Chocolate Industries, 2003
I’ve already covered a couple of the singles from this album: “Explosive” and “Certified.” But this LP is amazingly cohesive—there’s not a single weak cut. Diverse’s lyrics flow over some of the tightest production this side of Pete Rock, courtesy of RJD2 and Prefuse-73, among others. Stand-out tracks include the funky, sample-filled “Big Game,” featuring Vast Aire, the soulful “Explosive” B-side “Aint Right,” the smooth downtempo “Jus Biz” produced by Prefuse-73, and a jazzy bonus cut. While mainstream hip-hop gets further and further from its roots, pushing bling bling-studded MCs with single-syllable vocabularies, Chocolate Industries presents an underground alternative where the rhymes still rule and producers combine diverse elements into a complex weave.
the cd is dope. the rj tracks are tight and funky, the prefuse tracks are deep and heady, and madlib brings the usual loose dark jazz feel. diverse spits at his own rate, and progressive in his rhymes and flow, has a lot to say and you’ll listen once you learn to get used to the bomb ass production.