Audio By Carbonatix
Back in the day, rappers never dedicated songs to their favorite guns, never rapped about beating fools up, and never even cursed on their records. Now, Dilated Peoples are out to bring hip-hop back to its simpler, less aggro roots. Though the music on The Platform doesn’t sound particularly old school upfront, the overall vibe and words call to mind the street corners and rec centers where rap was invented. Made up of two MCs (Evidence and Iriscience) and a DJ (Babu), just like their heroes, Run DMC and EPMD, Dilated Peoples still use archaic terms like “fresh” and “wack,” talk about b-boys and battling MCs, and drop lines like, “My DJ is so nice/He don’t slice/He severs.” They’re right about that, too–their DJ happens to be very, very nice. Babu, also of the World Famous Beat Junkies, is a cut master of the first order. His manic scratching and exceptional beats and samples tend to overshadow Evidence and Iriscience’s adequate, if unspectacular, flow.
The Platform begins with Babu tearing up a record before segueing (via a sample of Bill Cosby, of all people, covering “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”) into the title cut, which–with an infectious, calypso-style loop– is DP’s catchiest number to date. As complements, DP also include on the album their two previous hits, “Work the Angles” and “Triple Optics,” both previously released only on vinyl. Later on the disc, DP revive the custom of including at least one song on every record as a tribute to the DJ with the exceptional “Service.” They also sprinkle the album with esteemed guests, including Cypress Hill’s B-Real on “No Retreat,” Tha Alkaholiks on “Right On,” and Aceyalone on “The Shape of Things to Come.” Unfortunately, the guest MCs are all far more bedazzling rhymers than DP, who tend to spew words rather than concoct any distinguishable style, and thus suffer by comparison.
But if there’s one thing that’s really lacking on this record, it’s content. The Peoples pay plenty of tribute to the old-school rappers, but what makes old-school rap still sound so original is the storytelling. Grandmaster Melle Mel and Run-DMC used to rap hella honestly about the ghetto, and even the Fat Boys always had some sort of corny story on each record. No one could get away with just rattling off largish words that rhymed, which is what DP sometimes seem to be doing. Though hip-hoppers of all sorts will enjoy this record, it’s a DJ record first and foremost, eclipsing two rappers who need to catch up with their own nimble grooves.
