VARIOUS ARTISTS
Constant Elevation (Astralwerks)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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With such a stellar cast I had high hopes for this album, and not only did it deliver handily, but appears stuck in my cd player. I just can't get the bloody thing out. El-P steps to the plate first, with an instrumental track that brings to mind a November morning in London -- grey, and dismal. His former group Company Flow is easily the slept-on rap group of the nineties, and if you've not experienced Funcrusher Plus quite yet there's still time to trade in that smelly Nelly album. Steinski is one of the many other reasons Constant Elevation is a must-have. From his early days with Double Dee, Steinski has left a permanent imprint on urban music, crate digging, and copyright law. Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib, Freestyle Fellowship, and the Anti-Pop Consortium are also among the chosen few on this anthology, one of the best I've seen in a minute.

© 2003 - Jason Thornberry