Various

With the 2004 U.S. Presidential election rapidly approaching, left-leaning musicians throughout that country are drawing on every weapon in their oft-neglected arsenal, with the hope of moving a legion of traditional non-voters one giant leap towards their local polling station this coming fall. Who’s America? — the weapon of choice of the album’s co-conspirators System Recordings and Def Jux — is an attempt to generate both an understanding of the importance of becoming involved in the political process, as well as some of the much needed coin required to be a recognisable voice in said process. The compilation boasts a representative blend of what these two labels have to offer, swinging back and forth between insightful hip-hop and the contemplative electronic rhythms that act as recesses to the lyrical lessons fired off by many of the record’s MCs. Content ranges from Mr. Lif and the Perceptionists’ questioning of the reasoning for America’s perpetual war on the Middle East, to Central Services’ guitar-laden cry of the workingman. Dieselboy, D:Fuse, and Junior Sanchez, meanwhile, work the spaces in between, lending an air of controlled rhythmic chaos to the proceedings. With Who’s America? the parties involved are not only posing this important question, but they are encouraging all who would listen to get out and to be a part of determining the answer.