A product of the tight knit Bronx underground posse D.I.T.C., Runaway Slave is a cornerstone album of hip-hop’s middle school phase. Building on and borrowing from the layered, jazz-influenced sound of such contemporaries as Gang Starr and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Showbiz & A.G. affixed a gangster mentality to grainy, fortified beats, etching their own unique style. While the crossover “Soul Clap” and “Party Groove ” are club cuts, the rest of the album is more densely expressive. Showbiz and his talented peer Diamond shape their beats around simple, deep drum tracks — but add subtle loops of chaotic horns, loose strings, or abrupt piano notes to create concise and hard-hitting overtures