Album of the Day: Maroons - Ambush

I wouldn't even have known this existed if I hadn't stumbled across it in a store one day. A collaboration between Lateef and Chief Xcel, basically Blackalicious without the Gift of Gab, though he does show up in 'Best of Me' and 'Beautiful You'. Both the positives and negatives of that statement are clear: the signature funk-and-bass beats ripped straight out of the late eighties are here in full effect, and Lateef is an awesome MC, but I can't help but feel that something is missing. Don't get me wrong, I think Lateef has a vastly underrated flow (best shown here in 'Lester Hayes' and 'Best of Me'), behind only perhaps Percee P and the Gift of Gab, but it's weird hearing him carry an entire album. That being said, I feel like this is almost a precursor to “Droppin' Science Fiction” by the Mighty Underdogs, as it has that same feel and the same styles throughout. The lyrics oscillate between the usual, “my rhymes are better than yours and here are a series of metaphors that explain why,” and the more conscious (“and if power and greed didn't tempt it/maybe our leaders would be positive and productive/instead of conniving, deceitful, and corrupted/caught up by the love of dollars so seductive”). Soul samples, thoughtful rhymes (and positive to boot; negative, pessimistic rhymes about how hard life is are alright, but get old after a while; see 'If'), and feel-good beats make this admittedly short album (under 40 minutes) a great listen.