another great group to emerge from the LA underground

As many of you know, I hate most mainstream hip-hop. I don’t hate it because it’s mainstream, I hate it because most of it is bad, unimaginative, trite, fake-thug sh*t. Dilated Peoples are another group to emerge on the hip hop scene from the Los Angeles Underground. Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples have similar backgrounds in the sense that thye both came from the LA underground, but that’s where the similarities end. I’m not quite sure how I heard of Dilated Peoples. I remember my friend’s older brother telling me about them. Dilated Peoples’ The Platform LP is a true hip-hop gem.

like 311 Dilated Peoples come original

I thought it would only be fitting to put a simile in the title of this paragraph. Dilated Peoples’ two emcees, Evidence and Iriscience drop rhymes that are laden with clever similes and metaphors that would make even the most hardened hip-hop elitist simile with joy. Sometimes you’ll hear 4 or 5 similes right after each other. I even think my English teacher Mrs. Barstowe would be impressed by Dilated Peoples’ use of the language. The two flow very well, but they don’t really work together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t even in the studio at the same time. Who cares, Dilated aren’t Run DMC. The Platform also featured guest rappers like B Real of Cypress Hill, Everlast, and the Alkaholics (I think they’re called the licks now, or something like that). Evidence has a deeper voice, and Iriscience has a medium pitch voice. The two pitches work together fairly well.

DJ Babu, the man behind Dilated Peoples

My DJ’s so sharp he severs

Sure, Evidence and Iriscience are great, but for a hip hop record to be good it needs to have good beats. Dilated have their own style of beats. The beats and all the scratching are done by DJ Babu. The beats have a hard underground edge to them. They’re not very glossed over. They fit Dilated’s hard, underground freestyle rhymes. Babu also peppers Dilated songs with sound clips and some cool scratching.

Dilated’s downfall

Dilated have the same problem that Jurassic 5 have. They’re too full of themselves. Sure, Dilated are very talented, they have very good mic skills, but almost every song is about how great Dilated are. This concept of “I’m the greatest” doesn’t appeal to me. At least they have skill, I hate when DMX or someone like that talks about being the greatest rapper of all time. That’s like me saying I’m the best track runner of all time. Dilated should try to concentrate their skill on philosophy instead of self-promotion.

The Songs

1. So May I Introduce You - Good
2. The Platform - Great
3. No Retreat - Good
4. Guaranteed - Good
5. Right On - Good
6. The Main Event - Great
7. Service - Good
8. Ear Drums Pop - Great
9. Years In the Making - Good
10. Annihilation - Great
11. Expanding Man - Fair
12. The Last Line of Defense - Good
13. Triple Optics - Good
14. The Shape Of Things to Come - Good
15. Work the Angeles - Good
16. Ear Drums Pop (Remix) - Great
17. The Platform (Eric Sermon Remix) - Good

stand-out tracks

“The Platform” - This song kicks off the album with a bang. It sets the tone for the rest of The Platform. Iriscience lays down some really good rhymes. The beat of this record is one of my favorites.

“Annihilation” - This is one of my favorite songs. Dilated just lay it all out there.

“Ear Drums Pop (remix)” - This song is the most memorable of all the tracks on The Platform. It is the most memorable because of Everlast’s short cameo on this song. Everlast lays down a diss of Eminem that sparked a pretty big feud between Everlast and Eminem.

Similar Artists: Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Swollen Members, Lootpack, and Delinquent Habits

Dilated Peoples is

Evidence
Iriscience
DJ Babu

Nick’s Final Thought

The Platform is a very good hip-hop record despite, Dilated’s constant rapping about their skill. If your a fan of good underground hip hop with a lot of clever rhymes, then I recommend The Platform. I think that Dilated have a lot of potential. I think start working on a little more philosophy than they could be the next Tribe Called Quest.