Hip Hop 2004: Part I

Hip hop in 2004 was arrite. There were no explosive albums but a few memorable ones. 2004 saw lots of fusion work and mixing sounds from different cultures. This was seen in cruder examples and in impressive albums such as Ozomatli's Street Signs. 2004 also saw the return of some big names on the scene. Outkast, Mos Def, Roots, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, KOS, Kanye dropped long awaited albums. Yet, once again, the underground churned out the best albums of the year.

Grouch and Eligh's No More Greener Grasses was an impressive release that harkened back to the times of Slick Rick. Incidentally, Eligh was a guest dj on some of the tracks on Eric B. and Rakim's monumental 1996 release, Paid In Full. Haiku D'etat, a trio that includes Aceyalone, Mikah 9 and Abstract Rude dropped their second album this year. Titled Coup De' Theatre, it once again proves that these three can rhyme like the best and this album is just another solid album in a line of impressive works which include Haiku D'etat, Inner City Griots among numerous other projects under numerous other names.

Another gem was served up by Masta Ace; Long Hot Summer is an amusing, thoughtful and soulful journey through Ace's summer of shows, girls, hustling, credit cards and perhaps the best charcater on a hip hop album in years, Fats Belvedere. Ozomatli's release, Street Signs is a fusion based compilation that infuses together dance beats with west coast rap. The latino vibe around this album just adds to the mix, another excellent album by a very good group.