XO: One.One.Ten.

D.C.-bred emcee X.O. should be very upset with Gilbert Arenas. In the past two weeks, the Wizards’ basketball star has been the center of attention in Washington, D.C. with a gun case that took him from the hoop court to the Supreme Court. If not for this, X.O.’s latest LP One.One.Ten may be the biggest talk of the town.

Regardless, One.One.Ten is not only building buzz in X.O.’s hometown but is thriving online nationally and for good reason. Presented by Kenny Burns’ Studio 43 label, the 15-song album is the best work to date from the Diamond District emcee and proves that he is one of the premier wordsmiths in the District of Columbia. Using a cohesive collection of dope instrumentals (only three producers are credited), X.O. creates a seamless project that displays his strengths much more than Monumental did.

X.O. is an excellent storyteller and a detailed lyricist. On the upbeat, Oddissee produced “Fast Life,” he rhymes about the pros and cons of the street life and advises the youth to “slow their roll.” While One.One.Ten suffers from a range of topics, the album plays up X.O.’s strength and comfort zone. The Uptown rapper is clearly at his best when his rhymes are confident (i.e. “You Not Like Me”) and he especially excels when he’s talking about what he knows and loves: the streets of D.C. On the album’s standout track “Black Broadway,” X.O. metaphorically describes his hood using the names of prominent entertainers. The wordplay is stronger than McGwire in ’98 and the concept is executed perfectly with lines like: “They got that bass (base) like Bootsy Collins in my hood/ Cops come around we slide like James Brown.”

Released on New Years (ah, the title is making sense), One.One.Ten finds X.O. starting fresh as a solo artist. This album is a great display of his talent and makes for a even greater showcase of what D.C. has to offer musically without utilizing the cliché of go-go music. With help from some of the city’s most talented natives, X.O. is truly putting on for his town from all angles. D.C. natives Raheem Devaughn, Tabi Bonney, Ihsan and Allison Carney all make guest appearances along with the trio of Capital city bred producers (Oddissee, Soulful and AB the Producer), which creates the cohesiveness of the project. It’s reasons like these that, One.One.Ten is easily one of the best albums to ever encompass the spirit of urban D.C. Now, if only we only could get Gil to stop playing with guns in the locker room so that when you think of Washington, you think of X.O.

8.5/10

Black Broadway

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You Not Like Me

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Do It

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