"The Platform" is definitely worth checking out

Dilated Peoples is an underground Los Angeles hip-hop group that is starting to gain popularity. Most people know them from their album "The Platform", which showcased the talented MCing abilities of Evidence and Iriscience (pronounced "ah-rah-science"; there is even an interlude that addresses that specific point) aka Rakaa. Their rhymes are definitely not stale. The rhymes are creative and the rhyming scheme varies to add to the quality of the song. This is blended in with clever similes and even puns. For example, on the track "Annihilation", Iriscience raps:

Rappers are cocky, but on the low, I know they watch me
Cuz weapons in my music like I'm El Mariachi
Or Desperado, pushin at full throttle
Rock till I'm hoarse like broncos from Colorado

(Note the pun on the word "hoarse") The DJ of Dilated Peoples, DJ Babu does an incredible job throughout the entire album. Head-bobbing beats, tight rhymes, and excellent mixing, cutting, and scratching make "The Platform" a winning combination. The album also features respected guest artists such as Tha Liks, Aceyalone, Planet Asia, and several more. To top it off, the album cover art is very cool, showing a Dilated Peoples logo on a pillar of an underground subway platform. Parts of the logo expand (a theme addressed in track 11 "Expanding Man" and in the title of their latest album "Expansion Team" [2001]) to form the routes of subway trains as seen on a map. The "destinations" are the titles of the songs itself.
There are not a lot of negative things to say about this album. Some people may disagree, but I found the songs to be very similar in structure and rhythm. The song usually starts out with DJ Babu showcasing his talent, then the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus-etc format with Babu mixing during the chorus and at the end. Also, though I generally dislike songs that only have a catchy chorus going for them, it would not hurt if "The Platform" had one or two songs like that (of course, along with the same high-quality verses we've come to expect). My last grievance, if that's what you would call it (though, none of them are major), is that some of the songs need a centralized topic. I know that many great hip-hop songs have lyrics that are "random", in other words, are meant to impress with innovative wordplay rather than overall meaning. However, I don't think an album should consist of all songs of that type. Furthermore, many of the songs, though "random", fall into the "we-are-so-great" category. I like hearing rappers find out creative ways to praise themselves and bash other wack MCs, but an album has to have songs that are about other things too. Variety is the spice of life and will definitely enhance the listening experience of an album.

Recommended tracks: "Work the Angles", "Ear Drums Pop (Remix)"