Another Heist

Back in 1996, Bronx duo Camp Lo exploded onto the scene with a string of dope singles, most notably \"Luchini (AKA This Is It),\" a horn-propelled throwback party jam that still provokes middle-aged b-boys to storm the dancefloor. Produced mostly by North Carolina beat maestro Ski (who also worked on Jay-Z\'s *Reasonable Doubt*), the Lo\'s debut album *Uptown Saturday Night* is an undisputed classic, overflowing with super-stylized slang, ‘70s-centric imagery, and rich tapestries of ear-tickling samples and breaks. In the years since, they have released new material sporadically, but never duplicated the original magic, usually due to substandard beats. On *Another Heist*, they reconnect with Ski, who produces all 12 tracks, and provides the necessary funk. Cheeba and Suede still go heavy on the Blaxploitation references and wily rhyme schemes, sounding better than they have in years over the appropriate beats. Check out \"Satin Amnesia,\" \"Boogie Nights,\" \"Bionic,\" and the extraordinarily smooth \"Black Connect 3.\"

Bronx-based duo Camp Lo made an indelible mark on the rap game in the mid-'90s with their now-classic debut Uptown Saturday Night, a unique, loosely conceptual album built on quirky rhyme styles, '70s soul/funk samples, an obsession with blaxploitation flicks, and old-school fashions that preceded later hipster-hop tendencies. After a five-year hiatus, a mediocre sophomore effort, and another five-year hiatus, Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede seem to have found their groove; working the independent grind with producer Ski (the man responsible for the beats behind their best tracks) listed as the group's third member, Camp Lo have been able to put out three quality LPs in three years (and two in 2009 alone). On their fifth album, Another Heist, the two MCs are in the same lyrical territory as ever-- '70s throwbacks galore, endless name-drops of yesteryear's prominent black figures, and fantastical diamond heists-- while Ski's crisp production revisits formulas that came up big on Uptown Saturday Night.