A core member of Souls of Mischief, the quartet of rappers at the heart of the Bay Area underground rap collective known as the Hieroglyphics Imperium (along with Del tha Funkee Homosapien), Opio has also maintained a low-profile solo career. His fourth solo album, 2005′s Triangulation Station, is his best. A mixture of (mostly) laid-back beats, with varied and interesting samples layered over a base of live instruments, the album is dominated throughout by Opio’s inimitable voice. Possessing a piercing, nasal instrument that’s as unique as Snoop Dogg’s but much less limited, Opio is equally capable of nimble, speedy delivery of tricky rhymes (the opening self-celebration “Viva Main Vein!!!”) and a more aggressive, hectoring delivery that he uses on politically charged material like “What’s Wrong With This Picture,” a pointed diatribe against the lack of independent thought in the mass media. Guest stars, including Del, the rest of Souls of Mischief, and other members of the Hieroglyphics crew chime in but never dominate the proceedings. This is Opio’s album all the way, and on songs like the brilliant “For Those Who Don’t Know” (built on an ear-grabbing vintage synth hook and old-school turntables), he displays all of his production, lyrical, and vocal talents at their fullest. – Stewart Mason
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