Dilated Peoples et Sims

Suggestions that hip hop peaked in the nineties and entered into something of a slump in the noughties are only true if we’re talking specifically about the mainstream; sure, when the likes of Tupac, Biggie, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were front and centre, it seemed like something of a golden age for hip hop, but just because things took an unpleasant turn at the start of the new century, with Eminem’s appetite for misogyny and 50 Cent’s nauseating materialism suddenly so prominent, it doesn’t mean that the underground didn’t remain packed with talent - Dilated Peoples are a fine example of that. The L.A. trio have been dropping superb records ever since their 2000 debut proper, The Platform, and excitingly, they’re set to release their first effort in eight years later this month, Directors of Photography. Hopefully, they’ll have lost none of the genuine spark and crackle that made their sound so unusually exciting, or their live shows such a draw, for that matter; their slow, deliberate style translates perfectly to the stage, where DJ Babu’s frantic turntabling is offset by the laid-back back-and-forth between Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience. With the album so close, a slew of shows on the mainland are already in the diary for late August, but there’s been no news yet on a new date for their postponed show at London’s Scala from back in June; hopefully, they’ll accompany the rescheduled concert with a few more in the UK.