Peanut Butter Wolf/Various

Various artists compilations are often fairly loose affairs rarely when it comes to being cohesive and when the artists in question are on Stones Throw this is pretty much confirmed. After all, the artists on the West coast label’s roster, which is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary, have always been creative free spirits who have pretty much been left to their own devices to evolve. Having stayed true to their original modus operandi has obviously paid off for the label as this compilation, produced in conjunction with the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block leaves their trailblazing rep intact. Appearances from usual suspects like Madlib, the late J Dilla, Dudley Perkins and Georgia Anne Muldrow expectedly push at hip-hop’s boundaries constantly challenging the ear. Peanut Butter Wolf is conscious to anchor the proceedings with traditional beats and rhymes from Madvillain, Oh No, Percee P and Roc C particularly stand out on that front. While the sounds here are all over the map, ranging from distorted psychedelia, gritty bare bones rap, the overall mission of defying expectations is a rule that is rigidly obeyed and triumphantly executed.