Fantastic 2

Hands folded across the chest. Relaxed but ready for action. Fantastic Volume 2 captures Slum Village's swellegant b-boy stance on record. The Detroit crew's long-awaited debut is loaded with muscular, simmering beats. By turns relaxing and stimulating, it further establishes producer Jay Dee (known for his board work for De La Soul, Q-Tip, Common, and more) as a production force. His thick, red-blooded rhythms range from the crunchy, organic drums on "I Don't Know," punctuated with sly James Brown vocal samples, to the percolating, bass-laced "Get Dis Money." Though they're drowning in underground accolades, Slum Village aren't intellectual navel-gazers or lyrical geniuses. Rappers Baatin, T3, and Jay Dee use their quirky vocal chemistry to illuminate the lush rhythms. They want you to shake your ass to their music--they even provide instructions. --Lizz Mendez Berry