People Under The Stairs

Before hearing The Next Step I had heard plenty of talk about The People Under The Stairs. The movie was good, but the hip-hop group that has taken its name from the movie isn’t so lucky. People Under The Stairs (PUTS) is a hip-hop group that is definitely much better than the majority of hip-pop releases that have been spoon fed to the masses like so much pabulum over the last few years. Still, that doesn’t make it a great album either. Compared to much of the future-oriented true school lyrics and beats of artists that have been releasing records recently, PUTS are doing nothing really special. Artists like Dose One, AWOL One, Buck 65, Paul The Apostle, Mr. Dibbs and the 1200 Hobos, the Arsonists and a whole host of others are so far beyond what Thes One and Double K have to offer with The Next Step that it ends up in some type of limbo between commercial and experimental. Still, there are a few good moments that might make it worthwhile for either audience to give The Next Step a couple of listens. The beats are kind of nice on “4 Everybody,” the instrumental “Slow Bullet” and on “San Francisco Knights.” Unfortunately, the defining sample used for the song “4 Everybody” was used far better by Tachichi & DJ Moves on “Independents Engaged,” off their last cassette Truth Of The Trade. Truly, this is one record that you needn’t sweat about owning.