Apartment

Remember when a new hip-hop album didn't just sound like a bunch of songs written by various "professional" songwriters, and managed to make an album-long statement (not coming off like a handful of potential pop singles)? Florida-based rapper Dynas certainly remembers, as evidenced throughout his sophomore release, 2009's Apartment. It's no surprise that there's a vintage, old-school feel throughout, as such renowned names of yesteryear -- DJ Jazzy Jeff and Slick Rick -- drop by the party. And wouldn't you know it, the two tracks that Jeff and Rick appear on are among the album's best, "The Future" and "Family Jewels" -- the latter of which would provide the perfect soundtrack for a breakdancing competition. As with most modern-day hip-hop releases, the album's multiple silly "skits" can be deleted when you move Apartment to your iPod, but overall, Dynas' second offering succeeds as some solid, vintage-sounding hip-hop. ~ Greg Prato