Souls Of Mischief: Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution

The four members of Souls Of Mischief may be in their mid- to late-20s, but, like many hip-hop veterans, their relative youth belies their influence and historical importance. Alongside similar releases from Tha Alkaholiks, The Pharcyde, and fellow Hieroglyphics rhyme-slinger Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Souls Of Mischief's stellar 1993 debut, '93 'Til Infinity, helped make the West Coast safe for incorrigible wiseacres whose deadliest weapons are wit and lyrical ability. Crucial to the album's success was its mixture of accessibility and skill: If gangsta icons like Ice Cube cultivated an image as America's worst nightmare, Souls Of Mischief seemed more like the lovable lyrical assassins next door. Which makes it no surprise that the group's darker and more battle-oriented second album, 1995's No Man's Land, failed to replicate its predecessor's success and contributed to the group getting dropped by Jive. The long-awaited Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution finds it achieving a perfect balance between the two approaches, with clever, high-concept tracks ("Last Night," "Bad Business") recapturing the upbeat vibe of '93 and darker songs (the noir-styled music-biz narrative "Fucked…") reflecting the hard-won wisdom it's acquired. The group hasn't made the same record twice, and Trilogy proves no exception, trading in the jazzy samples and loops of the first two for a harder-edged sound while retaining the polysyllabic battle rhymes, clever punchlines, and deft give-and-take that have become its trademark. Divided into three sections (conflict, climax, and resolution), Trilogy proceeds with remarkable fluidity, with each track building on the last. Consistent, irreverent, and imbued with an undercurrent of maturity and thoughtfulness, Trilogy proves that, like Del, Souls Of Mischief has found a way to thrive in major-label exile.