Devin the Dude, Potluck

Fans of the classic California underground hip-hop sound defined by Digital Underground in the late 80's and early 90's, and carried on by a number of groups and artists to date, including E-40, Living Legends, and the Hieroglyphics crew, will no doubt be surprised by the sophomore release "Harvest Time" by Potluck. Reigning from Humboldt County, California, the group consists of 1Ton and UnderRated, who met in 1995 at a DJ trial at a local club. In 2000, they released their debut album, "Humboldt County High," which was well received in Humboldt and along the west coast. This year, with the release of "Harvest Time," Potluck hopes to gain more acclaim and exposure in a west coast scene that ignores every act until they have proven themselves to be solid on the mic.

The most interesting aspect of the group is that their style cannot be labeled; they have succeeded in fusing multiple genres of hip-hop music, which pans out to rich synth-mod beats not unlike the early Hieroglyphics sound, but with a twist of Northern and Southern Cali "gangsta-boogie." And with UnderRated's rapid-fire flow combining with 1Ton's rich, deep baritone voice, most tracks end up sounding somewhat like old-school Living Legends crossbred with Twista and Ice Cube, with a modern, radio-friendly overtone.