"We make beats with rhythm and rhythm with beats," Jalil Hutchins raps in "Funky Beat," the first single from Whodini's third album. That perfectly describes this group's style. Every song pairs a different beat with a different rhythm. Unfortunately, the raps by Jalil and Ecstacy, who are virtually indistinguishable from one another, aren't so funky fresh. This record features boast rap ("Born...

Whodini's raps are tense, crowded with words, set to scary-movie music. The most distinguished track on Escape, the trio's new album, is "Friends," a song that starts sappy and ends wise. "We like to be with some because they're funny/Others come around when they need some money," goes the beginning of the rap – no great insights about friendship there. But it winds up being a discourse on...