In Brief

Da Lench Mob, “Planet of da Apes,” Street Knowledge/Priority *** . Ice Cube’s deft rapping is the group’s biggest asset, but T-Bone, Shorty and newcomer Maulkie also display their considerable skills throughout this sophomore effort. Tracks such as the infectious “Chocolate City” prove L.A. hard-core doesn’t have to mean gangsta.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).