Diggin’ In The Crates: Diverse- One A.M.

​Rapper Diverse, born Kenny Jenkins, is somewhat of an underground name in the hip hop world. That might not be saying much since all we do is live on the underground's word, but he's underground in the sense that you've definitely heard his influence, but probably know none of his original work. In the past, he teamed up with RJD2, Mos Def, J Dilla, Madlib, and Gift of Gab (of Blackalicious)... all names with which you're undoubtedly familiar. It led to his amazing 2003 record One A.M.

The most striking part of Diverse's music is his unique flow. He has said, "[a] lot of MCs let the rhythm dedicate how they rhyme. I'm a poet even before I'm an MC, which allows me to dedicate to the beat." At first blush, he seems to be trying to cram as many words as possible into a single riff; it evokes the same reaction as watching a television show that you know has only five minutes left and can't possibly resolve the plot properly in that amount of time. But just like the show, Diverse surprises by finishing with unbridled ease. He has a natural talent to spit as smoothly as butter, as proficiently as a literature major, and as insightfully as a philosopher. We'd even go so far as to say that he can better any beat with his weaving rhymes. Case in point, listen to all four of the sample tracks below; you'll be pleasantly surprised at how diverse (no pun intended) his tunes are. In particular, check out how different the first three tunes are from the fourth.

Buy Diverse's One A.M. now right here