Definitive Jux Presents - The Revenge of the Robots

RS: 3of 4 Stars

When Def Jux label head El-P isn't relaxing at home -- where, he says, "I hide from the apocalypse" -- he's leading his team of brainiac indie rappers out on the road. The resulting documentary captures all the anomie of touring: The crew strikes B-boy poses, makes beats on the bus, watches porn, gets tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The music videos are even more engaging. Most moving is Cannibal Ox rapper Vast Aire's remembrance of his youth: "The day is long when you're poor. Twenty-four hours is like ten years."

JON CARAMANICA
(August 14, 2003)