Aided and abetted by some of the hottest producers on the indie hip-hop fringe (including Madlib, RJD2, Prefuse 73 and Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker), Diverse escapes his own shadow as an oft-recruited guest artist with a stellar debut. "Certified" kicks it off in a hard funk-rock vein, showcas¬ing the dynamic flow of this Chicago scion and setting the tone for the anthemic "Explosive" (featuring Lyrics Born of Bay Area rap duo Latryx) and the eerily psychedelic "Under the Hammer.” Whatever style or topic he chooses to tackle, Diverse definitely stands his ground.