Body of the Life Force
After playing henchman onJeru the Damaja'sfirst two albums, Afu-Ra steps into the solo spotlight with this solid effort. While Jeru himself is missing from the proceedings, for those already familiar with the Afu-Ra, many elements of previous outings remain. His lyrics are stacked with the metaphysical and mathematical content that blesses the singles "Whirlwind Thru Cities" and "Defeat," and as a satellite member of theGang StarrFoundation, Afu-Ra wisely retains the services of DJ Premier as executive producer. Despite the presence of other beat merchants, the uncompromisingly hard-boiled beats bear Premier's trademark, and he also deserves credit for the shrewd recruiting of collaborators such as theCocoa Brovaz(on "D & D Soundclash") andM.O.P.(on "Warfare"). Afu-Ra's earnest dispensing of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding at times becomes repetitive in both delivery and content, but the presence of other voices and the above-par production cleverly disguise the monotony.--Del F. Cowie