The common wisdom is that sequels inevitably disappoint. For every The Dark Knight, there are a half-dozen Iron Man IIs, and the maxim tends to carry over to other mediums, as well - Guy's "Teddy's Jam 2" couldn't match the New Jack punch and sizzle of the original eponymous Teddy Riley banger. With this in mind, you might expect the freshly dropped Kids in the Back II to weaken the brand established by Tacoma-by-way-of-Anchorage rapper Rockwell Powers and his producer, Ill Pill, on last year's Kids in the Back. Haters will be disappointed to hear that KITBII is another slick, solid outing from Rockwell (real name Zach) who - full disclosure - is a regular Volcano contributor, these days focusing mainly on Tacoma City Council action and local political dealings.

The insight, depth, and even pace of Powers' Volcano articles translates into the lyrics and flow of his music to great effect, especially on tracks like KITBII's penultimate jam "My Way," where Powers waxes on the nature of his linguistic skill set ("little conscious of my patterns, but never force a simile / If I'm not inspired, I don't write it / that's how it always be").

While Powers fits the "rapper as street-level reporter" paradigm more snugly than most, KITBII shrewdly balances state-of-affairs soliloquies with the same kind of chest-pounding braggadocio and bracing, sometime gruesome introspection ("vomit on the toilet, blood all on the counter-top / all my fault, from the anger to the cops") that defined 2010 hip-hop releases like Mad Rad's The Youth Die Young and, of course, Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Seattle undergrad rapper Sol is among KITBII's talent-studded roster of guest stars (which also includes State of the Artist, Grynch, Geo, soul vocalist Peter Baldwin and DJ Phinisey), and flows alongside Powers over "Life"'s Dilla-esque beat. Sol's known Powers for years, and "Life" is their third collaboration. "Rockwell," Sol says, "is a perfect example of an artist who is in the music game because he loves what he does and will always make music and be a positive person, rain or shine."

Powers will no doubt bring that same positive energy to his CD release show at the Space--where attendees will be treated to free copies of KITBII and performances by City Hall, Night Fox, and Powers' collaborators State of the Artist. Dude's got a great live rep, and hopefully the shimmer of Ill Pill's contributions will come across in the live show as well, as his lush production and well-timed stop-and-cuts seriously amplify KITBII's appeal.

[The Space, The Warehouse presents Rockwell Powers with State of the Artist, City Hall, Night Fox, Saturday, April 16, $8-$10, 729 Court C, Tacoma]