Of course, good hip-hop is nothing without quality rapping to back up the music and Stress contains some of the very best. For hip-hop it is surprisingly complex, with sometimes densely layered samples and odd time-signature changes. Most of the production is done by the two band members, Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po, with a few songs from Buckwild and Roickwilder. The consistently brilliant production holds it all together, giving the whole album a familiar unique sound. The lack of obviously catchy hooks helps in bands favour however, stopping the songs from getting stale after a few listens.Дespite the wide variety of themes and moods explored in Stress it never sounds at all disjointed though. The album never sounds completely вЂhappyвЂ™ though, you wonвЂ™t hear anything as upbeat and cheerful as вЂWho Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?вЂ™ from the debut here. At times it sounds incredibly tense, like on вЂ™Stray BulletвЂ™, which details gang violence in terrifying detail, complete with gunshots, and at times like on вЂ3-2-1вЂ™ in stark contrast sounds almost completely calm and relaxing. Much like Illmatic, Stress relies on this atmosphere to stay gripping, and atmosphere is one thing it contains plenty of. As a result, Stress sounds like A Tribe Called QuestвЂ™s darker, slightly paranoid cousin. The mixture works incredibly well, combining a grimy atmosphere similar to that found on Illmatic with a jazzy sound found in groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. ThatвЂ™s not to say that this is completely bleak and depressing there is plenty of variety here with plenty of fantastic upbeat bass lines and jazzy samples, but the production and a lot of snare gives it a very bass-heavy dark sound. Stress is slightly darker and less light-hearted than Organized KonfusionвЂ™s 1991 self-titled debut, removing the more poppy songs with a more down-tempo sound. An underrated classic.Дespite huge critical acclaim, Organized KonfusionвЂ™s second album, Stress: The Extinction Agenda, was unfortunately buried under a myriad of other great hip-hop albums released that year, especially NasвЂ™ classic Illmatic.

Review Summary: A slightly darker version of A Tribe Called Quest with fantastic atmospheric production and incredible rapping.

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