As tacky and played out as the Homiez Production crew might sound, what with the block ice Str8up North album title and flaming cover, their music certainly is not. This Halifax, Nova Scotia based compilation features a diverse array of some of the cities lesser known up-and-coming hip-hop talents.

Str8up North has a unique early nineties pop rap sound ΰ la Salt-N-Pepa, but mixed with some distinctive new school electronica flavour. The album is laced with the amazingly varied talents of renowned beatboxer, Kaleb Simmonds, R&B sweet-toothers, Sarah and Shane C, and subsequently complemented by female rapper Asia and her male counterparts, K.V., Syco and Gage.

I had the opportunity to take in Asia's performance in Halifax during the East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) weekend, and was spellbound by this female emcee's wealth of talent. She had A&R reps running around like bunnies let out of a cage in a vegetable garden. She does nothing less than impress on her solo tracks, 'Tight Flows' and the ECMA nominated 'Independent.' K.V. delivers a mental thinker by way of the compelling tale of his battle with attention deficit disorder on 'A.D.D..' The funk-laden 'Hood Shouts' features the gritty old school style of the infamous Papa Grand. K.V. also shines on the conscious 'Judge Me' which features a catchy chorus by Shane C.

Homiez production on Str8up North is a refreshing and innocent taste of an old school pop rap sound mixed with the talents of some amazing hip-hop artists. This album is not for all, especially if you enjoy complex sample-filled beats. However, it was exactly the flavor of fresh new hip-hop I'd been awaiting and as a result I'm having a hard time setting it aside.

Click here to buy the album at indiepool.com