Coming together again to form one of the underground’s most talented dynamic duos, Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez finds Murs (part of the Living Legends crew) and Slug (the MC half of the Minneapolis duo Atmosphere) joining up for their third collaboration. Sitting in the producer’s seat this time around is Murs’ former Def Jux labelmate, Aesop Rock. Like their earlier collaborations, the Murs and Slug partnership feels natural, with both MCs pulling of seemingly effortless lyrical acrobatics as they exchange verses. What really sets this one apart is Rock’s production, whose beats provide a darker backdrop for Felt to skewer tough-guy posturing and fake “gangsters” than the pair's earlier work with Living Legends’ The Grouch and Atmosphere’s Ant, lending itself well to the group's more emotional and narrative tendencies. In the end, though, Felt get back to what really makes rap great: bravado, and they perfectly sum up the album on “Felt Good” as Murs raps, “We do it for the public that’s tired of the thug sh*t/You know it’s the greatest ‘cause your girlfriend loves us.” Murs and Slug put more thought and sincerity into their side projects than some MCs put into their main albums, and when you add that to the top-notch production and killer flow, Felt 3 is a no-brainer for lovers of hip-hop. ~ Gregory Heaney

Rovi