9th Uno

There is no beat that 9th Uno can't massacre. On Unassociated Press, the Canadian MC is thrown instrumentals of all tempos and styles by producers such as Marco Polo, Moss and Dubplate, and without any trepidation he knocks every note on its ass, from the double-timed "Sleep" to the old school "Paper Thin." On the latter, as well as "Backbone," which salutes Maestro Fresh Wes, 9th Uno adds polysyllable styles of the new to the old. "The Letter P," comprised of only nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs starting with a "p" is brain shattering. But as versatile as his delivery and as complex as his wordplay is, Unassociated Press is substantively homogenous. With over 20 tracks, almost all are battle and party songs. In the rare instance of a message or story-themed song, like "Young Love," he does it just as effortlessly awesome, so there's no reason he shouldn't be shooting for more substance.