[4/5] As part of the trailblazing rap trio Antipop Consortium, Beans made an album for Thirsty Ear's equally groundbreaking Blue Series and didn't like the result. But the series' commitment to fusing experimental jazz and hip-hop convinced Beans to try again, and with Only, he's released a dynamic solo do-over. Backed by an ace pair of jazz vanguards--bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake--Beans raps only part-time on Only's 10 tracks, which are lean but freewheeling enough to suggest a true, improvisatory mashup of genres. The peerless Parker and Drake rock out, get dubwise and funk up the joint, and when Beans is on the mic, he's on (sample line: "Indie rap loves me, but I ain't cool if the white kids/are lyin' about crimes I ain't did"). The bleak brilliance of Beans' usual Blade Runner-esque electronica is sometimes missed, but the substitute is never subpar.
(THIRSTY EAR) Dan LeRoy
 Official Website: http://www.thirstyear.com
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