Unearthing Hip-Hop Gems: A Review of Diverse's One A.M.

The Chicago Hip-Hop scene has produced a wide array of prominent artists, rising stars, and local heroes. Luminaries such as Common and Kanye West, while maintaining underground credibility, have been able to garner mainstream acclaim. Up-and-comer Lupe Fiasco, after a cameo on Kanye's "Touch the Sky" and his own successful single, "Kick, Push", is steadily acquiring further recognition. 

Talents such as the likes of the Molemen, The Opus, the Family Tree, and mic-wreckers like Vakill and MC Juice, though, remain heralded mostly in native circles. Regardless of the level of exposure these artists ultimately attain, they have all secured their positions on the Chicago circuit by either making significant contributions to Hip-Hop, a la Common's Resurrection, by producing multiple mixtapes, through affiliations with other acts, or by participating in various national competitions. 

However, materializing onto the Chicago scene from seemingly nowhere, like a ghost fading into a photograph, comes Diverse. Most known for quite adeptly hanging with Mos Def on the Prefuse-73-produced single, "Whylin' Out", Diverse proceeded to release 2001's Move EP, and continued to awe heads and critics alike with his first full-length, 2003's One A.M. 

Displaying both lyrical dexterity and a verbose flow, Diverse impresses listeners not with great innovation, but rather content and execution. Also, with production handled mostly by a top-tier tag-team of RJD2 and Prefuse-73, and even a stellar contribution by beat-konducta Madlib, One A.M. is sure to appease even the most particular listeners. 

The rock-influenced RJD2 banger "Certified" starts the album off. Over an ill guitar loop and scattered keys, Diverse portrays how his style of braggadocio differs from that of other emcees'. Instead of confrontational raps and threats towards the hypothetical "whack motherf*cker", Diverse verbally gives you "...something to twist up./Lift up and breathe in,/now let it resonate;/elevatin' like smoke that broke through heaven's gate".