No, this isn’t a brand-new record. Orbitron put this sucker out last December– but it bears repeating, because it’s one of most promising pieces of plastic I’ve had in my hot little hands so far this year. B-Boy Universal proves that Orbitron, a competitive breakdancer, is as quick with his tongue as he is on his feet (or his hands, or his head), and it’s got the kind of scratch-heavy, early ’90s Tribe sound that underground hip hop keeps alive, even as the mainstream turns to shit like, uh, reggaeton (ok, I do KINDA like Sean Paul. Lay off.) A lot of novice emcees make the following mistakes on their first records: they spit rhymes at the same pace for the duration of the album, they don’t pay enough attention to the beats (that means, rhyme spitters, that if you’re not a good DJ, admit it to yourself and then go find someone who is), or they haven’t been writing long enough to use words in new and interesting ways. Well, Orb doesn’t fall into any of those newbie traps. DJ Tecumseh does a bang-up job complementing Orb, who alliterates and weaves his way through the beat with surreal metaphors and metaphysical musings. And most importantly, he changes up the tempo. Some of the jams, like motivational tip “All Day All Night,” are party rockers fit for butt-shaking; others, like “Manifesto” or “Freedom Song” (which features Geologic of the Blue Scholars) are contemplative, even a little trippy, with some very nice psychedelic funk guitar action to remind you that we’re in Jimi’s hometown. In short, ladies and gentlemen, this is quintessential Northwest hip hop, that perfect blend of political commentary, personal discovery, dro-smoking and dedication that let you know our man’s serious about getting somewhere with this. And if you claim to love local hip hop and don’t own this record yet, you need to change that, either at Orb’s next show August 29 as part of the Asian Hip Hop Summit tour at Nectar, by hitting up some of our fine local record purveyors (Orb’s website doesn’t say which ones) or just get yourself a digital copy.