Unearthing Hip-Hop Gems: A Review of Diverse’s One A.M.

The Chicago Hip-Hop scene has produced a wide array of prominent artists, rising stars, and local heroes. Luminaries such as Common and Kanye West, while maintaining underground credibility, have been able to garner mainstream acclaim. Up-and-comer Lupe Fiasco, after a cameo on Kanye’s “Touch the Sky” and his own successful single, “Kick, Push”, is steadily acquiring further recognition.

Talents such as the likes of the Molemen, The Opus, the Family Tree, and mic-wreckers like Vakill and MC Juice, though, remain heralded mostly in native circles. Regardless of the level of exposure these artists ultimately attain, they have all secured their positions on the Chicago circuit by either making significant contributions to Hip-Hop, a la Common’s Resurrection, by producing multiple mixtapes, through affiliations with other acts, or by participating in various national competitions.

However, materializing onto the Chicago scene from seemingly nowhere, like a ghost fading into a photograph, comes Diverse. Most known for quite adeptly hanging with Mos Def on the Prefuse-73-produced single, “Whylin’ Out”, Diverse proceeded to release 2001’s Move EP, and continued to awe heads and critics alike with his first full-length, 2003’s One A.M.

Displaying both lyrical dexterity and a verbose flow, Diverse impresses listeners not with great innovation, but rather content and execution. Also, with production handled mostly by a top-tier tag-team of RJD2 and Prefuse-73, and even a stellar contribution by beat-konducta Madlib, One A.M. is sure to appease even the most particular listeners.

The rock-influenced RJD2 banger “Certified” starts the album off. Over an ill guitar loop and scattered keys, Diverse portrays how his style of braggadocio differs from that of other emcees’. Instead of confrontational raps and threats towards the hypothetical “whack motherf*cker”, Diverse verbally gives you “…something to twist up./Lift up and breathe in,/now let it resonate;/elevatin’ like smoke that broke through heaven’s gate”.

RJD2 ably follows his own act with the funky soul of “Uprock”, over which Diverse implores b-boys and b-girls to “Get into…stance,/uprock, and then break”.

For his third consecutive contribution, RJD2 invites fellow Def Jukie Vast Aire to collaborate with Diverse on the battle-ready “Big Game”. Vast proves a worthy partner-in-rhyme, kicking ill lines like, “I am Wisdom God;/light my spliff with a star/before I flip on your squad”, showing the same fine form as heard on Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein. A “Chicago Style” version of this track also exists, featuring MC Juice rather than Vast on the mic beside Diverse.

Another one of the album’s highlights, the narrative “Ain’t Right”, finds Diverse waxing poetic over Madlib’s thick bass, chimes, and melodious piano stabs. Diverse spins the poignant tales of two individuals: one a hustler out for quick cash, and one an honest, average Samaritan with ambitions of marriage and a family. Despite their differences, both meet a similar and violent end by gunfire, demonstrating that no matter one’s niche in the world, “…life is survival”.

Prefuse-73 provides the electronic backdrop and backing vocals for the next track, on which Diverse explains how music is the passion of his life, and not “Just Biz”. “Money doesn’t balance a man’s equation”, Diverse raps, implying that it’s not how much you make, but what you do that defines an individual.

On “Blindman”, another conceptual track, Diverse details a wish to see the world “through the eyes of a blind man”, describing how objectivity in perception can allow one to disregard biases and accept oppositional perspectives which may change “who you are, how you feel, [and] what you think”.

The first guest MC on the album, the Quannum Spectrum’s Lyrics Born of Latyrx fame, volleys battle-raps back-and-forth with Diverse over a pretty cool RJD2 beat on “Explosive”. As Diverse himself states in the album’s liner notes, the purpose of the track is to give “a feel of perpetual movement”, and the concept is executed extremely well. Both MC’s indeed “keep it in motion” as promised on the hook for the entirety of the track, displaying exceptional breath-control and sense of rhythm.

MC femme-fatale Jean Grae makes an appearance on yet another RJD2-produced heater, “Under the Hammer”. RJ abandons his signature quirky soul for a beat stripped down to a bare space-rock essence, as both Jean and Diverse rap about the deterioration of morality in urban areas and the pressures of a society lacking equality.

With keen and honest insight, Jean Grae raps, “I don’t give a f*ck,/I’m tired of living on luck and change./I duck and aim at nothing…” to convey the negative disposition of a frustrated inner-city dweller. Diverse follows with a verse inspired by the words of Gil-Scott Herron. The only complaint about this track is that it’s a recycled beat, first given to Ohio duo Edotkom for their track “Blind Man’s Eye”.

After the refined braggadocio of “747 (Flyin’)” and a couple instrumental interludes, Prefuse -73 comes through again for the beautiful and somber “I’m Leaving”. Communicating his belief that both his music and fate prevent him from ever remaining stationary, Diverse opens the song with the lines, “There ain’t no comin’ back;/I’m trying to cover maps…”. The almost ethereal vocal samples incorporated into the track, melancholic chimes, and meditative ambience would make this the ideal jawn with which to end the album.

However, this is not the case. Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker and Rebel Souls drummer Ted Sirota recreate an old blues backdrop for the ultimate track, “In Accordance”, on which Diverse raps about the influences in his life and the decisions he makes based on their inspiration.

After many a thorough listen, one discovers that One AM. is not a groundbreaking album. Though he possesses an impeccable flow that can make even the less spectacular beats of “Explosive” and K. Kruz’s “Blindman” sound better, and expresses more intricate lyricism than most emcees, Diverse does not really offer any novelty to the rap world.

Although, with only eleven actual songs on his debut full-length, Diverse succeeds in offering a brilliant example of what’s coming out of the Windy City’s Hip-Hop scene. With more releases of this caliber, Diverse will soon likely solidify his own spot as one of Chicago’s underground mainstays. However, with almost three years gone by and not even a hint of a follow-up album yet, we can only patiently anticipate the next product dropped by this ambitious and talented young MC.

Diverse – One A.M.
Chocolate Industries
2003
Guest Appearances: Lyrics Born, Jean Grae, Jeff Parker, and Ted Sirota.
Producers: RJD2, Madlib, Prefuse-73, K. Kruz, and Overflo.

BREAKDOWN
Beats: 8.5/10
Rhymes: 8.5/10
Replay Value: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.5/10