Pitchfork

Deep in the shadows of the Bronx, unbeknownst to the many who take residence therein, a colossal war is brewing. No, not between cab drivers and hot dog vendors, though that would be amusing to watch unfold. Between two orders of robots. Legend has it that during the late '80s, future rap mogul Poof Na Na ordered the construction of a set of robots that would convert the world into a jiggy man's paradise. These were the Majesticons, mortal enemies of the Infesticons, the protectors of intellectual integrity in a world rife with superficiality. The Mythical Liner Notes of the Infesticons explain the rift between the two camps as follows: "The Infesticons were a Spartan people interested in ideas and the content of their minds. The Majesticons were fascinated with their own exterior and developed a hierarchy based on their own sense of style." And ground zero be for this epic battle? Gun Hill Road.

The leader of this movement to defend the five boroughs from pernicious jiggification is Infesticon #0, also known to the human world as cerebral b-boy Mike Ladd. Gun Hill Road is the resounding battle cry that rallies the resistance movement against soulless, cash-obsessed flydom through eclectic, poetic hip-hop. The Infecticons aim to incite an insurgent response to those hollow, mindless rappers who glorify such empty aspirations as platinum records and wrists frostbitten from their ice.

The legion of myriad MCs who bolster the ranks of the Infesticons spit post- apocalyptic rhymes amidst a flurry of found sounds, Atari noises, and dynamic drum beats. These various lyricists hail from many different camps, with participants including Saul Williams, Rob Smith, members of Company Flow and the Anti-Pop Consortium, Ladd himself, and several MCs who wished to remain unidentified. Ladd the producer hates to preserve the same mood for too long. From the sparse flow of continuous electricity through the killer inaugural track, which features a Method Man doppelganger MC, the mood quickly swings to upbeat eclectic when the "Hero Theme" hits, congested with bright, piercing samples.

Throughout Gun Hill Road, it's the lyrically artistic MCs whose innovation and intelligence keeps the ship afloat. Sprinkled amidst Dr. Octagon-style weirdness and sporadic disses of the shallow Majesticons are lines laced with poetics evincing thought few MCs are able to drop. The pulsing, driving "Chase Theme," a standout track, resembles stream of consciousness poetry with lines like "Cars got penis envy of airplanes/ Them of space shuttles/ And corporations of god." In fairness, even Majesticon 69 gets a chance to present his case on "Shampoo Theme," in which Ladd and crew present a comical, but alarmingly accurate Puff Daddy clone.

As with most original artistic pieces, Gun Hill Road is hit and miss, but mostly hit. Tracks like "Grinder Theme" delve too far into Ladd's sci-fi realm when they attempt to overcomplicate the fictional conflict by giving a laundry list of different breeds of robot. But the large cast and resourceful, active production by Ladd keep Gun Hill Road intriguing throughout, and the skilled lyricists make it fun to listen to. If you're a fan of innovative, cerebral hip-hop, the Infesticons bring a nice mix of diversity and talent to make this disc worth your while. And stay the hell away from the Majesticons, for god's sake.