People Under the Stairs

Carried Away (Om)

It’s not often hip-hoppers reach their seventh album, so it’s a little bizarre that L.A. duo People Under the Stairs chose to commemorate lucky No. 7 with what’s largely a tribute LP. The most obvious nod is “Check the Vibe,” which finds Thes One and Double K biting Q-Tip’s “Back in the days on the boulevard” lead and takes “Verses From the Abstract” for a spin, but “Letter From the Old School” follows the 1980s b-boy style, and “Listen” would fit in with Del’s Eleventh Hour. Oddly enough, “Down in L.A.” sounds like Just Blaze’s beat on Cam’ron’s “Welcome to New York City.” All the knockoffs are better than “Beer,” which could be misconstrued for an early Beastie Boys track, but it’s a real head-scratcher coming from a group that’s been making albums for a dozen years. They didn’t butcher anything; PUTS just got a little Carried Away this round. (Thu., 10pm, the Independent @ 501 Studios.)

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This article appears in March 19 • 2010.

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