It’s been nine long years since this Hieroglyphics crew last released a new album (see: 2000’s Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution), and more than 15 years since their seminal underground classic, 93 ‘Til Infinity. That’s an eternity in the hip-hop world, where trends change faster than Lady Gaga’s wardrobe. Peers such as A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde have gone the way of the dodo, and the sort of complex, battle-tested lyricism the Bay Area’s brightest bohemian MCs have to offer is no longer in fashion.

No matter. A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai have returned with the best album since their debut — a lyrical tour-de-force with fantastic production courtesy of Domino and the legendary Prince Paul. The group has clearly matured a bit, but their sound is classic ‘90s backpacker hip-hop, with tag-team rhyme patterns and a cohesive sound that never grows old.

“Won1” rides atop a typically creative Prince Paul beat, with distorted guitar, slamming syncopated beats and soulful singers supporting fierce lyrical flows that will leave you rewinding to catch every word. Elsewhere, the subject matter ranges from dealing with crazy women ( “Postal”) to leaving them ( “Lickity Split”), from crime-based storytelling (“Dead Man Walking”) to laid-back paeans to the joys of summer (“Home Game”). This sort of old-school throwback may not have a place on commercial hip-hop radio, but it is a refreshing reminder of what made groups like Souls of Mischief great in the first place.

— Bret Love

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