Two years after the not particularly well distributed "The Next Step" LP, Thes One and Double K give it another try, hoping that people catch on to their vibe. Their first album is my favorite hip hop album of all time, which points to the fact that I like their style. Aside from "Suite for Creeper" every song on this full length lp follows their recipe for hip hop, positive messages portrayed through mellow beats. Their soothing sound is a nice change from the rough mainstream hiphop of DMX and Juvenile, just to name a few. Dont get me wrong, PUTS doesnt speak the knowledge of Common or have the wide appeal of Eminem, but they know how to reminisce about the golden age of hip hop in funk,and put it all in a nice album. A few standout tracks: Youth Explosion-addictive beat, fun Sterns to Western- Kid Lex isnt that great,but a funny song (listen to the chorus) Code Check-mellow guitar, nice sampling Blowin Wax-in your face rapping, impressive Yehaw Partystyles-a fun song E Business-mellow ATCQ-esque beat July 3rd- Think of the 4th of july and the beat matches that feeling We'll be there-beatiful positivity

Turn off the lights, close your eyes, put on the headphones, and chill out. A soothing musical work of art.

For all you dot.com Americans out there (in Britain we have amazon.co.uk) I will need to set the scene. Leeds is about 250 miles north of London, and it is a fairly big town that is booming economically. OK? Six months ago, to a small club/bar style venue comes The People Under the Stairs, heralded as the new hi-hop wonders from L.A. As a poor student not really knowing the ways of the PUTS I decided I could not afford the entrance fee and did not go. However, a mate of mine DJed before them and was telling me how good they were. So, I headed out and bought The Next Step. Oh, that was good...funky loops and a bit of depth. But, the MCing left a little to be desired and it generally sounded like it was knoocked up in their bedroom, (which I hear it was). Despite this, I thought they definately had a spark of something good.

But when I bought the second album, Question in the Form of an Answer I wasn't really expecting that much. So, it got put on the back burner a bit, I didnt really listen to it for a while, and I was further compounded by the breakdown of my CD player. (Is this getting boring?)

OK, lets cut to the chase. After lots of trying, I finally sat down and listened to the album, and it blew me away. How can two people improve this much? Gone was the rough production edges, the muffled beats, the hectic layering. The beats were crisp, as were the sounds. How about the MCing, which was nothing great before. Oh my god! They have turned themselves into two pretty damn good MC's, working well together and working with some interesing outside talents. How about the depth. Oh Yes! It gets better and better. Now they have the same catchy loops, but with so much more than they had to offer on the first album. Everything has improved so greatly that this album really does stand out for me along side Common's and Slum Village's.

If you like your funky beats, old skool style, then this will still appeal to you. It is very remioniscent of Midnight Marauders in that respect. But if you like your deep stylees (a la Common) then this will also be able to grab your attention. Beware....The People Under The Stairs are coming!

Thes One and Double K deliver again........... U must BUY this album NOW! If u're sick of all that dmx and dirty south rap stuff.... this is the real deal.... good background beats..sick lyrics.......it'll be the rockin' parties all night long

PUTS is quality gold ish! everytime i introduce cats to the PUTS sound, they scoop up every album they have. hey its only 3 but dang man, its all instant vintage! they remind me of the old school liks, they talked ish, and had some of the most classic one liners. i mean, thesse dudes dont care, and they put out what they like and on top of that diss everyone doin ish for money and fame. if i ever hear PUTS at a party its on! if i ever hear PUTS downtown in some yuppy bar that plays b2k and calls it hip hop--ITS ON!! if i ever hear PUTS bumpin loud ina NSX--ITS ON!! pull out ur duckets and scoop question in the form, its definately better then next step and OST. but those are all quality too... this whole album is tight, and i gaurantee u'll like it and the rest of PUTS ish. oh yeah, scoop my man MOKA ONLY. hes on the whole contemporary rap vibe. pick up LIME GREEN, and his new joint FLOOD--if u can find it you new wave freak!

detectives on the beat, every mission complete.

Words can't describe how utterly dope this album is. Mad beats, rhymes, funk. All you want to do while listening is put your right arm in the air and wave it like you just don't care. Head bobbing like no body's bizness, lips puckered, neck weaving, knees bouncing. Damn, I haven't felt like this since '86. Why PUTS ain't blown up huge makes no sense. These cats kick some crazy joints, spitting lyrics and keepin' it real. BUY THIS ALBUM. Probably the best pure hip hop album I have bought in 20 years.