Evidence, Raaka Iriscience and DJ Babu are firmly entrenched in the hip-hop community. Ever since 2000's The Platform, Dilated Peoples have carried an aura that typifies what hip-hop is all about. Thoughtful lyrics, forceful delivery, pounding beats, smooth cuts and one of the best live shows in the industry have made the California-bred trio highly respected in the world of hip-hop.
Despite their rock-solid reputation, Dilated Peoples felt the need to prove themselves once again on their latest album, 20/20. The 2004 release Neighborhood Watch was a solid album that featured a Kanye West-produced single and the radio play that goes with it. Yet, the album only sold about 143,000 copies, which was a major disappointment for the group.
Their new album represents a refocusing of sorts, an auditory representation of three individuals trying to keep their eyes on the prize. The Alchemist-produced lead single, Back Again,\ illustrates this point well, as Evidence plays on Diddy and beats the listener over the head by saying, ""Don't worry if I write checks, I write rhymes.""
The down-to-earth tone of the album continues with ""You Can't Hide, You Can't Run"" and ""Alarm Clock Music,"" produced by Evidence and DJ Babu, respectively. The song titles say it all, as the former track discusses bad situations and how they can be made into opportunities, while the latter is a wake-up call that addresses violence both near and far.
The straightforward song concepts continue with ""Kindness For Weakness,"" where Evidence and Raaka share the mic with Talib Kweli to make sure that nobody misinterprets the rappers' persona.
As always, the lyrics are on point with Dilated Peoples. And as always, the production is strong. Evidence shows off his ambidexterity by lacing ""Satellite Radio,"" as well as the aforementioned ""Kindness for Weakness"" and ""You Can't Run, You Can't Hide"" with excellent sounds. However, the production show-stealer belongs to the Alchemist-produced title track. Over subtle vocal samples and a timely trumpet, Ev and Raaka stomp through this certified head-nodder.
Though this album contains a couple of misses (""Olde English,"" for instance), Dilated Peoples have done it again. With four consecutive quality albums, there is no question that they are one of the most consistent hip-hop groups in recent memory. The performance of Dilated Peoples is certainly as reliable as 20/20 vision.
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