Attack of the Attacking Things (2002)

A fiercely indie MC with fire-hydrant flow who doesn't hide behind abstract ''science'' or old-school genuflection, Jean Grae is so sure in her art that she'll happily mix hardcore social commentary with fart jokes and dis ''fake thuggin''' rappers over a Grateful Dead sample. This long-brewing debut omits her infamous grrrl-style Columbine narrative, ''Taco Day'' (see Mr. Len's 2001 Pity the Fool), but has plenty of vivid, even biting moments (''I don't care how many bottles of Cristal you pop/It won't unexpose you as a known pedophile,'' from ''Block Party'') and ''LoveSong,'' a rap story about a tough-loving woman whom Grae eventually confesses is herself. As she reasons, ''Maybe it's easier to talk about this s -- - in third person.'' HIP-HOP REQUIEM ''Fadeout,'' a heart-wringing eulogy in the spirit of Ice Cube's ''Dead Homiez'': ''I don't understand how God picks who he's gonna snatch out/Before you hit the ground, I hope you passed out/I wish I could run up into heaven with gats, find you, and blast us out.''