Yo! RFT Raps

Yo! RFT Raps The Frozen Food Section remains St. Louis' wackiest hip-hop collective. Formerly ganj-addled founding members Tucker Booth and Jonathan Toth from Hoth have dropped their pipes since Yo! profiled them in these pages (see "Bad to the Bone," December 8, 2004), but they continue to practice irregular versions of Christian Science (and Booth continues to loudly busk in the Loop). As always, it's easy to dismiss them as gimmicky white rappers, and many do — just read their message board at www.thefrozenfoodsection.com. But both continue to improve. Booth's new album, Valet, is catchy, to the point and full of hot beats. (Full disclosure: Yo! does a brief, pitifully unfunny skit on the album.)

Toth has a couple of new projects in the works, including M.A.T.H. ("Men After Truth and Honor") with lovably rotund master emcee Maji. It's about "metaphysical revolution, meaning change happens within you," Toth says. Another is The Swift Family Robinzen, which is full of kids' songs, and Kronky Stuff, which features contributions from Space, 923, Family Affair, IntellectMC and Helias. Toth says these albums will be out in the next month, but your best bet is to e-mail him through the FFS Web site if you're interested in a copy.

The past year has seen new talent join the Frozen Food fold, including the Earthworms and Huggie Brown, whose long-awaited Hug the Block should be out soon. (Then again, Yo! said that a year ago in the August 31, 2005, story "Cold as Ice.") Others, however, have bowed out, including Fletch, who left the collective early this spring, in part because Frozen Food wouldn't finance his new album. (Toth says the collective didn't have the dough to do it.)

Also departing in March was Serengeti, the Chicago rapper with the highest national profile in the group. Apparently 'Geti was unhappy with the music he'd recorded with Toth and didn't want it released. In any case, don't miss that emcee's new album Dennehy, out on Bonafyde. Dennehy is a monster, its narrative is wrapped around the antics of Kenny, an O'Doul's-loving Chi-town sports fan with a mustache "the size of Mike Ditka's forehead." — Ben Westhoff