Monster

“Biggie’s DEAD! Pac is DEAD!” shouts Killer Mike to open “Rap Is Dead,” a jolting track from his debut, Monster. By acknowledging the 800- (OK, 1,200-) pound gorilla the rest of hip-hop is content to either ignore or exploit, Mike, who’s best known as an associate of Atlanta-based duo OutKast, takes a bold stand. But he also sets the bar high: Does he have the juice to replace them? The answer is…kind of. Seasoned as a battle-rapper, Mike’s flow is more about force than fluidity, but some nifty production helps it slide down more easily. On “Akshon,” what sounds like a xylophone taps out an enchanting hook as Mike pounds his rhymes like a militant cheerleader. He flexes impressive storytelling skills on “Scared Straight” while being stalked by a creeping piano and low-down funk beats. The album’s emotional centerpiece, though, is the uplifting “All 4 U,” which is built around an infectious P-funk sample jacked up to 78 rpm. Killer Mike might not be ushering in the new rap era, but he is making the current one more tolerable.