With Def Jux already having release two of the best albums of 2007 already, a strong contender to join them is the new record from Rob Sonic. The rapper-producer didn’t really turn my head with Telicatessen, but the new album has seen him take a giant leap towards his label-mates El-P and Aesop Rock.
The production style has that awesome Def Jux 2007 style that reared its head on I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and None Shall Pass – the sludgey yet accessible sound that equates to a potent mixture when layered under Sonic’s flow which seems at times as though connected throughout the entire song without pause for breath.
And that is certainly not to say Sonic is coming with some bullshit Sole style delivery which sounds as though he’s about to pass out at the end of every line. No, Sonic’s cadence is nigh-on untouchable which he proves in standout tracks The Over Under, Ready Aim Shoot, Smoke If You Got’um [with a great guest spot from Aes Rock] and the track you can hear above, Brand New Vandals.
Aesop Rock and El-P made 2007 Def Jux’s year, and with this album Rob Sonic just joined them on the podium.
Abjekt.