Sacramento is not a city where you would expect to find a talented emcee that is able to keep in touch with the hip-hop scene. But, perhaps the unlikely location allows an artist to create a fresh and new product, because Dahlak has just done that. An emcee-poet, spoken word artiste, and theatre actor, Dahlak has recently released his debut solo hip-hop album, Dual Consciousness. A collection of 15 drum-soaked tracks, the album is an effective display of Dahlak’s assortment of talents.

While some developing artists write effective lyrics but struggle with delivery, Dahlak has mastered both aspects. As a two-time presenter on Def Poetry Jam, Dahlak wowed the crowd with his subject matter and the inflection of his delivery.

As an emcee, Dahlak is honest and not afraid to deal with difficult issues. On Coincidence, Dahlak addresses the racial discrepancy in jail with lyrics such as, "Either you've mastered the system or you're trapped in a prism; you think it's a coincidence? Blacks and Latins in prison?" and questions the government’s intentions with, “I wonder which bank is stashing the American safe, which holds the clothes, UFO’s, and the serum for AIDS.” On Everything Okay, Dahlak talks about the difficulty of being an artist and maintaining a relationship. So yes, Dahlak’s about dealing with real-life and social structures, but he’s also down-to-earth and deals with the more amusing aspects in life. D.R.I is his ode to having fun and partying – the title is a combination of the words drunk and high.

The album’s standout track is Welcome to my Cypher, which features N.I.C. and C Plus LeeJay. Dahlak and his featured artists deliver heat-filled lyrics that mimic the feeling of being enclosed in an actual cipher. He’s very clever at times, once referring to himself as "the best thing under the sun since Jesus' sandals." You also get a taste of his spoken word talent on The Club. And if you’re from Sacramento, you’re going to love the Tupac California Love-sampling Where You At (Oakland to Sactown). It’s refreshing to hear an artist that has the balance of being mature enough to deal with real-life issues, but isn’t too stuffy to not take life lightly.

While not the most impressive aspect of the album, the group of local up-and-coming producers (Authentik, Ben Rosen, I-5) are effective in providing Dahlak worthy beats to work with. You can download some of the songs off of Dual Consciousness (Get Off Of Me, Coincidence, Welcome To My Cypher, D.R.I, and Everything Okay) at mp3.com. You would be doing yourself a favor by checking this guy out.