The positivity that GURU sought to imbue hip hop with - even though he was as likely to speak on beatin' a dude up as anything else - has been lost for whatever reason since the rap hey day of the early '90s. Littered with pretend trap stars at every turn, it would seem that the ever ballooning state of hip hop should afford fans with at least a bit of useful music. That not being the case consistently, it's more than refreshing to stumble upon any project from Shaman Works honcho John Robinson, who is this time working with German label Project: Mooncircle.

Between this year and last, Robinson has released at least three full length discs. It's getting hard to keep track, frankly. But the fact that he's counted DOOM as a producer really only means that if he keeps at it, Robinson will eventually gain the respect - and $ - that he so rightly deserves. It does seem, though, that in listening to anything that Robinson is involved with, he's more concerned with the state of the nation and the culture that he loves so much more than any monetary rewards he might stumble into. Surely, he wouldn't scoff at a few dollars, but in his running Shaman Works, the label honcho has sought out only the most intelligent and deft rappers and producers.

For his latest group, Scienz of Life, Robinson is joined by 4 Windz, an emcee, as well as IG Culture, a British producer. The latter contributor to the group apparently has a decent profile in the UK having worked with Roots Manuva in addition to garnering some work with major labels. The spacey and atmospheric beats that IG is known for make for ample backing here as Robinson and 4 Windz endeavor to explain a changing culture and how they interact with it.

Leviathan (Break The Spell) isn't the groups first release. And in fact, it sounds like the work of a seasoned and much travelled ensemble. Each disparate element that goes into creating a disc has here seemingly been dove tailed seamlessly into forty five minutes of music. Beginning with a woman asking a variety of questions about televised news, fakin' rappers and the lack of intelligent thought that's so pervasive in American culture, it lays bare the intent of the disc. Scienz of Life are as interested in critiquing others, though, as examining the way in which they live as on "Touch Screen Queen." That track details an interaction with a woman via a variety of digital outlets. The summation of the track isn't necessarily the heaviest hypothesis ever, but it's an interesting take on human interaction in this day and age.

Various other points on Leviathan work to even greater affect. As Robinson, who kinda sounds like Talib Kweli at his peak, moves on to take a look at the media on "Media Medicine." He's backed by a bass heavy viola sample while talking about Viacom and referencing the devil before calling computers "the new idiot box." The heavy handed criticisms aren't gonna be for everyone, but if you can handle Mr. Lif, this is for you.