Few hip hop acts are able to appeal to both the commercial hip hop fan rap purist in the same breath. Enter Self Scientific, one of the most critically acclaimed groups to emerge from City of Angels and a group that's earned the respect of gangstas and underground heads alike. Part of LA's unique hip hop scene, Self Scientific - the duo of Chace Infinite and DJ Khalil have finally dropped their much anticipated, sophomore album , Change. The remarkable 15 track LP was released on October 25, 2005 on their newly formed Angeles Records/Fontana/Universal.
On the album's first single "Live and Breathe," about a young girl who gets with a much older man so she can care for her brother and mother, Chace spits articulate prose about the sacrifices people need to make sometimes to accomplish their goals. "Some see choices like that as settling," explains Chace, "but I see it as having a purpose.
On the albums' title track Chace cries out for systemic change in the way we live our lives: personal improvement, within the music business and our own government. On the track, "When I Die," Self Scientific pair-up with southland colleague Planet Asia to warn against the gangster-infatuated life that many heads live today: "We all have to reconcile with creator," remarks Chace, "the kids living the Tupac-infatuated life better hope god is a gangster."
"Both of us have undergone profound changes since our first album in 2001," explains Chace about the concept for album. "I have more responsibility now with a 4-year old daughter and family. We started a label with DJ Muggs. The album lyrics reflect our growth.
But the albums' production also reflects DJ Khalils' remarkable development over the 5 years, whose been working under the Grammy-Award winning producer Dr Dre since 2004.
"Working with Dre was a life long dream," says Khalil. "Being from the west coast, he's my biggest inspiration." Khalil also produced tracks on the upcoming Game and G-Unit's Tony Yayo releases, along with the soundtrack for the new 50 cent movie, "Get Rich Or Die Trying".
Self Scientific exploded onto hip hop's radar with their much lauded LP, The Self Science. Since then, Khalil, has kept busy working with Dr. Dre and Aftermath Records while Chace can be heard on Sway and Tech's latest album Back to Basics and Talib Kweli's Beautiful Mixtape vol.1. The duo released a critically acclaimed compilation earlier this year called Gods and Gangstas.
Other guests on the album include Bun B, Stephen Harris (Blue Note) and Jelly Roll.
In a music scene filled with countless unremarkable acts dropping music that goes in one ear and out the other, Self Scientific prove that making a quality record takes time, but that it's worth the effort. Indeed, more than just your standard contemporary rap fare, Self Scientific hearkens back to a day when a hip hop duo could move body, mind and soul with their music.
Prepare yourself for Change (Angeles Records) - IN STORES NOW.
