From the intro, "Noon Time," which interpolates Led Zep's "No Quarter," to the closer, "Badlands," which mixes Yay Area slaps with exotic-sounding melodies, HitCoD disproves the theorem that the only thing Bay Area hip-hop does well is make thizz-faces. Anchored by Amp Live's production—Crown City Rockers' Headnodic and the Living Legends' Eligh also contribute a few tracks—the album's well worth listening to from a musical standpoint alone. If you've heard previous Zion I/Grouch collaborations like "Silly Puddy" and "Flow," then you know their microphone chemistry bubbles over; guests F.A.B., Chali 2na, and Esthero add a bit of glamour and variation to the disc. Occasionally overly precious in an almost-emo way, HitCoD nevertheless offers plenty of classic "conscious rap" moments, like "Kickin' It," a discourse on drugs and civil liberties based around the Clash's "Guns of Brixton" bass line that comes off as visceral as an episode of The Wire without lapsing into cliché.