Haiku D'Etat

On Coup de Theatre, their sophomore album, the cool post-bop jazz breaks of Fat Jack provide the perfect counterpoint to the breakneck rhymes of Aceyalone, Mikah 9 and Abstract Rude. Their lyrics on standouts "Mike, Aaron and Eddie" and the smooth spoken word numbers "Kats" and "Transitions and Eras" can be appreciated either as phonetically nimble exercises in alteration and sound or as thematically complex narratives. Gift of Gab, Lyrics Born and Lateef show up for "Top Qualified," but their presence is just the icing on a rich and tasty hip-hop cake.