Self Scientific
““The Self Science””
(S.O.L. Musicworks / Landspeed Records)
The L.A. hip-hop duo Self Scientific, composed of MC Chace Infinite and DJ Khalil, has been widely praised as a breath of fresh air from the relentless materialism that dominates hip-hop’s mainstream. Unfortunately, Chace Infinite’s conscious stylings veer into endless moralizing that is just as tiresome as the endless bling-blinging that it speaks out against. This is not to say that Chace lacks skills on the mic; on the contrary, his wordplay is sharp and his straight-ahead delivery, similar to Kurupt’s, is dope as well. It’s just that any rapper who compares himself to “the archangel Gibreel / from Genesis / resurrected in man / writin’ rhymes to teach ministers,” as Chace does on “The Long Run,” is probably taking himself a bit too seriously. In spite of this, “The Self Science” remains a good album, thanks in large part to Khalil, whose production work is like a cross between that of Havoc (Mobb Deep) and DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill), as his beats deftly combine driving snares and live strings. Unfortunately, Chace Infinite’s preaching makes “The Self Science” an album best taken in small doses.
