Sensational’s original rap name was Torture; he first got on the mic with the Jungle Brothers, at the sessions for their unreleased Crazy Wisdom Masters album. His debut is one of the murkiest albums in hip-hop history. Sensational’s lyrics follow no conventional rhyme scheme and seem entirely freestyled; there are moments when audibly loses his train of thought, or simply trails off. The minimal, looping rhythm track continues without him for a few seconds, and then he’s back. But there’s absolutely a method to his madness; a track like “Hardcore” might consist of nothing but a rumbling bass line and a ticking drum machine, with a single note of piano pinging on the beat, but Sensational layers two or three vocal tracks, some of them heavily treated with echo and reverb, like he’s having a conversation with himself inside his own head.

– Phil Freeman