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DJ MUGGS VS GZA Grandmasters Angeles ****

While both Muggs and GZA have considerable form from their runnings with Cypress Hill and Wu-Tang Clan, respectively, there may have been a feeling that their best days were behind them. But hip-hop grandmasters just get better with age, and so it is with this inspired pairing, matching the deep, intensely soulful production nous of Muggs with GZA's peerless lyricism to create an album that is sharp, focused and quite majestic. You can hear both protagonists in perfect synch on Exploitation of Mistakes, as GZA comes over all CSI/Law & Order to report on a grisly crime scene over a suite of delicate, impressive beats from Muggs, which recall the mighty RZA at his very best. The lyricist is certainly at the top of his game, especially on Queen's Gambit, where he namechecks all 32 major league American football teams in the course of his rhyme, as Muggs shapes his beats to fit GZA's flow. www.angelesrecords.com

Jim Carroll