Non Phixion - The Future Is Now (2002)
Released around the peak of the backpacker trend, Non Pixion's first and, the group recently announced, last record was among the greatest of the movement. Though most of the album is filled by the core trio of rappers and the best production cult-legend Necro ever did, there's room enough to include MF Doom, the Beatnuts, and production from Pete Rock, Large Professor, and DJ Premier, whose top-shelf "Rock Stars" is streaming below. But what's especially great about The Future Is Now is the group's dark, paranoid tone that's maintained through sixteen tracks. Like Jedi Mind Tricks, the members knew how to use the gritty realism and stark beats of early Wu to maximum effect. Though their scene soon stagnated until it was only a blip on the hip-hop timeline, Non Phixion made a record for the ages.