The soundtrack to a road movie (included as a seperate DVD disc), One Big Trip is an impressive collection of some of the finest underground hip-hop acts of the moment.
The Hieroglyphics, the all-star crew that includes
Del tha Funkee Homosapien, produced and compiled the album, and appear on four tracks, as well as a solo cut by
Del. All are superb, showing much improvement over the sometimes uneven quality of the first
Hieroglyphics album. Similarly,
Jurassic 5's opener, "Verbal Gunfight," is first-rate. What's more, the album is impeccably sequenced, so
Dan the Automator's instrumental dance cut flows seamlessly with the
Dilated Peoples and
Swollen Members contributions, which are much darker and use chilling piano loops and vocals. Even the more party-flavored cuts -- such as
Lootpack's "Movies 2 Groupies" -- have first-rate production that allows them to fit in seamlessly with the more underground tracks. One Big Trip will please anyone looking for smart, well-crafted hip-hop. ~ Victor W. Valdivia