Kemo The Blaxican

This is straight-up L.A. hip-hop from the bilingual rapper of Delinquent Habits fame. Kemo's laid-back flow belies the rough reality he describes...until you hit a song like "I Drink She Smokes," which simply celebrates a ganja-puffing girlfriend. Kemo's at his best when he's working between languages -- "Ruido" shows how versatile and funny he can be as he toggles between Spanish and English, while the dreamy bolero sampler "La Receta" makes it easily the best track on the album.