Midnight Machine Gun Rhymes and Alibis

Andre Nickatina enlisted his younger protégé Equipto for his first full-length duo album, 2002’s Midnight Machine Gun Rhymes and Alibis. Though Equipto is a solid rapper with a flow reminiscent of early Ice-T, his purpose here is mainly to elevate Nickatina’s game. It is obvious that having a younger competitor in the room forces Nicky to rap with heightened velocity and imagination. Before showcasing three of finest consecutive verses of Nickatina’s career, “Fa Show” opens with one of the best autobiographical introductions of any rap song in recent memory: “It started out with Captain Crunch cereal, an old turntable and a radio / In my young mind I was the mother f**kin' Imperial.” For these songs Nickatina reconnects with the hunger of his early years, which results in a slew of classic songs, including “Pitbull Terrier,” “P-Nut Butter Breakdown” and “That!” As he sharpens his rap skills, Equipto also proves his mettle as a producer. He delivers two of the album’s most unique and intense beats: the violin cacophony of “Public Enemy #7” and the hair-raising percussion of “Jungle.”