War for Peace

*War for Peace* is the 2012 debut album from Kingston, Jamaica’s underground emcee Five Steez. Three years in the making, his long-player opens strong with “Propheticz.” He and fellow Jamaican emcee Inztinkz kick out call-and-response rhymes before Five Steez takes the mic on “Rebel Music,” a standout jam built on soulful production and poignant phrasing; it yearns for peace and social justice in a time of deep struggle. Since hip-hop\'s a rare commodity in Five Steez\'s hometown, it’s only natural for hints of reggae to pepper some of the tracks on *War for Peace*. But he also mixes in old-school soul (“Slaving on the Plantation”), jazz (“Yard N\*\*\*a Rap”), dub (“Crown Me King”), jazz (“Black Beauty”), blues (“I Am (feat. Kabaka Pyramid)”), and dancehall (“Blazing”). Five Steez’s debut LP is also strengthened by a grip of featured guests. Tara Harrison’s honeyed voice melts all over the hard-grooving closer, “Shining.” Nomad Carlos kicks down a quirky, stuttered rhyming style that recalls Posdnuos of De La Soul’s similarly stammered approach on 1991’s “Oodles of O\'s.”