Consumer Guide Album

Jean Grae: The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP [Babygrande EP, 2003]
As with so many progressives, her ambition is more profound than her compassion. But this is a worse paradox in politicos than in musicians. Abdullah Ibrahim's American daughter knows she can outrhyme and outrap the competition, and she's mad as hell it hasn't made her famous yet. "Liquid content may cause your faggots' frames to burst," she begins, unable to resist the proper use of "faggot" (Webster's: "a bundle of sticks") to ignite the incendiary metaphors that set off "Hater's Anthem." Throughout the six official songs she's all rage, bile, and despair, 150 degrees from the bootstraps autobiography and positive shout-outs of her debut; throughout, her dense, explosive literacy gurgles from the beats like an underground brook. Whereupon, her commercial obligations behind her, she delivers a ghost "cut," some half-dozen songs plus guest contributions that go on for 40 minutes of noblesse oblige--looser in theme and execution, and also better than the debut. She's right. She should be famous. A-