Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1

Perfect

Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 is the first studio album from Slum Village, which consists of rappers T3 and Baatin and the late great Dilla on the beats. This will always remain one of my favourite hip hop albums of all time but for me it's a case of two extremes. There's no doubt here that J Dee's beats dominate: some of the tracks can only be described as pure artistry, in particular The Look of Love and Look of Love Remix which are just beautiful examples of how to create a perfect, flowing contemporary hip hop beat. His sample-led cuts are creative and nomadic in their scope, and work as a sublime introduction to his style. However, some listeners may take offence at T3 and Baatin's often dubious and sexually explicit lyrics, which, though on point, are sub-standard if you compare them to say Q-Tip or Black Thought. If you can look past that and begin to appreciate Dilla's influence on the album and the hip hop community as a whole then Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 will serve you well: this is a classic.