To most people, West Coast rap means Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, et al. Even though acts like Aceyelone, Tha Alkaholiks, Pharcyde and Black Eyed Peas have made impressive efforts to break into suburban CD changers, they never really succeeded at spreading their sly street sound beyond the street. On the other hand, Dilated Peoples -- comprised of mic checkers Evidence and Rakaa and DJ Babu of the World Famous Beat Junkies -- have built up a cult following by dosing out ultra-indie, vinyl-only singles. By the time they assembled a debut album it had become such hot property that Capitol Records was willing to back it from jump daddy.
Both Evidence and Rakaa entered the hip-hop fray as graffiti artists, but you'd think they were born lyricists from their rhyme skills. They pass the mic effortlessly, punctuating their complex, witty lyrics with memorable choruses. Evidence's wicked sneer and Rakaa's smooth thunder meld like verbal ying and yang. Despite their name, Dilated Peoples spend less time dropping drug references (though they're there if you hunt for them) and more time referencing classic hip-hop and jazz, urban politics, as well as more unlikely pop culture references (""I can't front, I love L.A. like Randy Newman""). You'll walk away repeating the catchy refrains, only to return for rewinds so you can check the unique metaphors and intricate wordplay (think Rakim or De La Soul). It's refreshing to be shocked by an emcee’s lyrical skill, as opposed to how offensive he/she attempts to be.
Speaking of skill, Babu's no wallflower either. Having enjoyed center stage countless times as a competition deejay, Babu doesn't upstage his bandmates; nor does he fade into the background. As Evidence boasts on ""Service,"" ""It's a fact this cat's style is more felt than slipmats."" Babu's wicked cuts act as hooks in and of themselves, which fit seamlessly into the album's sublimely simple recipe of head-nodding beats and hypnotic loops (made of horn stabs, staccato strings, funk guitar riffs, or whatever else's lying around).
The title track has already blown up on rap radio nationwide, but nearly every joint on Dilated's debut begs heavy rotation; in fact, ""Work the Angles,"" ""Triple Optics"" and ""The Main Event"" already made the rounds in 1988 as a critically acclaimed maxi-single, and they're bound to enjoy a renaissance. The Platform is one of those timeless long-players, like Run-DMC's Raising Hell or EPMD's Strictly Business, where you'll want to commit every track to memory. And that's not a comparison to be taken lightly.
