Hip-hop fans would be forgiven for quickly passing over this independent rap compilation; after all, the cover photo of a Norse god makes the album a natural for a death-metal compilation. For those who manage to find it though,
Defenders of the Underworld is a good compilation charting the breadth of the growing hip-hop underground, courtesy of a few unreleased tracks from notables like
Kool Keith,
Swollen Members,
Divine Styler, Aceyalone, the Arsonists, and
Dilated Peoples, plus plenty of new names contributing great tracks of their own. The vibes are dark and the grooves and rhymes are tight on excellent debuts from Defari ("Cookin' Up Your Brain"),
Buc Fifty ("Worst Enemy"), Pycho Realm ("Pow Wow"), and
Moka Only ("Variety") -- the latter a real wonder in late-'90s hip-hop of any stripe, a great positive-minded track. From the familiar names, best is
Kool Keith's "Get off My Elevator," a brilliant, hilarious moment of paranoid bliss with some of the best rhymes he's come up with in awhile. ~ John Bush