SANDPEOPLE, Honest Racket (Self-released)

[October 3rd, 2007] [HIP-HOP] My expectations for local hip-hop crew Sandpeople’s long-awaited second album were impossibly high, especially after seeing what the peeps could do in pairs (they formed a handful of offshoot groups during the larger crew’s two-year recording hiatus). I expected the lessons learned and the addition of Scribble Jam rap-battle champ Illmaculate to help build an absolute monster. I expected an album that would get the U.S. out of Iraq and reverse global warming.

Well, kids are still dying and ice is still melting, but Sandpeople’s Honest Racket is really good.

The album’s 16 tracks are a mixed bag of battle raps, descriptive short stories and weed-fueled introspection. The great equalizer, though, is the crew’s production. It’s never been anything to sneer at, but beatsmiths Simple and Sapient have only gotten more adventurous after stints in disparate satellite groups. Where the two producers choose chaotic electronica on “Industrial Grade,” the simplicity of a bass-kick combo and a synth air organ on Simple’s beat for “Not Alright” is still in keeping with the group’s sound.

Lyrically, the addition of Illmaculate as the crew’s 10th member has made a huge difference. Not only do his own verses (“Let me hit this/ Don’t get it twisted dog/ A lot of things piss me off/ I’ll list them off...”) add a boisterous battle sensibility to the group’s aesthetic, but his presence is felt even when other MCs take the mic. Ethic, in particular, has doubled up the intensity of delivery behind his already strong verses (“I rock a mic with the same steady hand/ That pops Lorazepam till I’m walking like Lieutenant Dan”) to combat and complement Illmac’s lyrical terror. The Illmaculate reception has helped each MC learn how to carve out their own personas more clearly, which is essential for a group of this size.

Those individual developments aren’t surprising. What is surprising is that Honest Racket is largely a subtle and personal album, where each pronouncement of crew superiority is mirrored by an admission of personal weakness. In that respect, the group reps Portland the same way Portland reps itself: with hesitant pride and steady growth. So, while Honest Racket won’t save the world, it will certainly improve our little corner of it.