Various Artists

Quannum presents Solesides Greatest Bumps

(Quannum)

Once upon a time, DJs running record labels based on socialist civic sensibilities or politicized rappers big on experimentation seemed as practical as unicycle limo services. Yet amidst the cool breezes of Cali’s Bay Area it’s that type of rum-running operation cut ’n’ paste artist DJ Shadow and gentleman hip-hoppers Blackalicious (Gift of Gab and spinner Chief X-Cel) and Latyrx (Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Speaker) were running in the early ’90s. Aided by Dan The Automator, Solesides’ sound was orchestral bombast meets Bomb Squad-booming, symphonic tracks with a holy spirit. Each owner acted as player, filling the others’ heads with sampladelic visions and tongue-twisty rhymes that would guide them to their own individual places in the sun. This two-CD history is full of silly intimacy and raunchy idealism as on Gab/Shadow’s "Rhyme Like A Nut!" and Latryx’s raucous rambling truths like "Last Chance To Comprehend" and "Say That." The key to Soleside artists is that they made socially aware, comically timed tunes good fun and good for your soul. Their early freestyles and funky feel-ups quickly took solid serious form. Like a baby genius spouting fully realized theorems, "Blue Flames" and "Entropy (Part C —Count and Estimate)" show knowing growth; like Malcolm X after visiting Mecca the Solesides crew understood the breadth and depth of commitment.

—a.d. amorosi