Timbuktu

For the second instalment in Toolshed's solo series, the trio's rapper/producer, Timbuktu, presents Stranger Danger. The children's safety campaign acts as the backbone to this release via interludes in various funny forms, and positioned around these constant reminders are songs centred upon Tim's typical subject matter: drunken misadventures, sexual escapades, alien encounters and the necessary hip-hop braggadocio, all told with a sprinkling of humour and abstract imagery. As a solo album, Tim handles most of the raps, demonstrating a tight, distinct flow honed over more than a decade of rapping on album and stage. Especially interesting is his fast-paced flows on vigilante rap "Timbuk the Brave." But it's also a hip-hop album, so Tim taps the talented individuals around him to add their distinct styles to the proceedings, including two with Toolshed partner Chokeules, another with Artifacts rapper El Da Sensei and a massive album-closing posse cut featuring an interesting array of guests. The production is up-tempo, and also his most accessible yet, resulting in an exciting party album and another great addition to the Toolshed catalogue. Still, despite being titled after the popular warning to children, it's not a children's record, so why censor the dirty words? Hopefully, they don't make the same mistake with the upcoming solo release from the long-silent Psybo.