October 5–12, 2000

disc quicks|hip-hop

Phife Dawg

Ventilation: Da LP

(Groove Attack)

Two roads diverged in the deep dark forest of the music business. For Phife Dawg, a seasoned veteran with an impeccable hip-hop pedigree, there was only the road less traveled. After years of second fiddle billing, the Five Footer from the now-disbanded A Tribe Called Quest has come forth to vent. While ATCQ’s Q-Tip took the path of jiggy hip-hop laced with radio-friendly hooks, Phife recorded his album on a German indie label. On the opening cut, "Flawless," Phife airs his grievances with his mercurial former partner; pulling Mr. Amplify’s card for changing his persona from Abstract to Abstrapped. No image changing here for Phife, just raw beats and rapacious rhymes, enlisting such decorated urban composers as Pete Rock, Hi-Tek and Jay-Dee (producer on Tip’s joint) for his anomalous album. Phife flips it on "Lemme Find Out" and "4 Horseman" powered by a Jay-Dee depth-charge bass drop, then smoothes things out with "Beats, Rhymes and Phife" and "Melody Adonis." Getting used to Phife the soloist may not be easy, but this poignant, confident album demonstrates that he is for real. Phife keeps it true by assailing hip-hop with an invigorating voice, giving the artform a much-needed gut-check in the process.

—M.F. Di Bella