Built From Scratch

AMG Review of Built From Scratch

Kenyon Hopkin
All Music Guide

Though it's a clever play on words, the title of the second record from the X-ecutioners is somewhat of an overstatement. The New York urntable crew reworks a few notable songs from ock and hip-hop's history (Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" being the best known), while including several familiar sounds and vocals from the genre's early days. Still, Built From Scratch is a sharp ode to old school hip-hop that focuses on the roll of the urntable rather than the vocals of an MC. That has been the group's intent since the early '90s, and Built From Scratch provides a great showcase for the quartet's urntable skills. However, those skills are sometimes overshadowed by the many collaborations from big names such as Pharaoh Monch, Xzibit, Everlast, Inspectah Deck, and the seemingly out of place Linkin Park. That doesn't mean that these cuts are commercially friendly. These are nitty-gritty ap ventures that stay true to the X-ecutioners' roots and are free of any deliberate pop hooks. [The disc was also released with a bonus remix courtesy of Lo Fidelity Allstars.]