Album Review

*** DJ Honda, “HII,” Relativity. DJ Honda’s brand of hip-hop marries the strident immediacy of gangsta rap to the placid undertow of ambient trip-hop. On his second album, the Japanese deejay lays down diamond-hard beats, then dresses them up with tinkling vibes, slinky bass lines and muted horns. Even though the album features a large cast of guest rappers that includes De La Soul and KRS-One, it never strays too far from its funky, fluid groove.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).