Golden age hip-hop quintet
Freestyle Fellowship took a hiatus between 1993's
Inner City Griots and 2001's
Temptations, and then took another decade to release their fourth album,
The Promise. Following solo stints by the individual MCs,
Aceyalone, P.E.A.C.E.,
Mikah 9,
Self-Jupiter, and DJ Kiilu Grand were inspired to reunite after a well-received 2009 reunion show in their home city of Los Angeles. Despite the long gap, they still sound like a tightly bound unit on the mike, delivering tongue-twister versions of abstract scenarios as only
Freestyle Fellowship can. Meanwhile, futuristic beats by
Black Milk,
Eligh,
Kenny Segal, and Exile provide an updated setting for the dexterous wordplay. ~ Jason Lymangrover