Five years after their first full-length,
Boot Camp Clik came together again with an LP that finally delivered on the promise that'd kept hip-hop fans hoping for an album to rank with incredible singles from the collective like
Black Moon's "How Many Emcees" and
Smif-N-Wessun's boot-camp anthem "Bucktown." Featuring the combined talents of members of
Black Moon and
Cocoa Brovaz (the reincarnated
Smif-N-Wessun), plus Originoo Gun Clappaz,
The Chosen Few is one of the tightest rap albums of the year. Better yet, it succeeds by keeping it simple: the production, the beats, and the themes -- nearly everything except the rapping. The productions come from a parade of family members (
da Beatminerz,
Hi-Tek, Coptic) with nothing to prove on their own, instead simply concentrating on constructing tough beats and kinetic tracks. The crew set it off with a pair of openers, "And So" and "Let's Get Down 2 Bizness," that top anything heard on 1997's For the People. From there,
Boot Camp Clik cycle through everything that fans could've asked for; a crazy party track ("That's Tough [Little Bit]"), a classic beat-down on "Whoop His Ass," and a rough-and-rugged "Bucktown" sequel ("Welcome to Bucktown U.S.A."). Considering nearly all of them have their own projects on the front burner, it may be awhile for another full LP from
Boot Camp Clik, but the collective have left listeners with plenty to keep them happy. ~ John Bush