Brooklyn Conspiracy Theorists Gather Up Venomous Scraps

And the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon their sons, except when the kids realize that paw dukes is full of shit, and they can do the old-timer one better. Meet Non Phixion, a second-gen crew of rapping whiteboys who bow at the altar of Pete Rock and Gang Starr, who once struck backpack gold with a single called “I Shot Reagan,” and whose burly, rough-edged raps suggest robust immersion as opposed to the Beasties’ conscientious objectification. Their debut, The Future Is Now, is an unsung Brooklyn classic; The Green CD/DVD is their second set, a bits-and-bobs collection of venomous radio freestyles, reminiscences of life in BK’s lesser-known ‘hoods (“Caught Between Worlds”), and conspiracy-theory classics (live versions of “The C.I.A. Is Trying to Kill Me” and “Black Helicopters” on the accompanying DVD). Non Phixion are unapologetically rugged (member Ill Bill name-checks Suicidal Tendencies alongside Boogie Down Productions as influences), but not without a sense of humor: The DVD features a Bobbito-hosted send-up of Graffiti Rock. Though they might bristle at the notion, thanks to the Beasties, Non Phixion have the luxury of being smart hip-hop smartasses, and no one so much as bats an eyelash.