Organized Konfusion
Few artists have managed to have such an explosive impact with their debut album as Organized Konfusion. Showering listeners in a hailstorm of rapid rhymes, Prince Poetry andPharoahe Monchshowed that verbal styles could be both fast and deep. Funked-up party themes like "Fudge Pudge" and metaphoric monsters like "Releasing Hypnotical Gasses" were dense in their lyricism. But O.K. still had a sense of humor--shown on songs like "Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?"--as well as a meditative side, as on "Walk Into the Sun." The grooves were soulful, yet frantic at times, jumping from the midtempo cheer of "Audience Pleasers," to the hyperactive attack of "Releasing Hynotical Gasses." In fact, the only real flaw in their debut was an abundance of input--too many lyrics to decipher, too many beats to absorb. Maybe that's why they waited three years for the sequel--to give us time to take it all in.--Oliver Wang