For all the mystery surrounding The Black Opera, the group’s reputation is fairly out there. The second installment of what they call “The Black Op: Era I Project” (the first was titled Overture), EnterMission is filled with hip-hop that maintains a grittiness that the genre is missing these days, but still manages to keep the lyrics and flow polished.

Kicking off the project is “EnterMission: Endro,” offering what might be expected from an intro to an album by a group name The Black Opera: operatic singing and a man’s voice juxtaposed with hip-hop beats. The track may come off as slightly gimmicky, but thankfully, that doesn’t last long (just into the beginning of track two, “The Black Opera”). Sliding gracefully into “Manute Bol” (who played in the NBA and was an activist – knowledge!), which greets the listener with a forceful push forward. The beat seems to pull the listener through the song, beckoning them to continue to hear the message. This sort of thing is seen throughout the album. Chants are aplenty, showing that the “We” the group identifies themselves as is alive and well.

And in reality, the message is what shines here. EnterMission (and the whole idea behind The Black Opera, really) hearkens back to a time when hip-hop meant more than it means to mainstream America today. It’s more than dropping countless F-and-N-bombs. It’s more than big screen TVs, nice whips and women in hot tubs. It’s gritty, it’s raw and, from a few listens, it echoes Detroit. And for a group who is looking to form a movement with their music, that sounds like a mighty fine place to start.