Various Artists - A Blow To The State

Coup D'Etat has whipped up a surprisingly good compilation CD showcasing the underground hip-hop artists on their roster. Typically, "indie rap" is a mirthless affair, filled with outdated breakbeats, charisma-challenged rappers, and dudes trying to hard to make a sociopolitical point. But don't worry, rap nerds, A Blow To The State has got that too! Fortunately for the rest of us, the label has also filled this disc with talented voices and headnodding jams whose impact will last more than one listen. J-Live and Rasco are immediate stand-outs, with two tracks a piece. "One For The Griot" is filled with Notorious BIG-esque storytelling, where J-Lives unorthodox wordplay, narrative skill, and true in-the-pocket delivery combine for a memorable joint. Rasco's efforts are just as powerful, particularly the scathing "Snakes In The Grass," where former business partners are called out by name (!!!) and revealed as the shady characters they are, with couplet after blazing couplet. Soul Purpose and MC Paul Barman come through on a more comical tip, with the masturbation ode "Dry Spells" and the Mensa-level lyrical workout "Bleeding Brain Grow," respectively. Barman's song was by far the best cut on his recent Paullelujah! album, and its inclusion only serves to point out all his strengths and weaknesses in a single track; the multi-level pallindromes and obscure references (rhyming abortion activist Margaret Sanger with "bloody coat hanger") are striking, sure, but hiphop doesn't really work as a purely intellectual excercise. The Barman quandary sums up the rest of the disc. When it flows, it FLOWS (I'm still blown away by the skills of J-Live and Rasco), but when it tries too hard (Akrobatik's preachy "Balance"), A Blow To The State falls right back in the traps of mediocre, by-the-books indie rap. However, the stand out cuts are definitely worth your time; SOME good hip-hop is better than NO good hip-hop any day of the week. [www.coupdetat.tv]