Diverse

So the word's finally out on Jaylib's Champion Sound and Soul Position's 8,000,000 Stories. Both are decidedly a little woomp woompgiven the stratospheric expectations for these dream team collabos: Too much Detroit braggadocio raps from Jay Dee on the former and too much rhyme distraction from Blueprint on the latter.

Next up? MC on the comeup, Chicago's Diverse of Chocolate Industries, plays host to production cronies like RJD2 and Madlib on One A.M. Gleaming from a summer of exposure via Prefuse 73's One Word Extinguisher, Diverse is no doubt attempting to deliver on his namesake. What results is a duck soup debut from a rapper whose wordy, Black Star-ish delivery doesn't exactly force you to pay attention to his lyrics.

Nonetheless One A.M. is still lighthearted and pleasant, perfect for sun-rising afterparty spins. On "Explosive," Lyrics Born assembles bars at the speed of light, and RJ loops murderous rock guitar beneath the moonlit venom of Jean Grae. Before it's over homeboy Prefuse 73 drops by with a beat and a chill instrumental ditty. With peeps this passionate and content to simply be in his company, all is well and promising in the land of Diverse.