Blackalicious: Imani Vol. 1 (OGM Recordings)

This first album in a decade from the critically-acclaimed Californian rap duo of Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab is notable both for its genesis - it was crowd-funded using the increasingly influential PledgeMusic platform - and the scope of its ambition. It's the first in a proposed trilogy, which will become increasingly guest-heavy. Gil Scott-Heron, Ben Harper and DJ Shadow are all former collaborators, so expect some big names.

Imani means faith in Swahili, by the way, so the presence here of under-rated rapper Imani Coppola is presumably just a co-incidence. Other helpmates include Amde from LA-based poetry/hip-hop co-operative Watts Prophets, funk band Monophonics, and Belgian-Congolese singer Zap Mama.

Musically, then, volume one is diverse. The Sun, featuring Coppola, pushes into pop territory and the closing title track utilises Zap Mama's Afro-pop background. Elsewhere, the growling bass and guitar lines which drive Ashes To Ashes, I Like The Way You Talk and opener Faith add muscular live instrumentation while songs like Twist Of Time and That Night rest on Chief Xcel's beats, samples and production skills. Running through it all, though, are Gift of Gab's beautifully weighted rhymes: socially conscious and politically-charged, they prove he's still one of the best around.