Zion I

If last year's Heroes in the City of Dope gave a nod to the Bay's ever-growing hyphy scene, then My Life is a return to the original organic/emo template for the Bay Area hip-hop culture warriors. The rickety, lo-fi funk of "My Life" and "Let's Go" approximate Madlib's sublime apathy, while the dark, mercurial "One" and the thumping "Yes Yes" (featuring excellent guest spots from Lyrics Born and Gift of Gab) demonstrate that backpacker beats don't have to be soft. This was originally a Japan-only release.