7.5

The Death of Adam, 88 Keys’ debut full length, is one of the few hip hop concept albums that’s actually a concept album. Charles Misodi Njapa, the acclaimed hip hop producer from Long Island with a serious Ralph Lauren obsession, takes us through the journey of his fictional character, Adam. Adam just wanted to get laid, but ends up a baby-daddy with a bad case of “burning bush.”

The album’s connecting thread is a gossip girl narration, in which a friend of a friend tells the story of “that guy Adam from uptown.” He starts off playing the nice guy card (but gets the “you’re like a best friend” line – as told on “Nice Guys Finish Last”), dates a sex maniac (“Stay Up! (Viagra)”), and, after lots of unprotected sex (’she been poppin’ Tic Tacs!’), Adam ends up with more than he bargained for (‘they havin’ that baby’).

The imaginative producer cruises through the story with fun, energetic hip hop songs, incorporating guitars, piano (88 Keys is a bad piano player himself – hence his name), and an array of guest rappers (Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Redman, and Shitake Monkey). “Morning Wood” and “Friends Zone” are Outkast and N.E.R.D. flavored, respectively, while “Handcuff ‘Em” and “(Awww Man) Round 2?” sound like tracks off of College Dropout, complete with Keys’ Kanye-like delivery (No coincidence there, as ‘Ye executive produced the record). All in all, Keys has created what many hip hop fans consider an instant classic. A great hip hop album with a concept and a moral to the story? I’ll put my name on that list.