Representing the pimps is D-Daws. With a deep, sonorous delivery, D-Daws brings the same kind of slo-mo menace as Mobb Deep's Havoc. Combined with loopy, inventive beats, his latest overcomes clichéd subject matter -- bullets, bitches, bankrolls, etc. -- with compelling production, exemplified by cuts like "Str8 Nutz," which rides crazed, circus synth; the stuttering beats and svelte strings of "I Made It Happen"; and the oscillating sirens and schizophrenic keys of the title track. This disc isn't likely to make the blue-chip D-Daws a star, but it should draw much-deserved attention to producer Ben Levels.
Rather than relying on clever production, Iyan.Anomolie's debut is buoyed by deft, delirious wordplay. "We're making hip-hop classics with minimum technology," he boasts on "Mc's," and true to his words, Kinetic Potential is a deluge of grimy, smoked-out basement beats and raw, unchecked flow. Highlights include the caustic, Portishead-underscored "Amazing" and the brusque, invigorating "Second Half," on which Anomolie announces that "if you ain't standing for something, you falling for anything/ I'm trying to elevate the audience." Come, get high.
