Here we have the 8th studio LP albeit 3rd posthumous offering from East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL. Breaking out in the mid-90s after signing to American Recordings & releasing his classic debut Here to Save You All, he eventually went on to beef with 2Pac & I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who writes him off because of that. Especially since that I Told You So, Poison Pen & the Viper Records-backed RICANstruction: The Black Rosary all contain some of the best songs in his whole discography. Stu Bangas was brought in to produce God’s Carpenter a few summers ago & that became a near-flawless comeback, with Darkness & Other Colors recorded back in 2020 foreshadowing his own death from beyond the grave. Map of Bones recorded between 2008-2012 commemorated what would’ve been Chino’s birthday last April, dropping a Prelude to The Mantis in preparation for his upcoming collaborative effort with Dheezy & of course God’s Carpenter 2.
“The Mantis” produced by Johnny Slash was a great intro from the flute-heavy boom bap beat to the hardcore chopper flows whereas “Blue Bird” takes a more luxuriously dustier route instrumentally although hearing him tackling depression hits differently considering the circumstances of his passing. “I Know” works in some horns thanks to Nick Wiz talking about what every region wants leading into “Steezy” experimenting with cloud rap & trap continuing the mental health themes.
Rittz, StatikKXNG & Tech N9ne all join Chino XL on “Terminally Ill” having all 4 lyricists bodying a Statik Selektah beat for nearly 7 minutes just before Apathy flips some strings during “Blood, Sweat & Tears” making way for Chino to spend 109 seconds speeding up his flow. “Guillotine” has a smoother instrumental flexing his raw glow while the radio friendly “Loving You” featuring Holy Toledo Productions founder M-80 links up to talk about themes of heartbreak.
“Shots Through Ya Vehicle” blends a flute with more kicks & snares spitting intricate wordplay whilst maintaining a chopper-like delivery while “Chi Chops” swaps out the woodwind in favor of some keys talking about his only goal being him wiping out humanity entirely. “A Capella” seems like a moment here that feels completely unfinished since it could’ve easily been used as a guest appearance while “Basquiat” pretty much feels the same except the apocalyptic beat’s alright.
Copywrite & KXNG CROOKED both appear for a “Triple Seize” tearing apart their opponents over a rap rock instrumental while the piano-driven “Paradigms” displays what crazy breath control he had talking about being more than flesh & bones, hence he won’t ever be dead & gone when he has been. “The Rapture” featuring Cappadonna, KXNG CROOKED & Planet Asia brings the 4 together for a raw east coast/west coast crossover while “Chemistry” takes another jab at trap talking about being the type who was smart enough to listen when others didn’t.
“We Just Spit Bars” featuring Canibus could be an outtake from the S.L.I.C.C. (Self Licking Ice Cream Cone) sessions & that to me was one of Bis’ better opuses in recent memory while “Cruel World” keeps it hardcore for almost a minute & a half. “Champion” featuring Killah Priest as well as Kurupt & Ras Kass talks about either being victorious or a victim but after “On My Grind” gruesomely dismisses artists who’s pen isn’t alive, the outro “Grand Finale” concludes with another disjointed verse.
Putting the M-80/Chino XL estate controversy aside, Darkness & Other Colors remains my personal favorite of the 3 posthumous albums we’ve gotten so far & Prelude to The Mantis would have to go right behind it since I enjoy it more than Map of Bones although that’s not to say this warmup for what Chino & Dheezy have coming next doesn’t have flaws of it’s own. As opposed to the last couple full-lengths actually being presented as completed statements, there is some filler that could’ve been utilized more properly although the confrontation of mental health would certainly help those struggling.
Score: 3.5/5
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