Lifesavas - Spirit in Stone

After debuting in 1999 with the all-star Quannum Spectrum record, the Quannum label wasn't releasing enough albums to qualify as anything other than a boutique label; Lifesavas' wide-release LP was actually the first from a non-Quannum-connected artist. Spearheaded by Blackalicious' Chief Xcel, Spirit In Stone reveals a heavily spiritual hip-hop crew with plenty of talent. Producer Jumbo the Garbageman creates some warm, hard-hitting tracks heavy on the soul samples, and main rapper Vursatyl expands his De La Soul influence to don several guises, from a politically and spiritually conscious intelligent rapper to a smooth-flow master to a Rasta spitter. Read More