Maybe it's premature to make such a grandiose claim, but what the hell? Judging by their stellar new album 8 Million Stories (Rhymesayers/Fat Beats), Soul Position have the potential to become one of hiphop's dopest duos, in the league of Eric B. & Rakim, Gang Starr, EPMD, and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. With the handiwork of producer/DJ R. J. Krohn (AKA RJD2) and rapper Al Shepard (AKA Blueprint), Stories is destined to become a backpacker classic--and that's not damning with faint praise.

They met in 1999 in the hiphop boondocks of Columbus, Ohio. RJ rolled with the Megahertz posse while Blueprint rapped and produced for his group the Greenhouse Effect and ran the Weightless label. Since Columbus' scene is small, it didn't take long for their paths to cross.

"I like working with RJ because he's a teenage heartthrob and he's got the 13- to 17-year-old demographic locked down," cracks Blueprint. "Nobody comes out to shows and buys merchandise like 13-year-old girls."

Teen fandom aside, both artists earned respect for their own work before hooking up together. RJ dropped one of hiphop's most accomplished debuts, Deadringer, for underground behemoth Def Jux. (Blueprint shines on one cut, album highlight "Final Frontier.") Deadringer has drawn countless comparisons to DJ Shadow's emotionally resonant, expansively cinematic style, and the charges hold water. 'Print issued his first full-length, The Weightroom, to much praise, and he's appeared on Aesop Rock's Daylight EP and Eyedea & Abilities' First Born. (He also nearly beat Sage Francis in 2000's Scribble Jam MC competition.)

On 8 Million Stories, RJ and 'Print find that crucial synergy and chemistry that elevate both their games to new heights. RJ's production mines the rhythms, timbres, and melodies of the best '60s and '70s funk, rock, and jazz. It's not innovative, but it is exceptionally well crafted and deeply pleasurable to hear on headphones (especially "Share This" and "Right Place, Wrong Time"). Blueprint possesses an enthusiastic, boyish voice, so he wisely avoids thuggish braggadocio. Instead, 'Print compensates with intelligent rhymes, wit, and storytelling verve, all of which coalesce on "The Jerry Springer Episode" (about a nightmarish girlfriend) and "Fuckajob" (about corporate malfeasance).

"Everything I write is inspired by things that happened in my life," Blueprint says. "The only exception is when I'm trying to be funny, because then I get to exaggerate some. Most jokes aren't true, but they're funny anyways.

"On the other hand, 'Fuckajob' is about things that I experienced firsthand during my time working as a computer programmer; 'Just Think' was written while I was dealing with depression and wanting to escape; 'Run' is a true story about being shot at and almost killed; and 'No Excuse for Lovin' is a true story about a girl I used to go out with who got beat up by a guy she was dating."

While the Bush administration's nefarious actions could inspire a deluge of lyrical invective, the duo stay away from politics that aren't personal.

"For the most part, I try to write about what I consider to be important personal or social issues, like sexual assault, crime, poverty, violence, or the rat race--but not political issues," says Blueprint. "I believe that people really don't want to hear rappers preach; they want to be entertained and relate. At least that's what I hope. Plus, I'm really not trying to ride the wave of public opinion and talk shit about Bush or any other hot political issue just to gain some fans."

On the hidden track "Still Listening," guests Jakki Da Motamouth and Copywrite come strong with battle rhymes. With a history of MCs who basically say, "I'm dope, you're wack," will the challenges never die?

"Competition has always been a part of hiphop," says Blueprint. "Not just in rhyming. Graffiti writers compete for wall space and bomb to see who can get up the most; b-boys compete against each other to see who can do the best windmill; and even DJs battle it out. Most of the people who reject competition in hiphop are probably new jacks who think that they deserve a spot in the culture, and don't believe they have to actually earn a spot. I still battle, so that element will always exist in my music. I didn't put a lot of battle songs on the album because I wanted the album to be balanced."

segal@thestranger.com