Opio

Using a flipped version of Primo’s “Soliloquy of Chaos” on “Chaotic Erotic,” the Bay’s Opio does more than remix history; he takes everything beautiful about ’90s hip-hop and presents it for a new generation of listeners, which, ironically enough, is refreshing. Whether the beat itself is manipulated (“Guilty as Charged”) or the hook is scratched (“Original Lyricist”), Vulture’s is deejay driven, which is almost (and unfortunately) unheard of nowadays. Add to that Opio’s flow, which ventures back to 93 ’Til Infinity, before Souls of Mischief seemed so jaded, and you’ve got an album that’s surprising on all fronts; the songs you expect to be cheesy (“Don Julio”) aren’t, and tracks like “On the Outside Lookin’ In” remind us why Hiero is still turning regular heads into hip-hop heads.