Date Of Birth

On the sophomore release from this Brooklyn underground trio (surfacing here as Jise, Q-Unique, and Swel 79), the Arsonists continue to swim away from the mainstream, not in a calculated manner as some backpackers do to try to make a name, but because for these self-proclaimed {hip-hop} pyromaniacs, this is the only way to make their music. As a result, many {hip-hop} luminaries have taken notice, including the legendary Chuck D, who at one time quipped: When you see a group like the Arsonists out there, they're better than what any major label has got. Living by KRS-One's immortal credo -- Rap is something you do, {hip-hop} is something you live -- the Arsonists set fire to many a microphone and drum machine on Date of Birth. Again sticking to their largely in-house production protocol (though the Beatnuts' Psycho Les drops a burner on Self Righteous Spics), flaming arrows are fired on the rollicking Space Junk and the classical piano-infused Alive. But these are mere warm-up acts for two of the more memorable underground tracks in recent memory: the hilariously sharp Millionaire, a slick, {hip-hop} parody of Regis Philbin's {#Who Wants to Be a Millionaire} game show, and Language Arts, a blazing combination of kabuki theater strings and Akira Kurosawa film aesthetic. While the album lapses occasionally with a couple of patches of redundant production, Date of Birth is a strong follow-up from a crew who keep it real by nature. [A Japanese version added a bonus track.] ~ M.F. DiBella, All Music Guide