Miami hip-hop duo !Mayday! became overnight stars thanks to YouTube. The video of their first single Groundhog Day, featuring Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley singing about the drudgeries of life and the turntable wizardry of DJ Craze, got 2 million views in 48hours.
It's the best track on this debut album by producer Plex Luthor and MC Bernbiz but it's not the only one with added star power. Beatbox master Killa Kela also shows up on the bouncing party track In the VIP and Devin the Dude on the swampy Nothin.
!Mayday!'s approach blends jazz, hip-hop, rock and wacky samples, including Michael Douglas getting shitty at a fast food worker in Falling Down.
It's a smooth affair that calls to mind everyone from Digable Planets to Gorillaz and Black Grass, but Douglas' offering is the most lethal contribution. Bernbiz has a good flow but sticks mostly to safe, conscious rhymes about the underdog and life in Miami. Luthor gets daring with block-rocking, keyboard-heavy beats but never too daring that your mother wouldn't want to listen.
Verdict: YouTube phenom take hip-hop to adventurous new levels
