Doseone

Not many artists this side of M.I.A. have done more to help smear the lines between hip-hop and electronic than Adam Drucker. Across two-dozen-plus releases as a solo artist and as a member of groups like cLOUDDEAD, Subtle, Themselves and 13 & God, Drucker (aka Doseone) injected a sleek lyrical flow into his jagged, clinical beats. On his fifth solo LP, G is for Deep, the California-via-Ohio-via-Idaho wunderkind ditches his trademark helium-rap for something resembling actual singing. But once the listener allows the fractal melodies of "I Fell" or the sharp-tongued vocal layering of "SEE Answer" to sink in, it's apparent that Doseone never really rapped to begin with. Even with G is for Deep's most harmony-drenched tracks (aptly titled opener "Dancing X" and the almost-downbeat "Arm in Armageddon"), it's clear that, even though Drucker came from a battle-rap background, it's rhythm that shapes his spit. G is for Deep remains an album driven by lustrous compositions and like any good artist, Doseone's voice dutifully abides.