Anticon
2006
Symptomatic Of A Greater Ill
About This Album
It's not often that a hip-hop album released in 2006 sounds like it was made in the mid-'90s, right when rap was heading into a monumental change, towards greater commercialism and ubiquity. It's so infrequent, in fact, that the reason why Darc Mind's debut, Symptomatic of a Greater Ill, has such a Native Tongues-vibe is because it was actually recorded between 1995 and 1997, but due to label problems, wasn't released until nearly a decade later by Anticon. And it's the kind of album that makes you miss early Tribe, Organized Konfusion, and Eric B. & Rakim, because it reminds you just how good hip-hop could be back then (of course, there's also a lot of great contemporary stuff, too, but that's not the point). MC Kevroc has a relaxed, nearly conversational style -- it hardly seems like he's trying at all -- but is still able to twist words around internal and end rhymes, metaphors and quick, complex phrasing (his delivery on "Knight of the Round Table" is wonderfully intricate and fast) and his lines, while still exuding a certain amount of confidence, are never arrogant or aggressive. "They press and try to trap but I break it with my boogie/.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,4,5,6,10 and 11)

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