Cale Sampson

"This is in my blood," says Cale Sampson in "Never Had A Choice," which explains his gut feeling to rap - about whatever - because it's truly instinctive. He really is a natural. The Toronto native (who bears a striking resemblance to Tony Hawk) effortlessly juggles complex rhyme schemes as he dissects hip-hop, his personal life or the unforgettable and self-explanatory track "The Human Genome Project." But his conceptual songs fail sometimes. "Women & Alcohol" is honest but childish and "Distractions Part 2" tries for some humorous, intelligent commentary on the cult of celebrity and voyeurism but is bar-to-bar predictable, and the beat intolerable. Despite being the craft of DJ Kemo or Classified, many of the beats bore, if not irritate. But for a debut album, Cale establishes himself as a serious lyricist who will get more deserved attention (and, fingers crossed, better production) by the time he releases his next album.