Trinity — 20 In

In 2012, Fat Beats founder DJ Fab forms Trinity, a trio in which him team up with DITC rapper Andre "AG" Barnes and Brand Nubian rapper Derek "Sadat X" Murphy. The beat set is composed by Silent Someone, Kixsnare, Kris the Katalyst, Boac, The Audible Doctor, DJ Brasco, DJ Jab, L Precise and Cire Reds. The guests are Eternia, Janelle Collins, Milano Constantine, Everlast, Grand Puba, Ill Bill, Immortal Technique, D-Stroy, Reef the Lost Cause, Roc Marciano, Roxanne Shanté, Sha Stimuli, Audible Doctor and Slug.

"Up To The BX" is a strong start with its vintage boom bap produced by Silent Someone, a good posse with Eternia with good samples. It starts again from the Bronx, as it should be, follows "Sunshine": simplistic and light, bland boom bap invented by Kixsnare, the main producer of this tape, with a colorless hook by Janelle Collins. "Rap Attack" has an inspired lyrics but the rhythm of Kixsnare doesn't help too much. The title track has a good energetic delivery of the rappers on a rhythmic beat provided by Kris the Katalyst, with a sample from "Save the World" by The Southside Movement.

"Influence" is another good cut delivered well by Sadat X and AG, this time the hook by Janelle Collins sounds good, it's splendid and soulful, it kills the track on a well-made boom bap created by Kixsnare with a sample from "The Sea is My Soil" by Herb Albert and Tijuana Brass. The affiliate of DITC Milano appears on the good tight boom bap of "Family Love", the rhythm is invented by Kixsnare with a sample from Joan Armatrading's "Friends", but the posse is just sufficient.

Janelle Collins returns to the next one by delivering another deep soulful hook that corroborates the good boom bap cool in one of the most successful tracks on this record ("My Way"): other sample from "The Sea is My Soil" by Herb Albert and Tijuana Brass in this musical carpet by Kixsnare. The immense posse track "Sometimes" also deserves to be among the best moment of the record: on a splendid boom bap created by Boac, with a sample from Betty Wright's "Girls Can't Do What The Guys Do", two bars are reserved each for Sadat X, AG, Everlast, Grand Puba, Ill Bill, Immortal Technique, D-Stroy, Reef the Lost Cause, Sha Stimuli, Slug, Audible Doctor, Roc Marciano and the legend Roxanne Shanté.

"Interview" is a good boom bap tense and dark, falling for this interlude. "Corrupt" has an amazing smoothness production and an excellent delivery of the duo, Immortal Technique well, deviant and sick that one of Ill Bill, crazy. On a jazz rhythm, good sample from Ruby Johnson's "If I Ever Needed Love (I Sure Do Need It Now)". What a cut. "Then & Now" has a decent, tense, dark boom bap, good delivery of the three (there's D-Stroy).

A modern reinterpretation of "Bite This" follows with Roxanne Shanté: heavy production, Sadat X and AG delivery inspired by Shanté to give some history and vintage vibes to the cut. "Strange" sees the coveted return of Janelle Collins, well here that brings the song down to earth with a soul / R&B delivery on an alternative and annoying rhythm. The following is a tribute to MC Shan and his classic "Da Bridge", shown here in a cut that has that classic aura despite the severe music, excellent delivery inspired by the two performers.

The beatmaker Cire Reds brings out a splendid cheerful smooth musical painting with a soulful background in "Victory", the last cut before the spectacular outro consisting of a beautiful boom bap, due to a fine sample from Blue Aquarius' "How Many Lifetimes". Then, "The Bronx", bonus cut that actually ends Trinity's album: boom bap hurried and well synthesized, good delivery of the duo, good soulful hook by Janelle Collins, here punctual and incisive.

This whole project is conditioned by a vintage production, which wants to pay homage to the old school and here, in my opinion, partially succeeds. It may be better, but Sadat X and AG in the end do an excellent job, it's a welcome tribute to the genre.

Rating: 6.7/10.