Released in the same era of expansive and humorous
hip-hop
debuts by
De La Soul
,
Digable Planets
Gang Starr
, and
A Tribe Called Quest
Digital Underground
's similarly disposed first album and follow-up EP offered a party-friendly alternative to
gangsta rap
with a heavy dose of
P-funk
jazz
Prince
's
electro-funk
aesthetic. The Oakland-based crew, featuring
Shock-G
as alter-ego and frontman
Humpty Hump
, would continue to ride high with
Sons of the P
, but never really captured the inspired mix of their first forays into the
arena. That said, curious fans should first check out the group's maiden
Sex Packets
release before diving into this six-song collection; while solid in its own right, the EP does contain two non-essential remixes of tracks off of
. And even though new cuts like the extended
funk
jam
"Same Song"
(featuring a nasty
Bernie Worrell
-meets-
Jimmy Smith
synth-organ solo),
"Nuttin Nis Funky,"
"Arguin' on the Funk,"
and
"Tie the Knot"
are all impressive,
This Is an EP Release
does not expand on the sound of
. Still, a very enjoyable selection of cuts full of top-notch rapping, samples, scratches, and elastically
funky
bass and beats. ~ Stephen Cook