This album is frustrating to me. Nothing here should work, but it somehow does. His voice, his flow, and the beats are all moving in different directions, but rather than sound dysfunctional, it all meshes together. I wish the excellent beats could be accompanied with better lyrics, though. They would be right at home on any Stones Throw or Rhymesayers album, but the lyrics seem to have taken a page from Bone Thugz N Harmony and never looked back. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does leave me thinking about what could have been. The beats themselves are sampled beautifully, blending laptop industrial styles with live instruments and R&B-esque chillout loops that sound amazing when combined. Unfortunately, there are only so many ways to sing repetitive hooks about whichever woman you happen to be infatuated with this week (an entire song about makeup, really?). It doesn't really pick up until around halfway through, with 'Ronald Reagan Era,' which combines a beautiful beat (including an awesome drum sample) with fantastic cityscape imagery in the lyrics, or the showcase of his storytelling ability in 'Keisha's Song (Her Pain)'. Once he stops laying out forgettable, generic rhymes, the album becomes wholly different. Unfortunately, this only happens in flashes: you get an idea of how good he can be, but it's almost like he would rather focus on the generic rather than go for something better. I suppose this is reasonable, depending on the standpoint: these types of songs are easier to listen to, but the potential for something else is there, and now I almost wonder if I would enjoy listening more if those really good songs weren't there, and I had a lower bar to compare itself to. I think he says it best himself in the outro: “I'm not the next pop star, I'm not the next socially aware rapper, I'm a human motherfucking being, over dope ass instrumentals.”
Notable songs: 'Ronald Reagan Era', 'Chapter Ten', 'Keisha's Song (Her Pain)'
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