The Physics High Society (self-released)

The first time I saw local hip-hop group the Physics perform live, I reviewed them thus: a band that’s stuck in the dopeness of 2003. I wasn’t sure if that was a knock on their sound at the time, but I vowed to give them another listen. After I popped in their latest EP, High Society, which they recently released for free, it was evident the dopeness of 2003 (and hip-hop’s yesteryear, for that matter) is better than 90 percent of the b.s. out today. On this eight-track disc, you’ll hear a variety of throwback beats and playful rhymes that invoke Souls of Mischief, A Tribe Called Quest (with jazz loops to match), and early Little Brother, all of which are perfect for summertime. Cuts like “Callin'” and “Back Track” catch Thig Natural and Monk Wordsmith rapping about growing up in the South End of Seattle as first-generation Kenyan-American MCs, but still hustling to pay the rent. On “I Just Wanna Beat,” Natural drops punanny-pugilist rhymes about sex, claiming that he’s about “to beat it up like Pac did Hatton.” On “The Session,” the group’s DJ/MC “Justo” shows he’s got flow as well. But the best jam here is “Good,” with a hilarious nod to groupies: “She whispers in my ear, I’m hungry and all I want is Dick’s Deluxe in my tummy.” High Society is a perfect reminder of what’s great about Seattle and hip-hop when the sun is shining.