Dilated Peoples
Album : Neighborhood Watch
Realase date : April 6, 2004
Label : ABB records

Review :
L.A.’s underground rap movement has never really gotten the credit it deserves despite spawning a number of incredibly innovative artists. Thanks to two strong major-label releases, Dilated is on the cusp of the mainstream acceptance they deserve, yet they haven’t felt the need to water down their sound for scans a la Black Eyed Peas.

On their third album, as always, their beats are on point, from the Alchemist-infused "World on Wheels" to "This Way," produced and vocally accessorized by rap’s latest "it" guy Kanye West. Certainly DJ Babu’s ability to slice and dice well-produced soul numbers adds a great sonic dimension to most of the cuts. As for the rhymes ? Well, Iriscience makes a strong case as to why Dilated might be better off with more of his rhyme contributions. On "Big Business" he plays the "rap Michael Moore," skillfully weighing in on topics of war and surveillance as chopper sounds are blended in to great effect.

On the other hand, Evidence hasn’t quite stepped up his MC game, so most of his verses don’t add much to the overall product value. Neighborhood is your typical Dilated Peoples release : good but not great, and consistent nearly to a fault. One would have hoped that a cut like "Poisonous," a respectable collabo with Devin the Dude, might have put this one over, but it doesn’t quite do the trick. It’s a solid even listen for sure, but not the "next level" album for which we were all secretly hoping. —Dalton Higgins