It's been a long time since the hip-hop world has been blessed by a release from Bahamadia. Her 1996 debut, Kollage, was criminally slept on (and to the person who bogarted my copy, when I find you, you're DONE). Blazing tracks like "I Confess," "Three The Hard Way," "The Jawn," "Wordplay," "Spontaneity," "UKNOWHOWWEDU," and "True Honey Buns" (DAMN, even I had forgotten how hot that album was), and guest appearances with Guru on Jazzmatazz Vol. 2, The Roots on Illadelph Halflife, and Roni Size with the brilliant "New Forms" from the album of the same name, she's managed to keep her name in the minds of the heads who missed her most. Now she's rewarding her loyal fans, and hopefully attracting some new ones with the release of the BB Queen EP.

She's now signed to Goodvibe Recordings, the same label that brought you the KILLER Spontaneous album, Spur of the Moment Musick and more recently, Slum Village's Fantastic Vol. 2. This is a label to watch and the addition of Bahamadia to the camp just makes it that much hotter.

BB Queen is unfortunately short, weighing in at just 7 tracks, of which one is the Intro and one, "Philadelphia," is an instrumental track. Even at this length though, it hits harder than a lot of peoples full length or even double albums, simply because the tracks are so strong. They also show very effectively Baham's versatility as an artist. Those who know about her already know that she's a supremely talented lyricist and she proves it again and again here.

The production on here is what really shows her variety. DJ Revolution cuts a beautiful intro, then we are blessed with "Special Forces," featuring Cali Agents Planet Asia and Rasco and production and lyrics from fellow Philly head Chops of the Mountain Brothers. Next up, we have "Commonwealth (Cheap Chicks)," a tribute to women who struggle to make ends meet. The kick line at the beginning sounds much like "Vivrant Thing" by Q-Tip, but when the beat drops in, it's smoothed out and jazzy. Bahamadia flows along lovely, riding the beat with her trademark monotone flow.

"One-4-Teen, (Funky For You)" featuring Slum Village and produced by Jay Dee has his trademark soulful feel. The simple, yet intricately layered production is excellent to point the listeners' attention to BB Queen's lyricism. Another instrumental track, "Philadelphia," follows. "Beautiful Things" returns to a slower, smoothed out feel with the production as Bahamadia looks at problems facing society. Once again, Bahamadia proves her mastery of both lyricism and social commentary. The album closes out with "Pep Talk" produced by Roni Size as she proves once again that she can RIP a drum-n-bass track.

For those who have heard and love Bahamdia from long time, BB Queen should tide you over for a while until she drops her next full album. It should also serve to get her name back out in industry circle, so hopefully look for her to make more guest appearances in the near future. For those who haven't heard Kollage or anything else from Bahamadia, this EP also serves as a great introduction to her, and a showcase for her varied talents. This is definitely one you should run out and add to your collection.