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(Rhymesayers) Critically acclaimed often means commercially overlooked. Soul Position may not be able to shake that trend on Things Go Better With Rj And Al, but they certainly won't disappoint the underground fan base they gained on 8 Million Stories. Ever the versatile producer, RJ (as in D2) flips a brassy, sassy funk on "Hand-Me-Downs" while Blueprint rails against black stereotypes: "Rap nowadays is by a bunch of ignorant cats/no young gifted and black, just guns, bitches and crack/I react by turning off BET." Maybe now Robert L. Johnson can find a new source for his ire other than Aaron McGruder. You can recommend any track on this release to friends without fear, but the creativity of "I Need My Minutes," the horny horn jam "Keys" and the education but not didactic "Cool Thing to Do" stand out. The mainstream may sleep on RJ and AL, but you don't have to make the same mistake.
Steve "Flash" Juon

Ever since coming together as Soul Position in 2001, Columbus, OH natives Blueprint and RJD2 have had their hands full with more solo work and side projects than most MCs or producers could fathom. When not crafting instrumental masterworks like Dead Ringer, RJ can be found producing for MCs like Aceyalone or providing remixes for non-hip-hop acts like Massive Attack. Meanwhile Blueprint has recently made quite a name for himself as a MC/producer extraordinaire with the stellar album 1988 and continues to knock out tracks with his original crew, Greenhouse Effect and fellow Columbus rep Illogic. Yet, as two of the hardest working heads in hip-hop, this duo still manages to find time to unite as Soul Position and produce some of the most sought after beats and rhymes out today.

With the always spirited ‘Print on the mic and RJ deftly manning the boards, this pair caught the underground by storm with their 6-song EP Unlimited in 2002. Only a year later they got heads listening a lot more closely with 2003’s pensive full-length debut, Eight Million Stories.

As Blueprint expresses through Soul Position’s new material, it was a long, sometimes uncertain road from when they recorded Eight Million Stories until now. But with the duo back in action, as their new album’s title says, Things Go Better With RJ and Al. On this well-balanced release, ‘Print delves into a greater variety of subject matter than ever, as he speaks on reshaping the Black identity in hip-hop and, on the lighter side, warns people not to waste his precious cell phone minutes. And as usual, RJ mines an abundance of funky samples for his partner in rhyme to enthusiastically rhyme over. On their new album, Soul Position dodges the dreaded sophomore jinx and delivers yet another gimmick-free release that’s sure to be one of the most talked about records of 2006.