[HIP-HOP] In hip-hop, unlike most forms of popular music, the producer—an amorphous title that often includes sampling, songwriting, playing and arranging—is a respected and acknowledged component of the musical equation. But in the age of cheap-to-free home computer recording software, it’s also a crowded field. Hence the emergence of the producer compilation: Mixtape-style albums that serve as both self-contained records and production reels.

Portland production duo Northe’n Lights took that concept a bit further: The team invited a cross-section of Portland’s finest MCs (and a few out-of-towners) to its coming-out party, making Cut ’Em Or Pay ’Em not just Terminill and Sonny’s big debut, but a statement of solidarity from the local hip-hop community. Smart move.

The end result is pretty ’hood, though it’s not always clear whose ’hood. Cool Nutz and Maniac Lok pound their chests over a deep-fried beat on “Gawdzilla,” while Soul P—who recently cut ties with Christian label Beatmart—spits about “cookin’ crack” and “homo niggas” on “Hello.” Even when the content veers more toward standard-isssue hip-hop bragging (Illmaculate on “Kicks to the Hat”; Luck-One on “Three the Hardway”), the beats are pretty industrial-grade—with broad, sharp synths-and-bass largely winning out over the disc’s more organic elements.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing for Terminill and Sonny: The young producers have, admirably, developed a sound of their own—slick and blunt beats with videogame touches (check the X-Files ghost whistle on “International”). But the duo’s sound doesn’t always bend to accommodate the breadth of sensibilities its collaborators usually represent. So while local RB mainstay Arjay and old-school Portland MC Kenny Mack sound right at home (better than usual, even), some of the backpack MCs have to stretch to meet the intensity of the beat.

On the flipside, Cut ’Em or Pay ’Em builds a cohesive-feeling record out of 30-plus contributors. That’s no small feat, and it ought to keep Northe’n Lights’ phones ringing for the foreseeable future.

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SEE IT: Northe’n Lights play Saturday, Jan. 2, at the Crown Room, with Ronin Roc, DJ Nature and Doc Adam. Free before 11 pm, $3 after. 21+.