The Beatnuts: A Musical Massacre

The past few years have been mostly good for hip-hop eccentrics, with many loopy, left-field acts (OutKast, Redman, Eminem) crossing over and going platinum or better in the process. Even rappers of questionable sanity (Kool Keith) have somehow become ubiquitous over the past few months. The trend bodes well for the crate-diggers in The Beatnuts, who toured with Eminem this summer and have more than a touch of Slim Shady and Kool Keith's surreal aggression in their flows. But as eccentric as they are lyrically, they're even more outwardly strange in their production: If producers like Puff Daddy and his Hit Men are the hip-hop equivalent of Lexus dealers, Juju and Psycho Les are the sonic equivalent of hustlers selling stolen VCRs and stereos out the back of their truck. Encompassing everything from Marvin Gaye quotations to circus organs to old-school, Too $hort-style drum patterns, the members of The Beatnuts flex their production muscles throughout A Musical Massacre. Lyrically, the album doesn't explore much new territory, beyond including a rap in Spanish, but it benefits from a socially and politically minded guest appearance from Dead Prez, as well as nice cameos by the likes of Biz Markie and the long-lost Greg Nice (of Nice And Smooth fame). Musical Massacre isn't for everyone, but those who enjoy a little madness and mayhem in their hip hop should find it pretty damn terrific.