Grief Pedigree

Someday it’ll be remarked upon with bewildered awe that a GZA cohort / Brownsville firefighter / producer-MC was able to maintain such a singular career. But you don’t need a hagiographical documentary to pick up on Ka’s strengths — just start with the album that brought them all to the forefront. Grief Pedigree starts a hardworking, subtly self-refining run that builds off Ka’s stark, matter-of-fact delivery and a negative-space-emphasizing production. It’s the hip-hop equivalent of a black-and-white film snapshot that’s more detailed and focused than any 100-megapixel digital photo you’ve ever seen.