Dopestyle 1231

Before you wet your pants, this is not a KutMasta Kurt record, nor is it even produced by the legendary beatmaker. He’s just introducing you to a hot duo of MC Dopestyle and DJ Tom C and hoping there’s a love connection to be made. Seeing as this debut effort is crammed full of incredible beats and terrorising verses you shouldn’t have any problem developing a crush on this sound, and being a little frightened at the same time. Dopestyle’s flow is rugged and low and fits well with Tom C’s production, which is nothing short of amazing as he manages to pull out endless amounts of hot breaks laced with chilling string sections. Their ode to large breasts, "Size Double D,” with the incredible Del the Funky Homosapien dropped a couple of years ago but still sounds fresh among new collaborations with Vast Aire and Motion Man. The best guest spot easily goes to Kool Keith as one of the greatest MCs on the planet receives nothing but the very best when it comes to beats, flowing over a similar groove to Dr. Octagon to pump life into "Wedgie.” It’s slower-paced numbers like this where Dopestyle 1231 reach their highest moments rather than the metal-fused intensity of "Rap Delite Delux III” or "Lone Ramblin’,” but they still manage to make waves regardless of their approach. This is a strong debut that was obviously many years in the making, and even though Dopestyle’s bouts with falsetto and misogynist raps might not work all the time, he’s backed by some great beats that will surely carry this crew for several years.