Directors of Photography

by Dilated Peoples

Overview

Returning to the game after an eight-year hiatus, one would expect the ground to quake as Dilated Peoples stake their claim in the land of underground hip-hop, but Directors of Photography is a wonderfully loose and casual effort rather than the expected epic album. This comes partly from the glad-to-see-again chemistry that members Evidence, Rakaa, and DJ Babu display during this hang-out session on wax, all of them coming off successful solo careers. Guest star Aloe Blacc may have just walked off his R&B superstar appearance on the Today Show, but his feature cut, "Show Me the Way," features a busy and beautiful Jake One production with no radio-aimed fluff. "Gone for Good" is satisfied-sounding mixtape rough and street track tough with the back and forth between Evidence and Rakaa (finishing each other's lines, offering contrasts, and cutting jokes) sounding debut-album fresh. It's believable when "LA River Drive" spits "When I rise, I wake the morning up" since the Alchemist beat is pure uplift, then there's the slept-on Sick Jacken as guest, a wise and unexpected choice that is equaled when Gangrene graces "Opinions May Vary." The interludes, the album's title, and the instant photos packed into the album's physical release all point to a photography concept that doesn't stick to the bones, but it's the only time this effort trips on its own ambition, and it's just a slight stumble. Otherwise, this is the satisfying return album fans have waited for, no more, and certainly no less. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	08/12/2014
Label:	RHYMESAYERS
UPC:	0826257018328

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Directors
3. Cut My Teeth
4. Defari Interlude
5. The Dark Room
6. Good as Gone
7. Show Me the Way
8. Figure It Out (Melvin's Theme)
9. Let Your Thoughts Fly Away
10. Century of the Self
11. @MrEvidence Interlude
12. The Reversal
13. Opinions May Vary
14. Trouble
15. L.A. River Drive
16. The Bigger Picture

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dilated Peoples   Primary Artist
Rapsody   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Aloe Blacc   Featured Artist
Vinnie Paz   Featured Artist
Fashawn   Featured Artist
Sick Jacken   Featured Artist
Catero   Featured Artist
Krondon   Featured Artist
Gangrene   Featured Artist
Action Bronson   Featured Artist
Domo Genesis   Featured Artist
Vince Staples   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Tristan Eaton   Creative Director
Skye Rossi   Project Coordinator
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III   Composer
Shane Jessup   Graphic Design
Babu   Producer
Kevin Zinger   Executive Producer
Eddie Sancho   Mixing
Dilated Peoples   Engineer
9th Wonder   Producer
Jake One   Producer
Diamond D   Producer
Oh No   Producer
The Alchemist   Producer
DJ Premier   Producer
Ivory Daniel   Executive Producer
Joe LaPorta   Mastering
Bravo   Producer
Evidence   Producer
Twiz the Beat Pro   Producer
D.A. Johnson Jr.   Composer
Vince Staples   Composer