The Best Hip Hop Album You’re Not Listening To…
But Should Be

Hip Hop producer/techno whiz kid extraordinaire Scott Herren is taking instrumental hip hop to a whole new level – not even, he is creating a level all his own. Operating under the nom de plume Prefuse 73, this Atlanta native is both expanding and redefining hip hop’s boundaries. With his latest release, One Word Extinguisher, Prefuse 73 stays his course while developing and challenging the genre’s capabilities.At first glance, One Word Extinguisher does not seem to fit the mainstream hip hop prototype, primarily because of the absence of actual rap in the equation. Rapping is minimal with only two tracks (out of 23) containing any real lyrics. With the beat, melody, and arrangement as the primary focal points, the two songs containing rap vocals (by underground MCs Diverse and Mr. Lif) are much welcomed and appreciated. As for the rest of the album, prime beats and a generous serving of electronic experimentation allow it to stand on its own. Songs such as the drum-n-funk “Busy Signal,” the dark, almost evil-sounding “Huevos With Jeff and Rani,” and the headboppin’ “Perverted Undertones” are fine examples of this “electronica meets instrumental hip hop” mix. This hybrid of experimental techno and Hip Hop will undoubtedly bring about comparisons to DJ Shadow, and while such a comparison is both accurate and an honor, Prefuse is less like a turntablist than a computer geek in an Adidas jumpsuit. More experimental than Shadow and a tad bit more subdued than RJD2, Prefuse is not quite hip hop, not quite techno: his own brand of distorted sounds, tweaked samples, and reverence for underground hip hop makes One Word Extinguisher truly unique and trailblazing.