Review: Fresh Daily | The Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion

Despite yielding at least half of contemporary hip-hop's subterranean and major-label kingpins, the New York underground is often overlooked when it comes time to dole out props. Perhaps because the cats currently emerging from the downtown scene — from Fresh Daily and P. Casso to more-established acts like Mickey Factz and 88-Keys — are only now dropping full-lengths on the universal dome.

Daily's debut perfectly represents New York's new crop, as it packs significant substance, sounds, and even songs about blouse-stretching funbags ("Two in the Shirt") and Tecmo Bowl nostalgia ("Video Gamin'"). Besides having the cleverest handle in the game, Daily is the master of a vast style spectrum.

The 2 Hungry Bros–produced "Supaspectacular" marries his intricate verbal structure to pure piano-laden nectar; "Bullet Tooth Tony" with Cool Calm Pete brings compelling narrative; the DJ Spinna–spun "Starter Pistol" with Homeboy Sandman is phonetic fornication at its finest. A disc with this much range is less common than humility in modern rap music; the Brooklyn MC even gets serious on the tearful "Gutterman," and he wraps up something lovely on the Illmind-produced title-track encore. Gather 'round, kiddies who were born post-Illmatic — this is how you make a classic rap album.