Perfect Strangers

In a hip-hop world defined by super-hero dances and synthesizer-heavy production, The Perfect Strangers are a much-needed contrast of socially relatable lyrics over sample-based beats. Their newest album “Life on Film” uses clips from the TV show “Inside the Actors Studio” to describe that being a starving artist is not all about angst and that hip-hop is not all about making it rain. For a hip-hop album it has a notable lack of pretense and, surprisingly, a heightened amount of self-deprecation. In the title track “Life on Film,” these ordinary people show that they are (“…just like the rest of us, I take something good and I do my best to mess it up.”) and expand the question that all humans have asked themselves: what if my life was a movie? “Come Back Lady” speaks to artists of all types who have ever lost touch with their muse (“Cause once I had a taste I knew she’d never go away, she’s part of my heart, my soul and my brain.”) and describe the tribulations of rediscovering creativity. When The Perfect Strangers do start speaking on their skills and merits- a necessity to an emcees’ street credit and rap survival- they do so without taking cheap shots (“My rap ego’s too much to be an actor”) and still pontificating on being (“…low budget at the complex pool.”). “Life on Film” is an album perfectly balanced with tunes guaranteed to get the crowd hyped, some serious topics, and original one-liners that make for a hip-hop album that should please fans of any type.