4 out of 5

Label: Golden Era Records

Producer: Hilltop Hoods

Well, I thought I was going in chronological order with the Hilltop albums I was listening to, but apparently I skipped the chunks where they established themselves as Aussie stars when going from Left Foot to State of the Art.  That they are still absolutely recognizable as the same group can be considered in their favor – evidence of the flavor remaining post-success.  Still, my ears were initially unimpressed by “State,” hearing it as stripping away the different styles they employed on “Left,” – some bouncy Tribe stuff, some backpacky Atmos style drinking raps, some more aggressive Eminem-flavors – and going for a smoother, more straight-forward sound.  And it is true that the aim of their compositions have been whittled into a distinct shape, but as I left the album on repeat, I discovered (or felt) that this wasn’t stripping but shaping, and though Hilltop have worked themselves into, perhaps, a more friendly format in the sense their sound can be identified and swallowed easy enough, I had noted that the ‘downside’ to “Left Foot, Right Foot” was how slick the production was.  That sense of rounded quality has always been there, they were just employing it in different directions earlier, whereas here they’ve purposefully mapped out how they plan to go to war and they’ve staked their claim.

So you get your typical “I’m the best” proof-of-concept raps, but it’s just not as scattershot.  Everything feels more confident, and thus even these battle raps don’t take up any huge chunk of the album, instead playing on a fine line between silly and insulting and thoughtful and serious on tracks like “She’s So Ugly,” “Chris Farley,” “Parade of the Dead,” and the amazing closer “Fifty in Five.”  This is only my second album so I can’t say this with certainty, but this does seem like a line the group intentionally straddles.  I can brush off “She’s So Ugly” as initially misogynist or silly, and it’s not stretching too far for meaning or anything, don’t get me wrong (don’t cheapen yourself, etc. etc.), just that it’s rewarding to listen to the songs beyond the identifiable choruses or hooks.  Which, furthermore, is what separates a lot of these sick beats from just being radio fare – There are choruses, but it’s not just a matter of blah blah blah now here’s your hook, or the now very common fallback of just repeating how “I did this, like (name of pop culture reference that rhymes with previous line), no homo.” A lot of the songs tell a story, or play with a concept, and don’t repeat much from start of song to end of song.  It’s pretty fun.  Again, nothing life changing, but impressive.  And sonically, DJ Debris’ mixing of samples and beats and live instrumentation is so catchy and crisp that, like the lyrics, it’s easy to miss how many little elements are blended in there.  It’s far from just laying down a track and finding one clever sample to brag about or try to get reps for; the songs sometimes shuffle through a whole bag of tricks that just pop up on headphones for a second that you can’t help but view the whole composition as being picked over by the group with smiles.

There’s still really not a stand out track that I’d knock people over to proclaim to the world as the greatest shit ever, and as I started saying, my first spin didn’t catch me.  But “State of the Art” is a rewarding listen, and evidence of how to push hip hop with a bit more thought and intelligence into the mainstream without sacrificing some of the touchstones that the radio kids dig.