Ill-oet: The Last Element:Libretto

Title: Ill-oet: the Last Element

Label: Dim Mak

Genre: socially-conscious hip-hop

Rating: 6 of 7

These days it seems like everyone’s a rapper, which means that sometimes labels that seemingly have nothing to do with hip-hop can sign a rapper and put out their album. Yea, it sounds like a bad thing, but not if it happens to be Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak records. From the same label that has brought you the Von Bondies, Pretty Girls Make Graves and even the amazing Tokyo Sex Destruction comes the debut full length from socially-conscious rapper Libretto. Deriving his sound from the eye-opening early 90s hip-hoppers like Public Enemy and De La Soul, he spits strategically placed, chilled-out rhymes over sampled soul tracks. Not to mention he actually has something worth saying, especially since he grew up in one of the worst neighborhoods in the Watts area of L.A. and being the son of a Black Panther. Every track on here is good and worth your time, so play and respect (the rapper and the label).

Main Page