PPP - Abundance

It's been just over ten years since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, an album that didn't so much take the tropes of R n' B and subvert them, as rip up the rule book and inject a stale misogynistic genre with fresh new life. Since then, the crossover between major label hip-hop and old school heartfelt soul has been uneasy, as pro-tools threatens to remove the very soul that it is sampling.

PPP are a Detroit-based production duo who caused quite a stir with their debut album, 2005's Triple P, and who not only straddle the hip hop/soul divide, but manage to combine modern sensibilities with old school fire. Perhaps the closest comparison would be the latter day output of Outkast, although Big Boi and Andre 3000 have always relished the 'cult of personality', whereas PPP - coming from a 'mix-tape' background - are happier to remain more anonymous and let their music do the talking. [Ewen Millar]