:: Dilated Peoples - Neighbourhood Watch

Dilated Peoples

This West Coast hip hop trio have been making waves since their debut, ‘The Platform’, landed with a splash in 2000. This was swiftly followed by the critically acclaimed The Expansion Team in 2001. Despite the relatively long time between their last release and this, it's clear that for this forward-thinking group, the creative springs have not run dry. This is an album packed with creative musical ideas and intelligent rhymes, telling of the daily struggles of life in the inner city. The title track testifies to whose side they're on: “Neighbourhood watch, guard the block, watch for criminals and watch for cops”. Throughout, the production is exemplary, with loping beats, funky bass lines, expert turntablism, and samples from old soul records being expertly combined. Great stuff.