A founding member of North Carolina's much-loved true-school revivalists Little Brother, Rapper Big Pooh has been busy since that group's breakup. He's dropped quality projects like The Delightful Bars and Fat Boy Fresh, done a bunch of good collabos, and put out the free mix The Purple Tape, where he rocks over Prince-inspired beats from Black Milk. On Dirty Pretty Things, he releases arguably his best solo work yet (though we still love his 2005 debut, Sleepers), delivering a rock-solid mix of story raps, love jams, autobiographical tales, and just good solid hip-hop. Production-wise, there's a gang of soul and jazz samples provided by Nottz and Kuddle Fresh, among others. Lyrically, Pooh comes correct from start to finish. Highlights include "Right with You," "Lonely Lullaby," "Real Love," and "Are You Ready," while the guest list includes Joe Scudda, Torae, and Darien Brockington.