Tahiti

When Tahiti actually raps on his debut EP, The Birth of Whack, he sounds like a seasoned old-school pro. His delivery is tough, yet light; witty, yet straight-up. The Dallas MC spits syllables like a machine gun one second, only to goof off in laid-back fashion the next. Best are his rhymes on self-deprecating single "The Birth of Whack," such as "I'm whack like Dave from the second Real World/Whack like when Big Daddy Kane posed butt-naked in Playgirl." Too bad Tahiti raps for only four of the disc's 24 minutes. Guest rappers make sense on lengthy albums, but the many MCs on this short debut pad Tahiti's breakthrough far too much. Also, the production often crowds rhymes with five melodies at once. Give the man some room. Despite the small taste he offers, Tahiti proves that he doesn't need the help.