Divo

The Evolution Theory contains plenty of guest appearances by some of Canada's underground hip-hop MVPs: the Monolith's Dan-e-o, freestyle virtuoso Bishop, and Classified. Plus, producer Dubble J dabbles in imitations of all the hottest platters. There's talent here, but in the end Divo and his production just doesn't stand out enough. He's overshadowed by many of his guests, including Six-6, Sharky, and especially the aforementioned three. "Don't Believe Remix" is one of the best tracks, with a bouncy beat, a smooth hook from Miranda, and guest appearances from Dan-e-o, Classified and Six-6. Daddy P's ragga flavourings on "In The Panties" combines with some sweet vocals from Sumeet and an interesting Eastern-style beat to make another album highlight. "Hot Now" and "Hot Sh**" are both club-worthy anthems, while posse cuts "Reservoir Dawgs" and "This is Gangsta" are the street jams. And frankly, Divo shouldn't have whined about not being able to include "DooWhatIDoo" and "Mammy Blue" because of expensive sample clearance. The solution is to cut the samples so they're harder to identify, don't go with such obvious samples, or quit using samples altogether. Just don't bitch about it on an album.