Picking up where they left off with
Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture: Enter the Dubstep Vol. 1, FrankRadio and iHipHop go old-school with a second blast of dubstep remixes on
Enter the Dubstep Vol. 2. Focusing on a different New York group, this compilation has producers like
Hellfire Machina and
Lenny Dee adding some serious bass to the tracks of hip-hop legends
Brand Nubian. Interestingly, these tracks don’t feel like mashups, but instead come across more like re-imagined versions of the originals, with the new backing tracks feeling like they were carefully built around the vocals rather than just beatmatched to an a cappella track. This level of care in the production comes through on the tracks, making the comp feel more like a new album than a collection of remixes. Another thing working in favor of the album is its tone.
Brand Nubian's politically conscious lyrics meld well with dubstep’s ominous feel, adding both a sonic and emotional weight to a song like “Corners,” which is a remix of
Lord Jamar’s “The Corner, The Streets.” With its spot-on production,
Enter the Dubstep, Vol. 2 is an album that should gain purchase with both dubstep fans and old-school
Brand Nubian fans, reworking these from
Fire in the Hole and
One for All, as well as
Grand Puba and
Lord Jamar’s solo albums, into new songs that pay tribute to the originals while breathing new life into them, hopefully exposing a new generation to one of the heaviest hitters of ‘90s hip-hop.