Chief x Collabos

Hip hop music has been an international phenomenon for a good long while at this point. That being said, it’s still bizarre to hear emcees from Japan cut up some track by deejay Krush and his brethren. There’re a spate of Frenchies workin’ it out as well. And while all of that is still somewhat odd to hear, the fact that there’s a producer working out of Switzerland who’s been able to get some of the underground’s biggest names on his tracks is nothing short of jaw dropping.

First becoming aware of Chief through his work with Hempstead based Tha Connection, listeners should be able to guess at the general trajectory of the producer’s sound. And on his first compilation disc, entitled Collabo Collections, Tha Connec makes an appearance alongside a great many other big names.

The group’s “Let it Be” is an exemplar of what the remainder of the disc purports. Boasting some languid drum programming and a spate of electric keys pushing the track forward, the two emcees that make up Tha Connec are easily able to take advantage of such an auspicious beat. And while detractors might figure that Chief’s singular approach to production tends to get boring, since each offering here is immaculate, those that complain need simply to move on.

Admittedly, there isn’t a wealth of diversity here, but if an approach seems to yield only successes, what’s the point in derivation? At this late date, there might be a way in which to innovate within the genre, but whatever the answer is to the genre’s potential stagnation isn’t yet apparent.

While we’re all waiting, though, wading through the tracks on Collabo Collection should keep pretty much everyone engrossed.

A few tracks further on, Blu and Sene get on the mic for “True Love.” Each emcee boasts a pretty similar flow and since the more established Blu works atop of production close to what Chief generally trucks in, the track is an unmitigated success. Sene’s verse, arriving at a quick tempo, somehow surpasses that of his west coast counterpart’s. That might not happen again, but more importantly, the effort as a whole is another highlight in a series of tracks that should sound track your next late evening sleep over – if you catch my drift.

A few of the west coast’s bigger names – from the underground at least – make appearances: Abstract Rude shows up for a single track while Moka Only turns in two.

But what would a disc compiled by a producer be if there weren’t a few instrumentals represented over its track listing? The final five cuts off this disc are given over to an almost trip hop sounding vibe as Chief works in an ever more laid back vibe. A few of these tracks sport some unfortunate vocal samples contributed by a well-intentioned woman. But “16 Levels” arrives sounding like a combination of latter day J-Dilla and deejay Cam. All can agree that if those two folks are ever name checked in a write up, it’s time to go track down the disc. Cop it well…