Enter the Dubstep, Vol. 2

Album Review

Picking up where they left off with Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture: Enter the Dubstep Vol. 1, FrankRadio and iHipHop go old-school with a second blast of dubstep remixes on Enter the Dubstep Vol. 2. Focusing on a different New York group, this compilation has producers like Hellfire Machina and Lenny Dee adding some serious bass to the tracks of hip-hop legends Brand Nubian. Interestingly, these tracks don’t feel like mashups, but instead come across more like re-imagined versions of the originals, with the new backing tracks feeling like they were carefully built around the vocals rather than just beatmatched to an a cappella track. This level of care in the production comes through on the tracks, making the comp feel more like a new album than a collection of remixes. Another thing working in favor of the album is its tone. Brand Nubian's politically conscious lyrics meld well with dubstep’s ominous feel, adding both a sonic and emotional weight to a song like “Corners,” which is a remix of Lord Jamar’s “The Corner, The Streets.” With its spot-on production, Enter the Dubstep, Vol. 2 is an album that should gain purchase with both dubstep fans and old-school Brand Nubian fans, reworking these from Fire in the Hole and One for All, as well as Grand Puba and Lord Jamar’s solo albums, into new songs that pay tribute to the originals while breathing new life into them, hopefully exposing a new generation to one of the heaviest hitters of ‘90s hip-hop.