Download's Musical Cook-Out is a foray into the nether regions of Hip Hop's cerebral vortex. The ethereal intergalactic midst that the album is wrapped in mirrors the transcendent lyricism throughout. Consider it midnight music in communion with descending extraterrestrials.

This is good ish! Not everyone is gonna feel it through. Many won't want to put in what it takes to get it. Oh well, their loss. There's no Philly Gully, no pop rap, no commercial thoughts in site. You play Musical Cook-Out while driving home alone at three in the morning. You know those rare moments when you actually have the opportunity to really listen to the music? The Definition Of Reality fits the bill. You know when you put too much salt on something and it ruins the taste but if you add just the right amount it enhances and accentuates the flavor? It's at work here. It's at works on other informal offerings Authorities, the spoken word of You Fil Me Up, the hard knockin' head noddin' Shining and the folksy butta of Lost And Found.

Download certainly has something on their hands. It's the type of thing that doesn't translate into mass worship, praise or money. It's the type of thing that draws fanatical, almost cult like followings and the praise of against the grain critics such as me. While the crew have solidly established their own sound and style, they dwell musically in the realm that includes Philly acts from Last Emp to Bunnfest to Lost Children Of Babylon. Not bad company to keep...

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Review by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor- PhillyHipHop.com
December, 2002