In My Mind

A Virginia producer/emcee, Nottz has been doing his thing since the late '90s, when he got his start with D.V. Alias Khrist (on the much-lauded original Lyricist Lounge compilation) and then his big break contributing several tracks to Busta Rhymes' E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front album. Since then, he's worked with heavy hitters like Dre and Snoop, 50 and G Unit, Kanye and Game, but he's also kept one foot in the underground, providing soundscapes for MURS, Termanology, and Cormega, among countless others. He's released two records with his group D.M.P. (Durte Muzik Prahdukshun), and he dropped his long-awaited first solo album, You Need This Music, in 2010. With In My Mind, he continues his well-established tradition of neck-bending, loop-driven hip-hop, built on finely chopped snippets of soul, jazz, funk, and rock jams. The guest list here is definitely impressive (Alchemist, Pete Rock, Pusha T, Black Milk, Royce Da 5'9", Asher Roth, and Dwele), but Nottz also shines as a rapper in his own right, especially on the swinging, autobiographical joint "What Would I Do" and the Jungle Brothers redux "Turn It Up."