Heltah Skeltah

Former boom bap formalists Heltah Skeltah return for their first album in nearly a decade and turn their sound on its stomach. D.I.R.T. is hammy ("Everything is Heltah Skeltah") and twisted ("Insane"). The glorious, messy "Da Beginning of the End" clatters about like a dozen other hip-hop songs carelessly stitched together, while "Hellz Kitchen" is a dribbling, John Carpenter house of horror camp. The emcee's performance is likewise irreverent, flipping through pop cult references while espousing the glory of living poor and hungry. This is one of the enjoyable hip-hop releases of 2008.