Brooklyn Academy

With their individual reps long earned in the less glamorous corners of the underground, Brooklyn Academy members Pumpkinhead, Block McCloud and Mr. Metaphor finally come together on LP as a unit with Bored of Education. Though its title alludes to yet another attempt to save hip-hop from ubiquitous industry puppet masters, the disc really boils down to amplifying BA’s own Gotham-centric, "Oscar the Grouch, gutter music,” as made plain in both the sound and verses of "We Don’t Play.” Brooding, sinister beats laced with eerie chimes, menacing keys and stylized mafia melodies line the walls of this set, which, when combined with the husky flows of these three gruff MCs, weigh a tad heavily after a while. Fellow NYC firebrand Jean Grae appears on a few welcomed occasions to break things up a bit, leading the crew into the first of many hometown tributes in "This Is Brooklyn” and the Marco Polo-produced "The Growler,” marking some sparing rays of bright light on a disc aimed mainly at those who prefer their grime thick.