Reviewed by Steve Hayes

America's DJ Skillspinz has a rich inheritance of turntable skills and beatmaking. He has been the tour DJ for groups such as Grits, The Ambassador and others. Influenced by DJs like the pioneering Jazzy Jeff and Jam Master Jay, DJ Skillspinz has been rocking the turntables since he was eight. He's also spun the turntables for acts like L.P.G, The Tunnel Rats, Sup The Chemist and Knowdaverbs and has over 18 album features. This album is part of his progressive approach to hip-hop, showcasing both his scratching and beatmaking skills. Skillspinz fires off some serious skills starting with the lead track "Follow Me" cutting up the "fresh" sample, a classic in the world of scratch deejaying. Skillspinz expertly scratches an assortment of scratches, dropping baby scratch, drags, tears, transforms, flares. . . You name it, it's probably in there. Then Skillspinz moves into the transformer to give an old skool feel, before dropping basslines onto the break, before ending up doing a 'tornado' scratch (moving the hand on the vinyl back and forward furiously). Standouts include "Beat Boy Battle" with some sub 303 kicks and simple lyrics for the bboys and girls, "Crazy Scratching", and my personal favourite, the outstanding cuts and scratches on "Scratch Of Fury 2". Dirty south prevails across the album (although not exclusively, see "Get Up"), with guests such as Pettidee dropping simple and clear rhymes.

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