RADIx

In the great geographical lexicon of hip-hop culture, the relatively quiet city of Boston, MA can hardly be seen as a noteworthy point of significant contribution. In that sense then, Bean Town duo RADIx — in spite of support from underground brand names (Akrobatik, Mr. Eon), punk tours and video game execs — may inevitably suffer from their place of origin. Beat work on their debut disc The Staple, though coming from a half-dozen different sources, is surprisingly unified, with most riding a well-crafted, laidback sound laced with hints of soul and cuts by Mista Sinista and Rock Steady DJ JS1, all of which drift easily into the background. It’s an open-ended style that lends itself well to dope MCing, a fact that exposes the record’s most apparent fault. While the mic skills of MCs Seek and Quite Nyce are tight, what’s lacking here is substance, especially in Seek’s case, where words and phrases rhyme and flow seamlessly without forming any tangibly coherent imagery, even on thematic cuts like "Pain” and the love ode "3 Words.” It’s an unfortunate fact that befalls many an underground record and one that can’t be overlooked in a genre with so much verbal space to fill.