The tongue-tripping raps, obtuse science-fiction metaphors, and excellent minor-key productions on Tragic Epilogue immediately recall Kool Keith's Doctor Octagon, the 1996 LP that energized the rap underground. Still, Anti Pop Consortium never come across as derivative; the raps (mostly by Beans, High Priest, and Sayyid) are steadily inventive and on a similar high plane as the best non-mainstream rappers out there (Kool Keith, Jurassic 5, Mos Def). Though all of the best tracks ("Nude Paper," "Laundry," "9.99," "Your World Is Flat") come on the first side, and the second doesn't really compete, Anti Pop Consortium's debut is well-produced and well-performed.