Back to "Back Again". This song has the necessary catch musically and lyrically to be a certified hit on popular radio. The track actually has a bass line running through it reminiscent to the funk of Bootsy Collins rather than the formulaically heightened bass drum found in hordes of modern rap. This helps the track bump more clearly in your stereo without losing any of the kick. Evidence enters with a style akin to Redman, which is an unusual mix of toughness and humor. The verbal irony is thick with confessions about smoking "no more, but ain't smoking no less." Evidence has a knack for word play that is carefully constructed while still seeming cool and careless in his delivery. This ability places him with the top rappers of today, because his combination of voice, vocabulary, conscience, and experience, is so rarely found. With his subtle allusion to Rakim's "Microphone Fiend" in the last verse, Evidence makes this album drop like hydrogen.

At first, "Back Again" hit so solid, I was disappointed with the aftermath, but this was short lived. Evidence, Rakaa, and Babu produce magic on every track, whether you become wrapped up in the obscure, yet perfectly fitting, samples, or the genius of the rhymes. For example, on "Alarm Clock Music", Dilated Peoples sample Brian Protheroe, an artist from the '70s who was lost in the shuffle of artists like Procol Harum. The knowledge and vision shown with this sample may put their tracks up with Dr. Dre in quality. Also, "Alarm Clock Music" is a defining moment on the album for Rakaa, who is biting politically. In reference to Bush's presidency: "Tricknology, propaganda and fear/Makes hard to believe you own eyes and ears."