Nature Sounds is probably my favorite record label no one knows about. Aside from the DOOM Special Herbs collection, and the last glimpse of non-Ghost "real Wu-tang shit" by way of Masta Killa and Mathematics, this label still has yet to make the Def Jux or Rhymesayers-sized movement. Last May, I had the pleasure of discussing Natural Selection, the labels first big compilation. And a mere eight months later (in true independent form) I'm treated to the sequel, aptly named Natural Selection 2.0

The legendary Pete Rock shows up once again to engineer the track for "914," on which Styles P and Sheek set the East Coast tone for the rest of the LP. I may just be grasping, but had Jada showed up on this joint, the NY feel of this track would've been front page material considering how weak things seem to be over there. R.A. The Rugged Man was rightfully the 2006 winner of DX's verse of the year, and while staking him as a 2007 candidate for his bars on "Super" may be premature, no one (I repeat, no one) can churn out rhymes like Rugged Man.

Where the first Natural Selection was ruled by the DOOM and Ghostface collaboration "Angels," this time around the album standout is "Project Jazz." Starks is an absentee this record, but you can't really be mad at DOOM for recruiting Talib Kweli and Hell Razah instead. Do whatever you can to get on this track because it's just that dope.

For the most part, Natural Selection 2.0 isn't all that different from its predecessor, but there are two key features this time around that put it on a slightly higher level. The first is the strong presence of DJ Babu and the appearance of Little Brother. With "Fan Mail," LB comes on point as always and Joe Scudda more than keeps up with what will probably be on my personal top 2007 list of beats.

This record isn't all East coast, however, as Defari shows up on another monster Babu production, "Truth Be Told." Where the West Coast presence on the first LP bothered the flow of the very East Coast record, Defari blends a little better than Xzibit and the Strong Arm Steady crew did last time.

The aforementioned "Wu-Tang shit" is the other big factor separating 2.0 from 1. Raekwon, Masta Killa, Deck, U-God and GZA show up with the help of Mathematics for a handful of tracks and the most Shaolin Style we've seen in years. Again it would have been nice to see Ghost and Meth's names attached to this (and RZA of course), but I'll take what I can get.

What we get at the end of everything is yet another dope release from the Nature Sounds team. Since the first Natural Selection LP was my first ever piece for DX, I remember wondering why there were never any comments on the record. This time around, it'll still bother me if no one has shit to say on Natural Selection 2.0 but it won't be because I wrote the piece. I'll be wondering why the fuck no one's listening to such a dope record.