(The emcee Savant is from Chicago and is part of a self-described “hip-hop alliance” called RAREBREED [the other member of the collective is his younger brother, Joey Downtown]. While 206up.com is a space primarily dedicated to Seattle hip-hop, I reserve the right to go rogue once in a while, as I’m doing with this Review. Though it’s not a total tangential exercise: Savant is connected to Seattle through a group called The Emprise so prepare to see him come through the Six and do his thing once in a while. Trust 206up.com will keep you up on Savant’s future movements through The Town. But for now, on with the Review of The Delayed Entry EP…)

On Late Registration‘s best track, “Gone”, Kanye says he wants to quit the rap game altogether and open a hip-hop school for aspiring emcees, a desire presumably stemming from his perceived lack of rappers properly representing. It’s typical Kanye: a romantic but somewhat misguided proposition considering it comes from a guy who isn’t exactly known for his ability to stay on task. I’d be okay enrolling my child at The Kanye West School of Hip-Hop, but only if Yeezy’s primary role was that of financier. The actual Emcee Professoring should be left to the rhyme virtuosos, those cats who find love and life in the art of rhyming (not in designing Louis Vuitton handbags). Chi-Town rapper, Savant, might be a worthy candidate for such a position. His first solo effort, The Delayed Entry EP (available for free download here), shines a musical spotlight on a budding rapper who seems hungry and focused on building his resume.

If Savant isn’t quite suited yet for the position of Emcee Professor, then he at least deserves a graduate assistant position or, better yet, maybe that of resident Rhyme Doctor. For nine tracks, Savant holds a clinic of sorts, displaying an ease and confidence on the mic that’s matched with an above-average ability to manipulate rhyme and word. From a technical standpoint, Savant bends tracks to his lyrical will. He displays uncommon dexterity on “Concrete Techniques” (featuring Three60) and on the RJD2-assisted “The Lyricist ThreeMix”. He’s often so focused on performing precise metric surgery on the beats that it comes as a pleasant (and welcome) surprise when he eases back and lets more personality show on the relaxed, “Illest You’ve Never Heard (Could We Go)” and summer-riding, “Bottom To the Top”. And, not surprisingly, Savant stands further out from the emcee crowd when he allows the subject matter to get heavier (see: “Marry a Memory”); it’s evident that dude is talented, but good lyrical content matters just the same.

Musically, Delayed Entry suffers a little from what many underground independent records suffer from: lack of innovation. Not that albums of this form and function should always be groundbreaking; hip-hop like this is generally meant to pay tribute to traditional aspects of the music and limited effort toward genre-bending sonic advancements is expected. In other words: that’s not the point here. But it would be nice to find more unpredictability. Not surprisingly, the best track is produced by the legendary RJD2 (the aforementioned, “The Lyricist ThreeMix”). Another standout is “Illest You’ve Never Heard” which employs a delicate but chopped-up Amel Larrieux sample. Savant’s rhyming generally overcomes any lackluster beats, which is both a testament to his lyrical prowess and cause for optimism for future releases that might feature more interesting production.

As Kanye, Jay, and Weezy continue to fly hip-hop’s flag high in mainstream America, it’s important to remember that the culture is forever tethered to artists like Savant. Folks like him fly mostly under the radar, yet are ultimately responsible for steering the Good Ship Hip-Hop through its rough (read: vapid and uninteresting) times. The underground set (an often fickle and skeptical bunch not affected by politics, popularity, or hype) will probably find The Delayed Entry EP a worthy, if not solid, first effort. It’s a type of recognition that is usually devoid of glitz — to say nothing of abundant financial reward. But acceptance by the underground masses is a sure sign that you’ve arrived. The impressions left in the discerning ears of those critics genuinely matter, as they’re the ones ensuring hip-hop stays healthy. And if the foundational elements of hip-hop are healthy, then the culture as a whole thrives. Savant’s The Delayed Entry EP proves that the emcee element is alive and breathing.