The editors at Uptown Sound wrote a great review of Robert Glasper’s sophomore album, In My Element (2007). What I really enjoyed was how he took this from a perspective of a hip hopper compared to a Jazz listeners. Not that he favored a hip hopper, but he talked about those who have become fans of Robert Glasper (after his collaborations with Mos Def, Common, Q-Tip) and how they might look at this album. It doesn’t have that much hip hop sound or components:

Otherwise, you are listening to the new school sounds of Glasper on piano, Vincente Archer on bass and Damion Reid on drums, which is worlds away from the streets where hip hop resides.  The trio possess a maturity level beyond their years, with Glasper’s busy-without-sounding-too-busy stylings already lauding comparisons to Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock.

I will speak for most hip hoppers though in saying that those who have found interest in Robert Glasper really fell in love with his interpretation of jazz music. And though this album does not have hip hop components, it is quality nonetheless. And real music listeners, like Obnoxious Listeners, will understand that.