provided that blogs don’t leak the whole thing first. (tentative release date: spring ’09)

Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon (Fool’s Gold/Downtown): I wasn’t feeling this song at first, but lately it has resonated with me. Kid Cudi (pictured above) seems to have found a way around the auto-tune nightmare that has ruined rappers’ impulse to harmonize; it’s not exactly Cold Crush Brothers, but memorable nonetheless. An openness to electronic styles like soulful house could make this an intriguing debut. (tentative release date: TBA)

Dam-Funk, Toeachizown (Stones Throw): Dam-Funk is another dude who has leaked MySpace joints for many months now. He’s already released a few 12-inches, as well as an edition for Stones Throw’s Rhythm Trax series. But I expect Toeachizown to be a head-scratcher on par with James Pants’ Welcome. When I first heard that album, I disparaged James Pants for making a good demo tape. It was faint praise. Almost twelve months later, I still can’t stop thinking about that album. (tentative release date: Spring ’09)

Antipop Consortium, Flourescent Black: It’s been over a year since the four members of Antipop announced they were reuniting, and still no word of when the album will come out, or even which label will release it. (However, they’ve performed several NYC shows.) I imagine something will drop before the next edition of All Tomorrow’s Parties takes place in September; APC are scheduled to make a key appearance there. (tentative release date: TBA)

Charles Hamilton debut album (Interscope): Sonic the Hamilton’s album will most likely be a highly commercial mix of styles meant to entice hipsters, backpackers and teenyboppers alike. The question is, will he get the formula right? (tentative release date: TBA)

Mos Def, The Ecstatic (Downtown): Since his classic 1999 solo debut Black On Both Sides, Mos Def has concentrated most of his energy on his acting career, with fantastic results. Though not yet a lead actor, Mos has scored meaty supporting roles in critically acclaimed films and box office hits. Unfortunately, he’s subsequently used his music to indulge his artistic whims, making for meandering and unfocused albums like 2004′s The New Danger. At the beginning of 2008, he announced that he was teaming up with Kanye West (who also made beats for The New Danger), perhaps a sign that he wasn’t going to fuck around this time. Whatever The Ecstatic turns out to be — another classic or another mess — it should be interesting. (tentative release date: Spring ’09)

Other releases to watch for: MF Doom (Lex), Mr. Lif, I Heard It Today (Definitive Jux, April 13), Thavius Beck, Dialogue (Mush?), J. Medeiros, Friends Enemies Apples Apples (Quannum), Nosaj Thing (Alpha Pup), new Themselves album (Anticon), The Cool Kids, When Fish Ride Bicycles (Chocolate Industries), Evidence, Cats & Dogs (label TBD), Finale, A Pipe, A Dream & A Promise (Interdependent Media), Danny! (Definitive Jux)

The Fantastic JJ Project features Mattic, a rapper who resides in Normandy, France rhyming over beats from Dr. Who Dat?’s 2006 album Beat Journey. (Don’t worry — he rhymes in English.) It was apparently made with Jneiro Jarel’s blessing.  If you’re skeptical about its quality and don’t want the download cluttering your desktop, preview several tracks on a MySpace page set up specifically for the project.

Download: The Fantastic JJ Project

Hotly tipped rapper Charles Hamilton has been on a “virtual tour” for the past few weeks, issuing a mixtape every two weeks on a different blog. Last week he dropped It’s Charles Hamilton, made in conjunction with DJ Skee, on 2dopeboyz.com.The next one arrives on Tuesday, October 28; you can follow the rest of Hamilton’s schedule on his website.

Download: Charles Hamilton – It’s Charles Hamilton

While trawling through 2dopeboyz.com, I noticed a new mixtape featuring the Gent$: Pugs Atomz, Wes Restless and Ill Legit. I found lots of other stuff, too, but since I’m not a super-biter I’ll just recommend you take a walk through the 2dopeboyz.com blog yourself. And for more info on Pugs Atomz, read this interview Max Herman conducted for Plug One earlier in the year.

Here’s the word from Pugs Atomz:

The Gent$ ( Pugs Atomz, Wes Restless, & Ill Legit) present 13 cuts of solid Chicago Hop, with production from Maker and the Opus.

Filled with braggadocios, and comical satire while still walking that fine line of respected lyricism and word play. The sound track is city slick, Michigan ave. afternoons at the hotel bar….getting girls, talking sh*t, and insight chased with a pale ale.

Download: The Gent$

Shape of Broad Minds
Craft of the Lost Art
Lex

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The narrative behind Shape of Broad Minds is that it splits Jneiro Jarel into several identities: Panama Black, Roc Wun and Dr. Who Dat? The only other real person, it seems, is Houston multi-instrumentalist Jawwaad Taylor. But the furiously brilliant Craft of the Lost Art also diverges between Jarel the producer and Jarel the MC. The qualititative differences between the two are striking.

It comes into focus whenever someone else jumps on his tracks. “So Much (Chaos)” opens with Jawwaad burning from a global nightmare: “Streets of Fallujah, Ramallah/Wild-eyed bomber with no target/They say the babies is heartless, regardless/We reap what we sow/So then, let us gather our harvest.” Lil Sci follows with an equally inspired verse: “Too many heads in our culture not repping it right/That’s why we’re here now/Philanthropists through the mics, feed the hungry with these ill styles.” Then Jarel brings up the rear: “Never heard something like this before/And probably won’t for two or three thousand centuries more.” Although enthusiastic, Jarel lacks the precision of the others.

But if Craft of the Lost Art suffers from Jarel’s lyrical deficiencies, he successfully makes his case as one of the most exhilirating beatmakers on the scene today. From beginning to end, he stocks the album with innovative ideas, richly textured rhythms, and powerful tracks. The opening track, “Light Years Away,” truly sounds like the future, a textbook study of space-hop with its filtered drums, distorted choral samples, and simulated breathing as if emanating from an astronaut. On “OPR8R” he lifts folk guitar from an Italian film and pairs it with echoing handclaps. “They Don’t Know” is a traditional, piano-laced boom bap cut that guest rapper Stacy Epps rips to pieces. Jarel’s critics, whom he seemingly references on several cuts, will be hard-pressed to dismiss him as just another J-Dilla mimic.

Still, there’s the question of his words. Jarel isn’t the best rapper, but he knows how to ride a track; even on “So Much (Chaos),” where he’s clearly outclassed by Jaawaad and Lil Sci, his voice blends in. As a vocalist, he doesn’t disrupt the music, even if he doesn’t necessarily enhance it.

On the final track, “12C,” he geeks out over a corporate soul-rock loop that bounces with the light intensity of Slave’s “Just a Touch.” It’s just him and the song fitting together in a harmonious whole. Craft of the Lost Art frequently achieves that balance, even if the sum sometimes doesn’t match its disparate parts.

After much MySpace hype, hard-working New York producer-rapper Omar Gilyard is debuting his latest creation: Shape of Broad Minds. The man known as Jneiro Jarel has assembled a supporting cast that includes Atlanta rapper Panama Black, Houston multi-instrumentalist Jawwaad and, schizophrenically, a few alternate Jneiro personalities named Rocque Wun and Dr. Who Dat.

The group’s first release is The Blue Experience EP, a teaser that hits July 17 and features the lead single “Let’s Go” with MF Doom. After that comes Craft of the Lost Art, a long player featuring guest appearances from Count Bass D, Lil Sci, Stacy Epps and Deborah Jordan. It arrives via Lex Records on September 4, and the track listing is below.

“It’s basically Jneiro Jarel plus,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this year. “When you have one name, people expect whatever they’ve heard from you in the past. But if you go by these different aliases, they know to expect [different styles] from you.”

• 1. “Gorilla Mash”
• 2. “Light Years Away”
• 3. “Let’s Go” (feat. DOOM)
• 4. “Changes”
• 5. “Nahuma (interlude)”
• 6. “OPR8R”
• 7. “BuddaFly Away”
• 8. “Unnamed”
• 9. “It Lives On” (feat. Count Bass D)
• 10. “So Much (Chaos)” (feat. Lil Sci)
• 11. “Buzz Around Town”
• 12. “They Don’t Know” (feat. Stacy Epps)
• 13. “Bopper Blocker”
• 14. “Electric Blue”
• 15. “Mermaid (Outro)”
• 16. “It Aint Dead!!”
• 17. “Beast From Da East”
• 18. “Lullabanger (Thelonious Dedication)”
• 19. “Viberian Sun”
• 20. “There 4 Me”
• 21. “Stiff Robots & Drunken Horses”
• 22. “Solo (Underwater)” (feat. Deborah Jordan)
• 23. “12C”

www.myspace.com/shapeofbroadminds

Cutting-edge British imprint Lex Records has unveiled its lineup for 2007. On deck for new albums are Jneiro Jarel, Kid Acne, Neon Neon (a collaboration between Super Furry Animals leader Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip) and Fog. None of them have release dates, but are slated to come out during the next several months.

Lex also holds UK rights to the highly anticipated Ghostface Killah and MF Doom collabo, Swift & Changeable. The album has been delayed for nearly a year, undoubtedly to the politics involved in dropping an independent album by two of hip-hop’s most coveted artists. But everyone promises that it will finally come out this year. Nature Sounds has the U.S. rights, but Lex’s version should entice American trainspotters who like its amazing album covers. The label also hints that a new Danger Doom EP similar to last year’s Occult Hymn will soon arrive.

Londonite Kid Acne is better established as an aerosol artist; you may have seen deluxe copies of his comic book Zebra Face in your friendly neighborhood scenester shop. Similar to REQ, another graff writer who tinkers with music, he puts out records on his imprint Invisible Spies. (He also appeared on REQ’s Car Paint Scheme). Kid Acne’s stuff is raw, punky and abrasive like Beastie Boys or Edan. After appearing on the Lexoleum compilation, he’s making a proper Lex debut with Romance Ain’t Dead.

Philly MC/producer Jneiro Jarel dropped the underrated Beat Journey last year under Dr. Who Dat. For this project he’s assembled a collective called Shape of Broad Minds. Its members include his many aliases (Panama Black, Dr. Who Dat, Mel Owens and Rocque Wun) and actual people (Jawwaad Taylor and Capital Peoples). The future soul offering includes guests such as Count Bass D, Q-Tip, MF Doom, John Robinson, Deborah Jordon and Micah Gaugh.

Neon Neon, as reported elsewhere, brings together acclaimed producer Boom Bip and singer-songwriter Gruff Rhys (who appeared on Boom Bip’s Blue Eyed in the Red Room). The guest list for this one includes Kudu, the Magic Numbers, Spank Rock, Yo Majesty and Fat Lip. “The project is based on the life and times of John Delorean and goes in and out of electro-pop to steady bouncing beats,” writes Boom Bip on his MySpace page.

Finally there’s former turntablist-turned-indie-rock troubadour Fog, whose supporters include MF Doom, Dose One and Kid Koala. Once a pseudonym for Andrew Broder, Fog is now a full-fledged trio including Mark Erickson and Tim Glenn. Like their fellow Lex artists, Fog’s upcoming Ditherer features plenty of esteemed guests such as Why?, Low, Andrew Bird, Dosh and the Pedestrian.

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