Not every rapper from the 90's shines as bright as they once did today. Some manage to refrain from falling off -- many still look at Nas as the greatest rapper of all time, 22 years after his debut -- but I'd be lying if I said none of them did. Havoc, the main rapper in the latest MC / Producer collab, The Silent Partner, proves he's every bit as lyrical and powerful as he was back on The Infamous. The Alchemist kills it, too.
TSP is a concise listen -- 11 tracks, 38 minutes -- but I wish it was longer. From the first seconds of the opening beat, to the final moments of the ending track, The Alchemist proves what he is capable of, providing 11 brilliantly crafted instrumentals. Creative, experimental, but also still maintaining a hip-hop-traditionalist feeling at their core, keeping one producer for the entirety of this project proves once again the power of MC / Producer collaborations. It reminds me of Piñata in a way; almost every beat on that album was the best beat on the album. The only beat that I feel has a chance of not connecting with a listener is the beat on 'The Gun Holds A Drum'; it's very fast, and has a high-pitched vocal sample that gets repetitive after a while, and then stuck in your head. That's not to say it's bad -- it's definitely still enjoyable -- but if I had to choose a worst beat on the album, it would most likely be this track. Everything else is a highlight. The creativity here is fantastic; 'Out The Frame' is led by what sounds to be a Xylophone. You don't often hear one of those in hip-hop. But that's only half of it. Havoc brings flow on this project, and he brings it effortlessly. There's no bullshit here, which is thankful -- he simply sticks to what he's best at. "Fuck the love, it's the fear that make 'em obey you" is the line that ends the very first verse. It sets the tone for a dark, grimy album, and Havoc doesn't tangent off down pointless lyrical rabbit-holes on any of his verses. On the next track, 'Maintain (Fuck How You Feel)', Havoc opens by declaring that nobody can defeat him whilst riding around in his brand new car. The album is mainly guest-free, but there are three names that pop up throughout: Prodigy, Method Man, & Cormega. Mobb Deep reunites on 'The Gun Holds A Drum', Prodigy's deep voice contrasting interestingly against the aforementioned beat on this track. Meth's verse on 'Buck 50's & Bullet Wounds' at first appeared lazy to me -- he does sound half asleep on the microphone -- but after more listens, I realized that his verse is actually quite clever. "Like four quarters, some rappers change for a dollar". You could easily just dismiss this line - "oh wow, Meth knows what change makes a dollar, what a genius" - but if you think about it, that's a subtle double entendre. On the final track, 'Hear Me Now', Cormega delivers an incredibly heartfelt ending, summing up well the regrets and loss that comes from living the life that Havoc has described over the course of these songs. "It took years to recover from the death of (draws? Is what it sounds like he says. Lyric sites are having trouble with this bit too) / Then I lost my beloved brother Shabazz / It hurts so bad, I still can't accept he gone". The beat on this track fits the sentiments perfectly - the woodwinds and piano together make the softest instrumental on the album, contrasting the early beats that sound as if Havoc is either silently stalking you through the darkness, or pouncing on you, ready to deliver the killing blow. ('Just Being Me', & 'Never Trust A Soul', respectively.) I'd say that 'Hear Me Now' is my favourite beat on the album, but then there comes the problem that 'Impose My Will', 'Out The Frame', 'Seize Power', Never Trust A Soul', & 'Just Being Me' are also my favourite beats. Out of every quality instrumental that The Alchemist put together, it's near impossible to say which is the best. The same goes for Havoc's performances - his verses are consistent from start to finish, continuing his reign of dominance in the streets, and he doesn't even seem to break a sweat in the process. With no prisoners taken - "Yeah my lyrics like a hand missile / But you're the elephant in the room, I can't miss you" -- The Infamous rapper shows us how far he's come. No longer is he playing survival of the fittest; he sits far above, spectating. And he picked some incredible beats to listen to it with. 8.5/10 |
201820162015Scores0-30 = Bad
31-49 = Sub-par 50-60 = Average 61-70 = Decent 71-80 = Good 81-89 = Great 90-99 = Incredible 100 = Perfect Archives
September 2018
|