The year is 1994, and a wildly original, off the wall trio of producers called the Beatnuts releases a follow up to their critically acclaimed debut EP, Intoxicated Demons. Back then, the Beatnuts consisted of Psycho Les, Juju and Kool Fash. Since then , Fashion left to release an excellent, though slept on album as Al Tariq. Psycho Les and Juju have continued to produce crazy tunes like "Off the Books," "Watch Out Now," and "Turn It Out."

Street Level, however contains some absolutely classic material. The Beatnuts never claimed to be any kind of lyrical geniuses. In fact, most of their lyrics revolve around badman talk, blunts and women. Nevertheless, this album remains a masterpiece. This is mostly due to production light years ahead of its time. The Beatnuts continue to innovate, but this is worth a listen to hear where they're coming from.

Tracks to check for: "Props Over Here," "Are You Ready," "Superbad," "Let Off A Couple," "Get Funky," "Hit Me With That," and "Psycho Dwarf." There really won't be that much on this album you won't feel one way or another.

Production and lyrics are all handled by the Beatnuts with guests Grand Puba on "Are You Ready," scratches by DJ Sinister on "Are You Ready and "Superbad;" and missjones on "Rik's Joint"

The final verdict: Not the best album in hip-hop history, but definitely one of the most listenable and danceable. There's a little something for everyone on here.

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