Sean Price first hit my radar as an MC last year, before that I must admit that I knew very little about he or his partner in rhyme Rock. Together they form the rap duo Heltah Skeltah. D.I.R.T. is their third studio release and it is off the chain with sick beats and some serious lyrics.

The first thing that stands out about the duo is how well they flow together. On many group efforts all you get is four or five guys rapping separately over the same beat, not really rapping together, its as if they just happen to be in the same building and that’s about it. That is not the case with Heltah Skeltah as Rock and Sean Price (also known as Ruck) often drop lyrics together and play off one another as they spit. The outcome is one of the strongest albums I’ve heard lyrically this year.

Part of the Boot Camp Clik with label head Buckshot this is their first release for Duck Down Music the same label that houses Buckshot himself, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. as well as Kidz in the Hall. Rock and Ruck are both coming off solo releases that displayed their talents but they are much better together. The duo discusses a wide range of topics from other rappers frontin’ on wax to Rocks recent legal troubles.

Lyrically Ruck is my favorite of the two but its close, they both shine on the song entitled Twinz where they talk about being the best MC even though there are two of them. Everything is Heltah Skeltah was the lead single off the album and a great song with an infectious beat. Speaking of beats, the sounds on the album were certainly grimy and gutter which worked out well because the beats really matched the flow on every song.

No one song stands out as my favorite, mostly because the album in its entirety is so well put together. Rock and Ruck both come across hard as they play off each other and their guests which reads like a who’s who of the Boot Camp Clik. Aside from Buckshot, Ruste Juxx, the afore mentioned Smiff-N-Wessun, The Representativz, and Flood all make appearances on the album.

If you’re looking for hard beats mixed with even harder lyrics then you can’t go wrong with Heltah Skeltah’s latest offering.

Crave Online Rating: 9 out of 10