Slum Village: Trinity: Past, Present, And Future

The underground hip-hop world is filled with stories of promising groups knocked about by industry politics and the cruel hand of fate, but few histories are as dramatic as that of Slum Village, super-producer Jay Dee's house group. Slum Village's 2000 breakthrough, Fantastic Vol. 2, ranks alongside J-Live's The Best Part as one of the most famously bootlegged independent albums in rap history. Goodvibe and Atomic Pop finally gave it a proper commercial release in 2000, but both labels went out of business just as the record was starting to take off. Jay Dee (Soulquarians, The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest) next left Slum Village to focus on his more lucrative career as a producer and solo artist, but the group soldiered on, replacing him with promising newcomer Elzhi and signing to Capitol. The loss of a member of Jay Dee's stature would be a fatal blow to many acts, but with the release of Trinity, Slum Village is hotter than ever, thanks to the crossover success of "Tainted," an irresistible single that perfectly embodies the group's neo-bohemian charm and unmistakable chemistry. Jay Dee, who produced all of Fantastic Vol. 2, manages a handful of tracks here—and while he has few peers as a producer, he never was much of a rapper anyway. Elzhi easily eclipses him lyrically, and his smooth, straightforward delivery perfectly complements T3 and Bataan's more eccentric, percussive flows. What Trinity lacks in consistency, it more than makes up for in ambition and eclecticism, as Slum Village careens assuredly from aggressive, sinister dance-rap to funky minimalism to blissed-out soul. To its credit, the group has been shy about courting either the alternative or the dance crowd, and the album benefits from its willingness to take chances and challenge its listeners. Trinity eschews Fantastic Vol. 2's big-name guests and is none the worse for it, since the trio's chemistry and adventurous sonic excursions render flashy cameos unnecessary. Slum Village carrying on without Jay Dee might seem to make as much sense as N*E*R*D without The Neptunes. But Trinity proves that the group has not only survived the super-producer's exit, but emerged stronger than ever.