Hometown CD Review 3-23-06
Album title: The Anatomy of Grit-Hop

Defamation League calls their brand of music "grit-hop"; it's "gangsta rap" without the gang affiliation. The major themes are all there: crime, sex, and anger toward an undefined establishment. From song to song, the lyrics are simple and interchangeable. They're all about guns, knives, theft, murder, and all manner of dirty business that I doubt these three Ocean Beach kids commit.

Some songs focus on violence, some on sex, but the basic subjects are always present, except in the tenth track, "Autobiography"; it's an account of how the three MCs started the band after being high school rivals. It features an orchestral violin background with guitar work that conveys the sentimental feeling of how the guys "made it."

Most of the songs have a melodic symphony background song mixed, cut, scratched, and beat-juggled in with sophistication uncommon to the San Diego hip-hop scene. "All Business" opens with an especially good scratch solo. The scratching on the other songs seems like an afterthought. All in all, The Anatomy of Grit-Hop is surprisingly seasoned and refined with professional production.

Songs:
1 Leagurz Anthem ft. SamSkillz
2 All Business ft. Sighphur
3 Bombin' Fools at The Compound
4 The Sound of Violence
5 The Wrath pt. II
6 Come Out (Witcha Hands Up)
7 Shake It
8 Blazin' Up a Verse
9 Cellulite Disco ft. Pimp Daddy Welfare
10 Autobiography
11 True Grit
12 The Wrath pt. V ft. Ronnie