Kool G Rap – “Return of the Don” review

With the 6 year anniversary of his last album Riches, Royalty, Respect passing by just a few days before it’s release, former Juice Crew member Kool G Rap is finally returning with his 5th full-length album & he has enlisted MoSS to produce it in it’s entirety. The album opens up with the title track, where G Rap reminds us why he’s one of the illest lyricists ever over a grimy ass beat. However, my only issue with this track is that it was way too short. The next track “Mack Lean” has a really smooth flute sample throughout & while I do love how G Rap flows over it, I think AG da Coroner’s verse compliments G Rap’s better than Fred the Godson’s did. Mainly because of how husky his voice is. The following song “Criminal Outfit” with N.O.R.E. sees the 2 talking about raising the slums up & throwing a chick named Sharon inside an Uber over a really cool piano sample but just like with the title track, I feel like the song is way too short. The song “Wise Guys” has a fantastic scratch hook from Statik Selektah along with a soul sample throughout & even though Freeway’s verse is nice, Lil’ Fame’s fits into the track a lot more perfectly. The track “Out for That Life” is a braggadocious song with some somberly tension building horns & it was only right for him to get a verse from Raekwon on here. The track “Time’s Up” has a nice organ sample & the rhyme schemes are just bananas from start to finish. Not just that, but it actually sounds finished in contrast to the title track. The song “Capitol Hill” with Cormega & Sheek Louch sees the 3 delivering vivid street bars & the beat on here sounds purely evil. The song “Running” with Saigon & Termanology talks about following protocol no matter how long they’ve been around & I love how uplifting the instrumental is. The song “World’s Mine” may have a decent hook, but G Rap’s verse in the middle of the song along with the guest verses from KXNG CROOKED & Willie the Kid at the beginning & the end respectively make up for it. Especially with how you can hear the passionate emotion in KXNG CROOKED’s voice throughout the duration of his verse. The penultimate track “Popped Off” with Ransom & the late Sean Price has some aggressive verses & the instrumental fits them like a glove, but’s really the verses from G Rap & Sean that make the track so hardcore. The album then closes out with the appropriately titled “Rest In Peace”, where Kool G Rap’s talking about feeling like the black Axl Rose & how the strong never fade over a bass guitar with a little bit of an electric guitar too. Also can’t forget that while Shady Records’ most recent signees Hall ‘N Nash are trading bars back & forth with each other during the last minute of the song, you can just tell that their verse together was heavily influenced by G Rap & I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. To me, the appropriately titled Return of the Don is a much needed & near perfect one. Yeah I wish that some of the songs could’ve been stretched out a little bit longer & there’s a lot of features too, but I believe most of the guest verses served their purpose. On top of that, Kool G Rap’s pen game is as strong as ever & MoSS’ production is WAY more rugged & hard hitting than the production on Riches, Royalty, Respect was. Despite the small flaws, I think this is a serious contender for Album of the Year

Score: 4.5/5

Gucci Mane – “Droptopwop” review

To celebrate a whole year of being a free man, Gucci Mane is delivering his 58th mixtape & he has enlisted Metro Boomin’ to produce it in it’s entirety. The tape’s opening track “5,000,000” sees Gucci bragging about how much he makes in a day & the bass on here is just THUNDEROUS! The next track “Tho” sees Gucci freestyling over some Atari-esque loop with some trap snares & it’s actually not too bad. The next song “Hurt a Nigga Feelings” brags about the shit he has over some sinister synths & hand claps, but he does it so charismatically. Especially during the hook. The song “Helpless” is a sex tune, but I don’t like how the bass sounds so loud that you can barely hear the synths. The track “Met Gala” has some really nice bells throughout, but it feels more like an Offset song given the fact that he dominates the track up until Gucci’s verse pops up during the last minute & a half. The song “Finesse the Plug” talks about how life’s a gamble & the main loop on here sounds really creepy, but the delivery was just meh. The song “Dance with the Devil” has some twinkling high-pitched keys throughout & I actually like how he’s talks about a man getting arrested & a woman trying to act gangsta on here. The song “Both Eyes Closed” has a decent beat & Gucci’s verse isn’t bad at all, but the 2 redundant guest verses from 2 Chainz & Young Dolph flat out ruin it for me. The penultimate track “Bucket List” talking about him getting & doing things he never thought he would over a murky trap beat, but the “she may get this dick like 1%” line at the beginning of the 1st verse was just corny to me. The tape closes out with “Loss 4 Wrdz”, where Gucci & Rick Ross talk about getting fucked up on drugs, but Ross actually goes in harder than Gucci did on here. While some still knock of Gucci Mane, he certainly is more tolerable than all of these mumble rappers nowadays. Plus, he has gotten better since his release from prison (both as an artist & as a person) & this tape is no exception at all. Metro Boomin’s production is just as dark & hard-hitting as ever & given that Gucci has sounded great over Metro’s beats before, for him to finally rap over them for the duration of a full project was bound to happen soon & I’m glad that he finally gave it to the fans to commemorate being a free man for 365 days
Score: 3.5/5

LINKIN PARK – “1 More Light” review

Given that LINKIN PARK’s last album The Hunting Party was a return to form for them, at first I was pretty excited going into their 7th full-length album over here. However with each & every single that was released for it, I started to worry about it. Despite this, I still gave it a shot with an open mind. The opening track “Nobody Can Save Me” sees Chester Bennington singing about fighting your inner demons, but the dubstep instrumental sounds absolutely God awful.

The next track “Good Goodbye” is the only song on the entire album to feature a rap verse from Mike Shinoda & while his verse along with the guest verses from Pusha T & Stormzy about a failed relationship are just ok, the instrumental on here is pretty generic. The song “Talking to Myself” is told from the perspective of Chester’s wife Talinda, but the only good thing about the production is the guitars during the beginning & the hook.

The song “Battle Symphony” talks about picking yourself up when you’re down, but it just comes off as really sappy. The song “Invisible” is the one of the only 2 songs on the entire album where Mike is on lead vocals & while he may be sending a heartfelt message to his children, the production just ruins it. The Chester/Kiiara duet “Heavy” addresses holding onto one’s sanity & the instrumental enhances it’s status as THE worst song on the album. Especially how it starts off with a quiet tone, but then we get a crescendo during the hook to make it sound dramatic.

The song “Sorry for Now” sees Mike apologizing to his kids for being gone over a wavy instrumental, but I would much rather listen to “Where’d You Go?” from his Fort Minor side-project. The song “Halfway Right” talks about Chester’s drug addiction & the cliché snares throughout most of the track made me genuinely angry. The penultimate track is the title track, where Chester is singing about death over a settle instrumental that lacks any form of progression. Then we have the final song “Sharp Edges”, where Chester is reminiscing about his youth over an acoustic guitar & it’s actually ok.

I can honestly say that this is EASILY the worst album that LINKIN PARK has ever done & it’s not simply because of the fact that they ditched their metal/rock sound to go pop on here: it’s because the production is sickeningly sweet & it makes almost every track sound corny. I have no problem with artists experimenting with sounds & the band did come through with a couple ok songs, but they just failed miserably at this outside of that. I’m sorry but as much as I really respect these guys, I don’t see myself coming back to this garbage ever again

Score: 0.5/5

Brother Ali – “All the Beauty in This Whole Life” review

When Brother Ali first told me back in November that his 6th full-length album was coming in 2017, I was pretty excited given that it would be his first album since Mourning in America & Dreaming in Color just 5 years ago. However when he later said it would be entirely produced by Ant of Atmosphere (who hasn’t produced an album for Ali since Us in 2009), I was even more excited. The album opens up with “Pen to Paper”, where Ali’s talking about going from started writing at 8 & meeting KRS-One at 13 to being profiled by the US government over some ambitious keys & horns. The next song “Own Light (What Hearts Are For)” is about using his heart for love & while the beat does start off kinda spacey, the electric guitar that starts to pop in after the first 20 seconds was a nice touch. The track “Special Effects” talks about Ali wanting to communicate without technology over a jazzy beat & the deM atlaS hook on here is just beautiful. The song “Can’t Take That Away” is a dedication to that special someone in Ali’s life & the beauty of it is enhanced by the harp & keys throughout. The next track “Dear Black Son” is basically Ali sending a message to his son Faheem about all the current racism in America today over a jazzy piano. The song “We Got This” with Sa-Roc talking positivity & the chemistry between the 2 MCs is actually greater than I actually though it would be. The song “Uncle Usi Taught Me” recalls performing “Uncle Sam Goddamn” in Iran over a funky beat & the way he describes it is so vivid & sincere. The track “Pray for Me” talks about his albinism over a piano as well as a pumping bassline. The song “It Ain’t Easy” talking his desire of real love over a churchy instrumental. The track “Never Learn” has some nice brass throughout & I also love the eerie background vocals behind the beat. Also, the hook is beautiful & his flow is so on point. The song “Tremble” talks about how he’s “a human, not a brand” over an electric guitar & he sounds so sincere about it too. The track “Before They Called You White” talks about the Europeans’ land being seized & I like how they incorporated the vocal sample at the end. The song “The Bitten Apple” talks about self-hate over a somber beat & the gloomy hook from Idris Phillips fits in perfectly with the whole tone. The penultimate track “Out of Here”, where Ali is talking about the suicide of both his dad & grandfather & the instrumental fits in like a glove. Especially with the piano during the first verse. The album then closes out with the title track, where Ali is talking about God over a relaxing beat. To me, this is a near perfect return for Brother Ali. The instrumentals are beautiful, the content is on point & the passion is clear as day
Score: 4.5/5

The R.O.C. – “Digital Voodoo” review

One of Detroit, Michigan’s most underappreciated horrorcore emcees/producers The R.O.C. finally making his Majik Ninja Entertainment debut. Originally a member of the House of Krazees with Jamie Madrox & Monoxide, he later hooked up with Skrapz to put out 1 last album under the HOK name before starting a duo of their own called HaLFBrEEd when the Insane Clown Posse signed Twiztid to Psychopathic Records. Although they would only release 1 full-length under the HaLFBrEEd name titled Kontamination, it would go on to become a horrorcore classic. Welcome to the Darkside came out under Psychopathic’s now defunct Hatchet House sub-label & dropped Digital Voodoo.

The album starts off with the title track, where The R.O.C.’s talking about his return & the effects that’re done on his voice throughout the song are fitting. The next track with “Let Me Out” talks about how you’re worst nightmares will come true if their minds are let out over a dark, electro-tinged beat & the G-Mo Skee verse about how he became fucked up because of his cousin dropping him on a glass table isn’t bad either.

“Tear It Up” by Zodiac MPrint featuring Boondox has a murderous tone throughout even if it has one of the weakest instrumentals here & the track “The Chalmer” originally appeared on The R.O.C.’s Fucking Preylewd EP that came out at the 2016 Gathering of the Juggalos & it’s just as in your face as it was then.

The song “Dr. No” is basically him saying no to a number of thing such as letting you rock the stage with him & taking bullshit. There are some heavy guitars at some points on here & I certainly didn’t mind them at all. The song “Hecklers” featuring Kuniva & Trick-Trick is a lyrical jab at all the haters out there & if that’s not enough to get you in a pissed off mood (in a good way), the beat enhances the feeling of you wanting to start a brawl.

“Clouds Black Out the Sun” has a gloomy, ominous vibe to it but I’m indifferent towards the hook. The song “Still Running” has a decent beat from Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7, but The R.O.C.’s delivery is on point & I can hear the sincere passion in his voice. The song “Disgusted” by the House of Krazees has a surrealist tone lyrically & the somber production fits in with it pretty well too. The track “Sleeper Cell” has some solid strings that’ll pop up every now & then & out of all the 3 guest verses on here, I really liked the militant tone of Whitney Peyton’s & I found R.A. the Rugged Man’s to be pretty humorous.

Both of Natas’ surviving members Esham & Mastamind appear on “What is Hell?” individually answering the titular question & the production is just thunderously sinister. The track “When They Hear It” talks about “zombies” being snapped out of their trance & the guest verses from Kung Fu Vampire as well as Prozak are just as hard as The R.O.C.’s opening verse.

“Zombies in the Apocalypse” is once again on some murderous shit & while but the verse from (həd) p.e. frontman Jahred Gomes isn’t bad, at times it kinda seems like he’s just yelling at the listener. The final track “Revels in the Dark” talks about still traveling from the hate over some ominous piano keys & the verse from Lex the Hex Master is rawly confrontative!

Digital Voodoo has been teased for a long time since his brief “retirement” & enhances what I’ve previously heard on The Fucking Preylewd last summer by surpassing both X-Posed & Oh Hell No! to become The R.O.C.’s greatest achievement as a solo artist in addition to one of the finest full-lengths in MNE’s catalog only a couple years since it’s foundation. He’s always been an outstanding producer & that’s no different here, but the amount of guests actually work out in the long run considering a lot of them are either his labelmates or some of the finest in all of the underground.

Score: 4/5

Kendrick Lamar – “DAMN.” review

With his magnum opus To Pimp a Butterfly celebrating it’s 2 year anniversary last month, Black Hippy member Kendrick Lamar has now delivered his 4th full-length album with the whole world watching. The opening track “BLOOD.” starts off with some harmonious choir vocals, but then we hear some dramatic strings & Kendrick recalling a story of a blind woman shooting him after trying to help her. The second track “DNA.” talks about his heritage & while the Mike WiLL Made-It beat starts off with some heavy bass & a guitar that’s somewhat buried in the mix, it then changes to some hard hitting drums & a vocal sample. Seriously, hearing this will make you get wild.

The track “YAH.” has a mellow instrumental from Sounwave & DJ Dahi seeing Kendrick melodically talking about following his intuition. The blatant jab at FOX News reporter Geraldo Rivera at the beginning of the 2nd & final verse of the song was well deserved, too. The song “ELEMENT.” is basically about how he’ll always stand strong at what he does & the vocal sample on here is haunting as Hell. The track “FEEL.” vents about a number of different emotions over a wavy vocal sample & some keyboards. The song “LOYALTY.” is a duet with Rihanna about just that & the reversed, sped-up Bruno Mars sample that can be heard from start to finish was really cool. The track “PRIDE.” is Kendrick talking about what he would probably be like in a perfect world over a psychedelic instrumental from Internet guitarist Steve Lacy. We get some constant voice pitch changing during the first verse, but then second verse is just monotoned. The album’s lead single “HUMBLE.” sees Kendrick telling everyone to be humble to him over some ominous keys & even though I wasn’t all too crazy about it when it first came out a couple weeks ago like quite a few people were, I will admit that it has grown on me.

The song “LUST.” has a melancholy beat from DJ Dahi, Sounwave & BADBADNOTGOOD and while it starts off by going into the mind of a woman living in the hood, Kendrick then gets introspective about post-fame life as well as how Americans protested & eventually went back to living their regular lives as a result of Donald Trump being elected our current president back in November. I can absolutely appreciate Kendrick dedicating the track “LOVE.” to his fiancé Whitney Alford, but the hook from Zacari sounds exactly like The Weeknd & it just comes off as very annoying.

The song “XXX.” with U2 (albeit minus The Edge) starts off Kendrick aggressively going in while on the phone with a friend coming to him after his son died, but then he somberly talks about never doubting Barack ever again now that we have Donald Trump as our current president. I also really love how the beat during the first verse has some explosive bass as well as police sirens, but then it transitions into some drumming provided by Larry Mullen Jr. as well as some relaxing piano keys. Also, can’t forget about the beautiful Bono hook on here either. I’m not gonna lie, this song really makes me want U2 to drop Songs of Experience later this year.

The track “FEAR.” vividly recalls 3 fearful moments when Kendrick was 3, 17 & 27 over a gloomy beat from The Alchemist enhanced by a soul sample. The penultimate track “GOD.” is basically Kendrick saying he feels like God with all the success he has seen over the years over some spacey Cardo production, but the delivery during the hook & the first verse was just alright. The album closes out with “DUCKWORTH.”, where Kendrick tells a story about Top Dawg Entertainment founder Anthony Tiffith almost killing Kendrick’s father over a soulful instrumental from 9th Wonder & the beat change about halfway through the track is NASTY!

While I’ve been hearing some people saying they were expecting this to better or worse than To Pimp a Butterfly, all I wanted from him was to put out a good album & that’s EXACTLY what I got on here. The Kid Capri intros that you’ll hear on a few tracks give me a nice throwback feeling & while I’m not gonna deny that it’s more commercial than his last 2 albums, but there are only a few moments on the album where it actually bugs me. Despite these few weak moments, Kendrick has shown once again why he’s my favorite MC in this current generation

Score: 4/5

Leaf Dog – “Dyslexic Disciple” review

This is the sophomore effort from Brighton, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom producer/emcee Leaf Dog. Known for being amongst the best UK hip hop groups in recent memory The 4 Owls as well as the 3 Amigos & Brothers of the Stone, he branched out on his own in the summer of 2011 by dropping the solo debut From a Scarecrow’s Perspective under High Focus Records to moderate reception although I enjoyed what he was going for with it. Fast forward almost 6 years later, the Dyslexic Disciple has returned a month after Zack Sabre Jr. became a 2-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

After the intro, “The Rain” begins with a self-produced boom bap opener talking about fulfilling prophecies with the words he’s rhyming never playing the fool until he made himself one whereas “Big Egos” basically takes jabs at artists who become full of themselves due to success. “Know Myself” gets on some introspective vibes lyrically admitting that there are times where he doesn’t even know who he is just before “Today” talks about living right from this very moment forward.

“It’s on You” works in some grungy sampling chops asking what one would do when they start to feel like this music shit was never meant for them leading into “Glass Eye” produced by Illinformed talking about things seeming to be better when he looks back at it. “All in 1” lets Joe Corfield behind the boards reminding the UK hip hop movement that his squad carved a new lane in the underground while “Pro Cultivation” featuring Smellington Piff comes together to talk about weed for the stoners including myself.

Meanwhile on “My Scene”, we have Leaf Dog welcoming everyone to the part of his native country where he’s trying to build a career for himself from the bottom up & saving pennies to get by a new day prior to “Window” jazzily catching an individual who was watching the Leigh Brothers again since he made it clear that this wasn’t the 1st time it happened. “Linguistics” hooks up a classy sample shouting out all the misfits listening while “Good Times” featuring Dabbla joins forces for a soulful anthem to play during celebratory occasions.

“Last Laugh” featuring BVA finds the Real Life Drama Records founders still giving the system’s many faces middle fingers while “The Reminder” featuring BVA & Kool Keith unites the trio so they can talk about owning hip hop to this day. “The Legacy” by The 4 Owls featuring Bill Shakes, Cracker Jon, Dirty Dike, Eric the Red, Jack Jetson, the Kingdom of Fear, Klashnekoff, MysDiggi, Phi-Life Cypher, Remus, Smellington Piff, Sonnyjim & the Task Force sends it all off with a 7 & a half minute High Focus posse cut.

Noticeably more expansive than From a Scarecrow’s Perspective was when I had finished middle school, Dyslexic Disciple marks Leaf Dog’s return to the mic for the duration of an entire full-length & one that surpasses it’s predecessor on all fronts. He only handles a little over half of the production here than he did last time, but it feels more sonically expansive than the previous LP was & Leaf’s pen has gotten sharper since focusing on producing for other artists amassing a stacked list of local collaborators & veterans to be right beside him.

Score: 4.5/5

Joey Bada$$ – “A.A.B.A. (All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$)” review

After releasing his full-length debut B4.DA.$$ on his 20th birthday just a couple years ago, Pro Era member Joey Bada$$ is returning with his sophomore album. The intro track “Good Morning AmeriKKKa” is basically a minute & a half taste of what is to come. The song is basically Joey saying he wants to “free your mind” over a smooth instrumental from DJ Khalil. The next song “For My People” is a dedication to those who want a peaceful life & the saxes on here are just beautiful. The track after that “Temptation” talks about racism & the way he talks about it very personal. Especially when he starts asking for God’s help.

The track “Land of the Free” came out on Joey’s 22nd birthday as well as the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration & the content of how AmeriKKKa is full of free loaders is still relevant now. The production is has a somber kinda funky vibe to it, too. The track “Devastated” sees Joey reminiscing about his pre-fame days & how patience was the key to his success over a spacey beat.

“Y U Don’t Love Me? (Miss AmeriKKKa)” sees Joey basically asking why the government hates minorities & the gloomy beat goes PERFECTLY with what he’s saying. The song “Rockabye Baby” talks about how the system can’t control them over some ominous keys & I actually think ScHoolboy Q out-rapped Joey on here.

The track “Ring the Alarm” talks about the “resurrection of real” hip hop & while the bridge from Meechy Darko was executed decently, I really love how Joey’s fellow Pro Era members Nyck @ Knight are trading lines with each other in the final verse. The song “Super Predator” with Styles P is basically a retaliation to the term with the same name, but the hook was kind of a turn off for me.

“Babylon” talks about Joey’s desires to move far away from AmeriKKKa as possible over some militant drums as well as some saddening saxes. The Chronixx bridge fits in well, also. The penultimate track “Legendary” with J. Cole talks about how legends only multiply & the beat from Statik Selektah is jazzy as Hell. I also love how Joey inadvertently shouts me out during the hook too, lol!

The album then closes out with “AmeriKKKan Idol”, where Joey’s simply saying “fuck you” to white supremacy & how the government’s trying to start a racial civil war over a somber guitar as well as some EXPLOSIVE drums. I also really love how the hook interpolates the classic Nas track “The World is Yours”.

While I like the production on Joey’s last album a lot more, I’d say the content on here is WAY more superior than B4.DA.$$‘. Not only is it Joey’s most political work to date, but I think it’s much needed for us right now (especially with the very recent Syria missile strikes that occurred just the day before the album came out)

Score: 4/5

Jamiroquai – “Automaton” review

A little over 6 years after releasing their previous album Rock Dust Light Star, legendary British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai is finally returning out of the blue with their 8th album. The album starts off with “Shake It On”, where the band’s frontman Jay Kay is singing about “being a freak tonight” over a decent Daft Punk inspired instrumental. The title track is about the titular character “putting his faith in a digital world” & while I do like the “Virtual Insanity” throwback on here as well as the rapped-bridge, the production once again sounds very Daft Punk inspired. The following track “Cloud 9” sees Jay beautifully singing about how happy he is about getting out of a bad relationship & the beat on here is infectiously funky. The track “Superfresh” is about Jay wanting to dance with a “superfresh lady” all night & the funky disco instrumental is fitting as well. The song “Hot Property” brags about how smoking hot this female dancer is & it comes off pretty redundant. Plus, the bridge that starts off with a woman speaking Spanish was just WAY too over the top for me. The next track “Something About You” is said to be a personal reflection on a relationship that didn’t work out & the instrumental is pretty catchy as Well. The track “Summer Girl” talks about Jay’s desires to bring the titular character into his world the instrumental on here is some vintage disco. The song “Nights Out in the Jungle” vividly talks about being drunk in the rough part of a city & the instrumental sounds reminiscent to something from a 70’s blaxploitation film. The concept of “Dr. Buzz” is understandable considering all the bullshit going on right now & the sax solo near the end of the track definitely makes up for it considering how much I love Jamiroquai’s 90’s output. The song “We Can Do It” sees Jay convincing this girl to make their relationship work & the penultimate track “Vitamin” seems to follow that up by him telling her that he wants to “get through it”. I’d say the instrumental on “Vitamin” is superior to the one on “We Can Do It”, mainly because of how high-tempo it is. The album closes out with “Carla”, which is a heartfelt dedication to Jay’s daughter with the same name over a house/funk fused beat. While I wouldn’t recommend this as the go-to album for those who’re new to the Jamiroquai catalogue, I’d still say this was worth waiting 7 years for. There are some parts where I hear auto-tune in Jay Kay’s voice & it kinda bugs me because his vocals have always sounded fantastic without them. As for the instrumentals, they kinda take me back to the band’s A Funky Odyssey days. Despite a few flaws, this is a solid return for one of my all-time favorite bands

Score: 3.5/5

Raekwon – “The Wild” review

Just 2 years after dropping his worst album to date with F.I.L.A. (Fly International Luxurious Art), Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon is returning to deliver his 7th album. The album’s 1st song “This Is What It Comes To” sees Rae menacingly taunting a wanksta & the gritty beat from Xtreme fits the vibe like a glove. The song “Nothing” sees Rae tracking down someone & eventually snatching up his chain & watch over an eerie soul sample. The song “Marvin” is basically a biography of Marvin Gaye & not only do I love the vintage soul instrumental on here, but I also love how passionate Rae sounds as he’s telling the story of Marvin’s life. The Cee-Lo Green hook is just ok, though. The song “Can’t You See” has a beautiful soul sample throughout & it’s basically a lyrical comparison of his days as a young criminal to him now being a father as well as learning from all the snakes that he’s ever encountered. The track “My Corner” talks about his street corner, but the Lil Wayne verse in the middle of the song is just alright & I can totally imagine hearing the beat in the clubs. The song “M&N” sees Rae with a new MC named P.U.R.E. trading rhymes back & forth with each other over a vocal sample while P.U.R.E. rhymes, but transitions into a haunting organ while Rae rhymes. As much as I love it when 2 MCs do this on a track, P.U.R.E.’s lyricism isn’t all that intriguing to me. The song “Visiting Hour” talks about making his haters love him along with how some of Rae’s friends still commit crimes to get by & although he sounds dead serious in his delivery, the hook from Andra Day is pretty boring. The next 2 tracks “The Reign” & “Crown of Thorn” see Rae getting braggadocious, but I’d say “The Reign” is the most lively out of the 2. Especially with it’s vocal sample, the hard hitting drums & the overall happiness in Rae’s voice. The song “Purple Brick Road” encourages the listener to live for the moment over some dramatic strings. However, the only thing about this track that I could care less for is the final verse from the ever so corny G-Eazy. The album closes out with “You Hear Me?”, which sees Rae talking about some luxurious shit over a beat that surprisingly kinda sounds trap-esque. It’s not bad though, I really like the sinister keys that you’ll find from the beginning to the end of the track. Even though the features left little to be desired, Raekwon definitely delivered an album that is superior to F.I.L.A. (Fly International Luxurious Art). The production nowhere near the caliber of RZA’s back in the 90’s, but all the soul samples that were used on the album are on point & Raekwon sounds a lot more natural on here than he did last time

Score: 3.5/5