Relax

It's completely fair to expect great things from Das Racist. Of all the snarky, post-grad hipsters with more rap than indie rock in their record collections, the multi-ethnic Brooklyn trio is among the most lyrical and the most irreverent. This head-of-the-class complex leaves the haphazard Relax as a bit of a head-scratcher. Are Heems, Kool A.D. and Dapwell just saving their A-game for another genre-defying mixtape? Is "Michael Jackson" the second coming of "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" or just lazy viral video fodder? Maybe both? Das Racist have always been a tough nut to crack, so it's probably best to focus on what we do know: These guys have little intention of fitting into any trend, and neither does their debut album. Take Relax for granted for too long and it pulls something clever out its sleeve, from tongue-in-cheek lyrical odes to perennial hip-hop whipping boy Rick Ross to strong guest verses from Danny Brown and El-P. Like punchline-spitting rap bloggers who decided to pick up mics, Das Racist have a knack for pulling all corners of the genre into the fray. With many of the internet's favorite rappers (*cough* Tyler, the Creator) banking solely on shock value, it's sure great to have a group like this around. Even with its share of loose ends, Relax is not a bad record by any means.