Baby Grande is undoubtedly the quickest moving indie hip-hop label of 2004, dropping records by everyone from Golden Era classics
Brand Nubian to underground femme fatale
Jean Grae and frontline political assassin
Immortal Technique, all in less than 12 months. Along with less standout releases like
Sharkey's Machine and -ready
7L & Esoteric and
Outerspace mentors
Jedi Mind Tricks, this release seems to have simply been swept up in the movement of the crowd rather than standing out on its own. That is not to say the MCs
Planetary and
Crypt the Warchild lack in skills. On the contrary, the childhood friends are near flawless in their Latino-tinged delivery. But they might be so tight in their flow that nothing really stands out between the two. Producers
7L, Shuko and
Celph Titled (who also drops guest rhymes along with
Nubian Sadat X and
Jedi Vinnie Paz) craft beats heavy in dark and dramatic strings, although they can occasionally fall into movie soundtrack parody. Only the closer, "Angels of Death," cuts to the bone, and that is because of guest
Immortal Technique providing his revolutionary fierce international-politico rhymes. The rest of the hard-life verses on this album pale in comparison.