A crucial link between Kool Keith's surreal aggression and Eminem's mainstream-friendly misanthropy, Chino XL's underrated 1996 debut Here To Save You All predated The Slim Shady LP's pop-culture riffing, pitch-black comedy, and battle-tested nastiness by several years. Nevertheless, while the erstwhile Slim Shady rapidly ascended to superstardom, Chino XL remains mired in relative obscurity, a victim of bad timing, label woes, and a fickle public. The independently released I Told You So is the New Jersey rapper's first album in five years, and while hip-hop has undergone countless changes in that time, Chino XL's flair for comic invention remains sharp. Like the best battle-rappers (Canibus, Eminem), Chino XL combines an offbeat sensibility with flawless breath control and an imagination that knows no boundaries. Battle-rap may seem like an inherently limited genre, but in his hands, it encompasses everything from religion to sports to history to sexual politics. A winning combination of brute force and biting irreverence, I Told You So hits its peak with "Don't Say A Word"—a typically dense, urgent lyrical tour de force backed by Jay Dee's seemingly paradoxical brand of lush minimalism—but there isn't a bad track on the album. Like Here To Save You All, I Told You So alternates between wickedly funny battle-raps and more personal fare, most notably "Sorry," a melancholy duet with Shaunta that explores the late stages of a dysfunctional relationship over a suitably mournful sample of "I Forgot To Be Your Lover." Five years between albums is an eternity in hip-hop, but I Told You So proves more than worth the wait.