In 1992, Showbiz & A.G. released a song called “Diggin’ In The Crates” [click to read] on the Soul Clap EP. Joined by fellow Jazzy Jay protégés Diamond D [click to read] and Lord Finesse, the foursome were among the most versatile in Hip Hop, employing the ability to outdo most in the cipher, with a shared love of breakbeats and rare groove-based production. As the family tree expanded to include emcees O.C., Fat Joe [click to read] and the late Big L as well as producer Buckwild, D.I.T.C., an acronym of the song became synonymous as a link between Hip Hop’s fundamentals and its present day streets. Although individually, the group all has classics under their belt, the lone 2000 release and collection of live recordings, bootlegs and mixtapes have oft been two great singles surrounded by filler. The Movement may not be a sum of D.I.T.C.‘s remaining parts, but it’s high and above the group’s previous false starts in the last decade.
Using the D.I.T.C. name alone may be questionable to purists for this release. Besides Big L, the Diamond D and Fat Joe sect is notably absent from the group. Although renaming the collective Wild Life was discussed five years ago, the banner remains as O.C. and A.G. hold down the fort. Even the controversy of the absences is addressed on “Time Travel” [click to listen]. Andre the Giant totes, “I don’t really care how small my crew get / Y’all care about who left, I care about who’s left.” Still, the autobiography of the group addresses all members past and present, in recognizing why the brothers united, and career highlights. Again, it’s the two initial namesakes that make “Energy” come alive, as A.G., a historically descriptive emcee, seems to have added a strong dose of arrogance to his influential delivery. Although this pair of singles would’ve been another acclaimed D.I.T.C. twelve-inch, it’s the reliance upon people like Ghetto Dwellas alums Party Arty and D-Flow and Money Boss Players where Diamond, Joe and L once stood that make this release blasphemous to some, if not a departure lyrically.
As he gave us a glimpse on 2005’s Street Talk before some kinks on Live Hard [click to read], Show is back in full force, behind the boards. “Boys Doin It” is a broken down Funk sample in the vein of late ’90s “Whoa” or “Hard Knock Life” production. A loop or not, Show‘s careful technique hints towards a man that made classics like KRS-One‘s [click to read] “Sound Of Da Police.” Lord Finesse, whose polished production may be an even rarer commodity, drops in with “Time Travel” and “Air Y’all,” featuring an energetic Joell Ortiz [click to read], the album’s most impressive guest. As with the lyrical substitutions, over half the album comes from E Blaze and Drawzilla, with longtime affiliate Ahmed also chipping in. Again, one has to question if throughout the ’90s rise to acclaim, D.I.T.C. would’ve tolerated any helping hands.
When Big L ripped his Hip Hop Quotable verse overtop Diamond‘s stone-cold chop on 1999’s “Day One,” seven years after it started, every listener knew what D.I.T.C. was about not by telling, but by showing. Nine years later, “Time Travel” proves it’s more about telling these days. Production purists and enthusiasts for O and A‘s mixture of weed, women and wisdom rhymes may appreciate, but the fire is a great deal dimmer. The Movement is hardly over and hardly week. Lyrically, the aforementioned duo provides more interesting rhymes of recent, but with a rumored collaborative LP due in 2009 in their own right, this effort seems to be another table cleared of strong material, patched together with guests and fill-ins, living in the both the shadows of what was and what could properly be.
