Later, Slick Rick drops in on "CONSTANT" - via a "La Di Da Di" sample - and the late Phife Dawg and his Tribe brother Ali Shaheed Muhammad join forces with De La Soul's Posdnuos on "ALL AROUND THE WORLD," a dizzying talent cypher that BEP bill as "A Tribe Called De La Pea." On these standouts, the sonic familiarity and focus on verbal skill is utterly refreshing, especially in the world of 2018 trap and mumble rap. Godzilla-stomp horns herald the time warp back to the Golden Era on "BACK 2 HIPHOP" with Nas, continuing with enough soul and jazz-sampled tracks to bring a tear to the eye of any self-professed old head. They sound revitalized and refreshed like a post-millennial Digable Planets or Tribe, pushing these head-bobbing beats and dexterous lyrics like the 2000s never happened. The acid jazz throwback production is strong, with a soulful downbeat vibe flowing throughout, while the three BEP rappers tackle topics such as race relations, gun violence, police brutality, and social media addiction ("RING THE ALARM" and "BIG LOVE"), with a touch of hip-hop boasting for good measure. Throw in a turbulent period of American politics and social turmoil and the Peas finally had something to say beyond mindlessly repetitive, party-starting platitudes and odes to "My Humps." A return to their roots, Masters of the Sun reclaims their late-'90s boom-bap sound - recruiting an iconic crew of New York MCs to really drive the point home - on a satisfying (and surprising) set that is cohesive both in theme and sound. A lot changed in their eight-year absence: Fergie left the group, reducing BEP to the original trio of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, while the former pair spent time on solo music and judging television singing competitions and the latter beat cancer.
Nearly a decade after the release of their previous album, 2010's The Beginning, the Black Eyed Peas truly take it back to the start on their triumphant seventh set, Masters of the Sun, Vol.