The latest, "Checkin' In," featuring Bay Area compatriot Jern Eye, might be the jazziest hip-hop track released since 1995, and that's not a bad thing. When you're making "golden age" style hip-hop, few co-signs are more valuable than that of legendarily innovative Oakland collective Hieroglyphics.

Well, the proverbial Chosen Few- Cold Showda, Unjust, and Charles Cooper- recently signed to Hiero Imperium Records. While "do the logical" is an unlikely thesis statement to hear coming out of a hip-hop song, Chosen Few have found an important void to fill. While much of hip-hop is about barely restrained chaos, Chosen Few are in full control of everything on this track. Insightful lyrics, uniformly confident rhyming, and top-notch horns lend an unusual amount of swagger to an otherwise laid back track. And while working toward filling that void, with "Checkin' In," Chosen Few were also able to bring personal meaning and reflection to the song, as Cold Showda says of the track, "'Checkin' In' is kind of a reflection song. As artists we've kept growing and stayed in our lane despite the ever so fickle shift in the hip-hop landscape. Being able to work with the homie Jern, who we've been doing shows with for nearly 10 years helped fill out the song perfectly."

Chosen Few's New World Symphony will be available on January 9, 2010 via Hiero Imperium Records. - MP3