World Ultimate
Everyone knows about L.A. rap's G-Funk, but there's another, less celebrated side to Angeleno rap that's been harboring some of the country's most talented rappers. Rhymers like Ahmad, the Pharcyde, and the now defunct Freestyle Fellowship--dissenting voices to G-Funk's gangsterized clique--have looked back to the east and taken New York's original old school dynamics and freestyle lyrics to new levels of technical proficiency. From this retrominded school of West Coast doggy dog refuseniks comes the debutWorld Ultimatefrom the duo the Nonce.More than any of their South Central cohorts, however, the Nonce get permanently stuck in a New York state of mind. Juggling old school styles with new school production, the pair come closest to A Tribe Called Quest's jazzy hop. And on "World Ultimate," the tight beats are standard Pete Rock while the mic passing harks all the way back to the Treacherous Three. The single "Mix Tapes" is one of the few spots, though, where the Nonce's retro action is inspired rather than unoriginal. A tasty shot of authentic, first-generation rap--with handclaps, scratches, regular cadences, and references to hip-hop culture--the song no doubt pushed the nostalgia buttons of American Records head Rick Rubin, who once produced records like "Mixed Tapes" for Def Jam before he packed up and headed to Burbank.--Roni Sarig