By Kimberly Turner
Aug 6, 2008 - 11:10 AM

It's not uncharacteristic for hip-hop to be full of swagger and braggadocio. However, it doesn't always pay to be over confident. Such is the case with Construct Existence Crew's first full-length release, Epic Knowledge. Unfortunately for the Bay Area threesome, they may have overshot the title's implication.

The album isn't bad. It's just not epic. The opener "One Vibe" is arguably the catchiest track with its universal b-boy call to arms. Epic Knowledge picks up steam with "Hesitate," which has a well placed sample of Audio Two's "Top Billin'." Another standout track is "Alter Egos." The song has a droning piano hook that will follow you like the plague. Of course you can't call your CD Epic Knowledge without some valuable input from the teacher himself: KRS-One. Over classical strings on the album's title track, they echo his assertion that "Rap is something you do. Hip-hop is something you live."

On "dust9box" the Construct Crew hits a rough patch. Emcee Dust9's lackluster attempt at beat boxing a "We Will Rock You" and "Billie Jean" combo could have been left out. While the album has several decent tracks, they are too far in between. Most of those songs are carried by their production (courtesy of DJ Madd Hatter), not necessarily the mic skills of emcees Cyph4 and Dust9. There's nothing wrong with a laid back delivery, but these two seem to lack the virulence needed to forward their agenda. It's not until the 12th track, "Unity (Data Rap pt.1)," that any real knowledge is actually dropped.

Without a fresh angle, Epic Knowledge runs the risk of becoming boring and repetitive.

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Kimberly Turner is Oh Dang! Magazine's resident music critic and pastry fiend. And No, she's not fat.