Sadat X

Possessing one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop, Sadat X’s respect as a hip-hop artist built from his integral involvement in New York’s Brand Nubian crew, spills onto his often brilliant cameos. However his solo work has often been patchy and despite resurfacing on last year’s underwhelming Brand Nubian LP, he’s been keeping a low profile. Apparently, this is because he’s spent the past few years as an elementary school teacher in New York, making the title of this album quite apt. Sadat X’s trademark words of wisdom infuse the DJ Spinna scored "God is Back” and the narrative "Help Yourself.” While the album starts off strongly with rugged entries like "The Great Diamond D,” a few half-baked ideas towards the end sour the proceedings, and it would have been wise to excise them completely. But much like his career to date, when Sadat X is on point you can’t help but listen to his distinctive offbeat nasal delivery. Fuelled by a latent desire to remind New York hip-hop of its former glories, an obviously invigorated Sadat X, ultimately remains true to his career pattern on this solid, yet flawed return to action.