The Deep Thinkers

Make It Quake, the fourth album from Kansas City rap group Deep Thinkers, doesn't live up to its title. And for local fans of conscious rap music, that's a good thing. Nothing much jars listeners or breaks apart baseball stadiums in the album's 15 tracks. The production features looping beats and record scratching with occasional beams of sound that send things to outer space. The lyrics complement that backdrop with of-the-people political and social observations, which travel from anti-violence messages ("No Games") to obligatory Kansas City shout-outs ("Keep It On") to the complex use of the N-word ("Nigga"). In its entirety, Make It Quake is the musical equivalent of a 5-foot water bong — bubbling and smooth, best enjoyed in the intimate company of similarly minded friends. Released jointly by KC's INnatesounds and Los Angeles-based Wilshire District Music, the record is a smart blend of old-school rhythms and new-school politics. No, nothing quakes. But there's plenty of THC.