Various Artists: The Unbound Project Volume 1

One of several superb, political-minded compilations released this year, The Unbound Project Volume 1 gathers a handful of underground hip-hop's best acts to fight the execution of ubiquitous anti-capital-punishment poster boy Mumia Abu-Jamal. But there's more to Unbound than protesting Abu-Jamal's execution: It takes a refreshingly cognitive view of the rise of the prison-industrial complex that acknowledges the lingering scars of slavery, segregation, and the demands of modern-day capitalism. The remarkable Reflection Eternal (consisting of Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek) opens the album with "Human Element," an eloquent expression of political dissent that showcases Hi-Tek's ever-improving production skills. Medina Green's "Full Court Press" and Aceyalone's "Ms AmeriKKKa" are two other early highlights, with Aceyalone painting a vivid metaphorical portrait of America as a woman lost and Medina Green staying focused even as it spirals into silly conspiracy theories. The rest of the album is a heady, uneven, often riveting mixture of acidic spoken-word pieces from the likes of Mike Ladd, Saul Williams, and Ursula Rucker; DJ showcases from J-Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies; and socially conscious hip-hop from Poor Righteous Teachers, Rakaa-Iriscience, and Blackalicious. The album's all-star, nine-minute centerpiece "Mumia 911"—which features Zack de la Rocha, Dead Prez, Black Thought, and others—isn't as compelling musically as it is lyrically. But the album closes on a highlight with Ladd's eloquent "Feb. 4th 1999," a tender spoken-word piece that celebrates life's potential in the face of institutionalized racism, widespread imprisonment, and generation-wide despair.