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Kool A.D. of Das Racist headed to Oakland to cut his second mixtape of 2012, but he clearly brought along the stoned flows and dense, hyper-referential punchlines that made his crew internet famous: “Hard to read like a cryptogram/Lady Gaga, Poker Face, chips in hand,” he rhymes on the Dipset-esque Marvin Gaye-sampling “No”. Producer Amaze 88’s quirky soul loops are all highlights, but the project veers off course when A.D. taps Bay Area-beatmaker Young L, and derails entirely (and possibly intentionally) when the rapper steps behind the boards for songs like the grinding, non-sensical “Power/Refinement Knowledge”. Still, zingers like “I’m Drake versus Common, who cares?” on “La Piñata” suggest that Kool A.D should record in the Bay Area more often.

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• Photos: Random Notes