2 Skinnee J's, $upermercado! by Daniel Durchholz, Wall of Sound You probably aren't aware that Pluto, ninth rock from the sun, was in any danger of being downgraded from its status as a planet, but on "Pluto," the lead track from Supermercado, 2 Skinnee J's argue vociferously against any such future action. "I'll damn you like Judas Iscariot / If you demote this mote remote to affiliate," the J's declare, rhyming over beats as chunky as the asteroid belt and dropping science like Carl Sagan. When Public Enemy was king of the hip-hop crop, rap was "black people's CNN"; in the hands of 2 Skinnee J's, it's Beakman's World. Go figure. Still, the first word in funk is fun, and this Brooklyn crew keeps things upbeat and positive, even when combining old-school rhythms and heavy-metal riffage on songs like "In the Clutches of the Diabolical Sgt. Stiletto," "(718)," and "Wild Kingdom." But let's see if they can keep smiling while the inevitable comparisons to label mates 311 start to roll in, thanks especially to their current single, the bouncy, flouncy "Riot Nrrrd." But this too shall pass. On the rest of Supermercado, the J's forge their own identity by playing it smart rather than merely trying to appear hard. "To prove my virility search for sense and sensibility," singer J. Guevara insists on "Wild Kingdom," while in "Ball Point Man," he and fellow frontman Special J. describe a superhero of another sort: "I roam tomes of zones where spirals run around / 'Cause I can leap a metaphor in a single bound." The interplay of Guevara's booming baritone with Special J.'s high-pitched, acerbic asides keeps things interesting, especially as the duo tosses out enough obscure references to keep Dennis Miller scratching his head. Meanwhile, the (mostly) live band tears the roof off. This crew is going places. <====