Unless you’re from the Left Coast or a card-carrying Hip-Hop nerd, you probably haven’t heard of the questionably named N.A.S.A, a collaborative effort between Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon. But if most Hip-Hop fans don’t recognize these two, their musical peers clearly respect their talents. The guest list on their debut The Spirit of Apollo reads like a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame: Scarface, Kanye West, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, E-40, as well as rock legends David Byrne and Tom Waits.

All that talent at your disposal is nice, but it also places an onus on the unknown producers to create music worthy of their artists. In this, Clean and Zegon have succeeded, fusing electronica, old school Hip-Hop beats and Brazilian funk to create a consistently engaging and dynamic sonic canvas for their artists.

Themes of unity and appreciation for Hip-Hop music are central to the N.A.S.A. project. “Hip Hop,” featuring the genre’s protector KRS-One recalls “golden era hits,” with a simple bass-driven melody and underlying guitar and horn chords. “N.A.S.A Music,” also riffs off the boom-bap theme, but the beats is secondary to the give and go performance between E-40 and Methtical. Meth wistfully longs for the “them days when I took a swallow of the good life, and pissed it away,” but if those days are gone, this is song is a bit of nostalgia that can bring them back.

Occasionally the overall weirdness of the style and collaborations can push The Spirit of Apollo close to shtick. “The People Tree’s” neo-hippie egalitarianism goes too far by having a children’s chorus accompany David Byrne on the chorus, although the bass groove and Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab salvage the track. And while no one can question George Clinton’s place in music history, the crack pipe’s obviously taken its toll as his painful crooning on “Theirs a Party,” exhibits.

But there are too many quality tracks to crash this spaceship party from breaking new ground and moving butts. “Gifted,” brings back the braggadocios Kanye partnering with the up and coming Santogold over a fresh mix of electronic moving parts. “The Mayor” reinterprets UltraMag’s “Ego Trippin’” while Ghostface, Scarface, and The Cool Kids trumpet their reigns over their respective hometowns. The dichotomy between these songs: one futuristic, the other a throwback, exemplifies the strength of this record. A collaborative effort, it successfully brings together Hip-Hop royalty and up and coming artists. Fusing sounds from around the world, it gives a glimpse of where the music is going, in 2009 and beyond.

4 CIGARETTES