This essay on new-era Dungeon Fam was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place on July 7. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column.

Prince once sang, “All The Critics Love You In New York,” mock-celebrating the rock-crit establishment’s hive mentality. I think the bees are nesting over Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son Of Chico Dusty, much as they did with Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2… Sir Lucious Left Foot is a fine album, of course, but I don’t think it’s the unqualified success that many others seem it is. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, of course. But is it an opinion, or just bandwagon-eering?

Or let me put it this way, since everyone’s so fond of Metacritic-styled ratings. Do I think it’s worth a 90, or a 9.2? No. But who knows? Maybe I’m just a contrarian that isn’t convinced of Sir Lucious Left Foot’s greatness yet.

Unfortunately, I didn’t delve into any of those issues in this essay. The concept I explored — how the Dungeon Family ethos survives, even with OutKast largely missing from scene — is a decent one, but I was frustrated by my lack of dense analysis for Big Boi’s long-delayed album. (I have a relatively strict 1000-word count for my column.) Next week’s edition will be devoted entirely to the Roots’ How I Got Over. No conceptual gimmicks.

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Rap Is Not Pop: Dungeon Family’s Future

You’re forgiven for believing that Big Boi’s debut album, Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty would never be released. Since Big Boi announced the project in late 2006, it has endured numerous recording sessions, several failed teaser singles, and even a label switch, from Jive (onetime home of OutKast) to Def Jam. In retrospect, four years doesn’t seem like a long wait, especially when judged against a graveyard of shelved, infinitely delayed, and/or simply lost rap epics, from Dr. Dre’s decade-in-the-making Detox to Black Star’s rumored second album.

Sir Lucious Left Foot is symptomatic of the Dungeon Family these days: embattled, perhaps a far cry from its glory years, yet resolute. The famed collective, once centered on groundbreaking music from OutKast, Goodie Mob, and production crew Organized Noize, no longer exists as a functioning unit, at least in not any real sense, beyond one-off reunions and retrospective magazine articles. Its legacy endures, however, from the triumphant debut of Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid to Andre 3000’s fanciful remake of the Beatles’ “All Together Now” for a Nike commercial that aired frequently during the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

Bug Boi first introduced Monae as part of his short-lived Purple Ribbon All-Stars, a crew that also included Killer Mike, Bubba Sparxxx, Organized Noize producer Sleepy Brown and others. Her performance on “Lettin’ Go” from the 2005 compilation Got Purp Vol. 2 revealed little about the creative direction she would eventually take. Big Boi then served as an executive producer on her first EP, 2007’s independently released Metropolis: The Chase Suite (reissued the following year after Monae signed with Bad Boy Records), where she formally introduced herself as a cyborg in the image of Fritz Lang’s Expressionist dystopia Metropolis: “I’m an alien from outer space, I’m a cyber-girl without a place, a heart or a mind.”

I find it amusing that Monae’s urban/pop vision of artificial intelligence has entered the Zeitgeist, a meme to be appropriated by Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Christina Aguilera and others. She’s not official Dungeon Family, but she carries its tradition of creative innovation. A direct connection can be found on OutKast’s last album, 2006’s Idlewild, and appearances on “In My Dreams” and “Call the Law.”

Idlewild should have been OutKast’s version of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk – a glorious bloated musical starring gold-grilled D-boys, funk-rock bohemians and Atlanta University Center buppies. (Check out the Morris Brown marching band on “Morris Brown.”) But a niggling atmosphere of exhaustion sucked the life out of the party, from the duo’s insistence on not rapping together, an unfolding “Hollywood Divorce,” to Andre 3000’s visible annoyance with the limits of superstardom. Like most OutKast albums, Idlewild ends with a meandering Funkadelic-style jam, but “A Bad Note” sounded gloriously prickly and recalcitrant. “You can’t fumble a chord when melody is a thousand light years away,” sang Andre 3000. It was a celebration of nothingness, pushing imagination to its breaking point, then presenting the shards as a kind of anti-feast.

To their credit, none of the Dungeon Family has looked back, even if their solo work hearkens to the glory years of OutKast’s Aquemini and Goodie Mob’s Soul Food. Last year, Khujo Goodie teamed with Jneiro Jarel for Willie Isz’s Georgiavania. Khujo, who possesses a country drawl and a prickly intelligence, may be the most underrated rapper in the camp. Paired with Jneiro Jarel’s futuristic beat tributes to Cocteau Twins and TV on the Radio, Khujo embarked on a widely unappreciated adventure into dirty South Gothicism.

If Khujo Goodie was criminally slept on, then Goodie Mob’s Cee-Lo suffered from overexposure. Forming Gnarls Barkley with producer Danger Mouse, he recorded “Crazy,” one of the past decade’s most memorable hits. It was so big, in fact, that the public ignored the duo’s follow-up album, 2008’s The Odd Couple. It seems that people had already tired of their ecstatic retro-soul like last year’s Christmas toy. Cee-Lo is finishing a solo album set for release this fall, and it’s anyone guess how it will sound, or how it will be received.

Meanwhile, Andre 3000, Dungeon Family’s undisputed shining light, wanders the musical wilderness. His hit-and-run guest spots, from his reunion with Big Boi on UGK’s instant classic “Int’l Players Anthem” to outstanding verses for Jay-Z’s “30 Something,” Devin the Dude’s “What A Job” and, most recently, Ciara’s “Ridin’” remix, only increases our longing for a real Andre 3000 experience – an album, an actual song, anything. Perhaps that explains why his fun Beatles cover feels more substantive than it actually is.

If this sounds like a plea for OutKast to return to us, then so be it. Monae’s The ArchAndroid and Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot don’t equal Aquemini, but they’re more than adequate consolation prizes. Sir Lucious Left Foot could even be interpreted as a sequel to the first disc of OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. But Big Boi’s musical sensibility isn’t as finely tuned, and he offers some real duds, including the bland “hustler’s” anthem “Hustle Blood” (with Jamie Foxx) and the thin pop-punk of “Follow Us” (with Gym Class Heroes wannabes Vonnegutt), alongside winners such as “Shutterbugg” and “Shine Blockas.” Worse, excellent OutKast reunion cuts such as “Royal Flush,” and a duet with Mary J. Blige, “Something’s Gotta Give,” have been excised, the result of sour grapes from Jive Records when Big Boi successfully moved his project over to Def Jam.

We can only wonder what Sir Lucious Left Foot would have sounded like if it had been released as Big Boi intended. To his credit, he doesn’t indulge in nostalgia, even as he asserts his continued relevance. “You can’t destroy what we done built,” he raps on the operatic “General Patton.” There’s no use trying; Dungeon Family is embedded in our culture now.

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”

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)