- El-P's Definitive Jux imprint has been the label that has been nurturing underground hip hop names such as Mr. Lif, RJD2, Aesop Rock, others mainly from the East Coast hip hop scene and of course El-P himself. Definitive Jux 3 is the third in the series of artist showcases from the label (obviously) following on from previously successful releases such as 2 and the Revenge Of The Robots DVD.
Words From Phase 2 opens up the compilation speaking out about the current state of hip hop and how it relates to hip hop back in its "golden era". He touches on subjects like marketing a sellable record and making money is what drives hip hop artists today, while the underground scene always has to strive to push itself to fans and critics.
Aesop Rock provides a couple of joints for the compilation with the dark and smokey vibes on All In All with Aesop going for a sci-fi theme with his vocal delivery. No Jumper Cables features with a DJ Pawl remix on a more uptempo electro b-boy rocking beat. Carnage's Make News takes on a more 70's funk soundtrack theme like Lalo Schifrin doing a score for a hip hop movie - big drums, dramatic orchestration while Carnage deliver the news about street ciphers, wack ass rappers and gangster violence.
Mr. Lif does not appear on a solo joint but teams up with Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One as the Perceptionists providing a little funk in comparison to the deeper rhythms on the previous tracks on Medical Aid.
Listeners will appreciate Mr. Lif and Akrobatik's vocal output and how close they stick to subject matter while incorporating a phat hip hop and b-boy style to the rhymes they spit.
Hangar 18 is a group I haven't heard of before but they too provide two songs for the album - Beatslope and Take No Chances with Beatslope appearing as a funky remix done by El-P while Take No Chances sees the boys tackle social issues.
Let's not forget El-P here as he is central to the whole Def Jux family. Standing for WeatherMen Radio, WMR with Camo Tao highlights El-P innovative production style as he combines elements of techno, electro with hip hop beats to produce his own abstractions to the hip hop theme.
Despot's Homesickness brings on a dark menacing vibe to the CD with it's heavy bassline with influences of rock tinged throughout and this sets a nice precursor to S.A Smash's Devil In The Hole which pays homage to psychedelic rock while S.A provide the hands in the air style rhymes.
The only instrumental song on the album appears courtesy of RJD2 who ends it all off with Clean Living. For those familiar with RJ's style will dig the mix of classic funk fused with jazz elements including one lively flute solo in the middle. Check out soon to be classic albums like Deadringer and the Horror EP for more instrumental RJ stuff and you can also hear his beats on Diverse's One A.M. LP as well.
CD 2 is a DVD featuring music videos from artists like C-Rayz Walz who provides two videos - Buck 80 and 3 Card Molly. The remix of Aesop Rock's No Jumper Cables makes the list along with Mr. Lif's Live At The Plantation and El-P's Deep Space 9mm and Stepfather Factory which features animation done by Plates Animation studios.
I don't know why I'm not as into this as I should be, but it just felt like a compilation of the same tracks covering similar lyrical content throughout. After the first few tracks, the underground abstract theme just felt tedious to listen to. There are definitely some songs in here that really impress but they are coupled with tracks that fail to make an impression on these ears. Definitive Jux Presents 3 is not only volume 3 of their label showcase series but it highlights three of the four elements of hip hop - MCing, DJing and b-boying.