If we can't all get along, can we at least move along? Not
Canibus, who is still referencing verbal scuffles from a bygone decade. Produced entirely by
Jedi Mind Tricks'
Stoupe,
Rip the Jacker is one of
Canibus' best albums -- but that's not saying a great deal, given his lack of masterstrokes. What makes
Rip the Jacker stand out when compared to the other albums in the MC's discography is the strong production from
Stoupe; despite obvious indebtedness to
Premier and
Kanye West -- not to mention a reliance on an endless flood of golden-age samples -- this is the best set of productions
Canibus has had to work with to date. And once again, though the MC can be positively staggering at times, the effect is fleeting. His relentless, grimacing monotone tends to turn into a drone with extended exposure and winds up more tiring than energizing. Even though many of the same factors that plagued his earlier albums bog down this one (and a track title like "Spartibus" is more likely to conjure the vision of a bus full of gladiators than anything else), it's hard to imagine a hip-hop world without him. MCs dealing in scholarly hardcore are becoming an extremely rare breed, and
Canibus has retained his membership in that small club.