I'm gonna do these reviews the way "Bol" does them over at his site except minus the vague reviews and terrible taste. Marco Polo is a producer from Toronto who has worked with Masta Ace, and Boot Camp Clik who is signed with Rawkus which has quietly become relevent again. Now for the review:
PORT AUTHORITY INTRO
A few scratches and some guy talking over a drum-less beat. Not that I'd expect much more out of an intro for a "producer album".
GET BUSY (FEAT. COPYRIGHT)
Copyright contributes a typical indie, white boy rap, but is bearable over a pretty dope string/keyboard beat.
MARQUEE (FEAT. O.C.)
Another great beat from Marco (who shows some real skill with the keys these first two tracks). O.C., the old D.I.T.C. veteran, shows that, at the very least, he can still rhyme over tight production.
WAR (FEAT. KARDINAL OFFISHALL)
This one's got the same vibe as the first two, dark keyboard beats are just his strong point I guess. Fellow T-Dot artist Kardinal Offishall, who is generally hit-and-miss, sounds good over this beat (which is sort of a theme so far).
NOSTALGIA (FEAT. MASTA ACE)
A more laid back, guitar sample on this one, but Marco still laces this shit for Brooklyn legend, Masta Ace. Maybe the best track so far.
WRONG ONE (FEAT. WORDSWORTH)
Wordsworth, a pretty acclaimed underground rapper, kicks a decent rap over another good beat. Not the best track on here, but not filler by any means.
LOW BUDGET ALL STARS (FEAT. KEV BROWN, CY YOUNG, KENN STARR, & KAMBIR)
Nothing technically bad about this, it's just boring, like anything these guys have ever made. Possibly the worst track yet.
SPEAK SOFTLY (FEAT. JOJO PELLEGRINO)
This sounds like something Jedi Mind Tricks would do if Vinnie Paz wasn't just a fat sack of shit. JoJo Pellegrino (?) comes grimey rapping about pussy mahfuckas or something. Dope.
TIME AND PLACE (FEAT. ED O.G.)
Another grimey keyboard beat from Marco. Edo sounds real washed up, but then again he must be like 40 or something.
RADAR (FEAT. LARGE PROFESSOR)
Large Pro, who sure comes up alot on this site, spits his trademark, basic rhymes about being an underground artist. Meh.
ALL MY LOVE (FEAT. JAYSHAUN)
Damn. Jayshaun kills it over another grimey keyboard beat, maybe the best yet. Jayshaun may have actually out-rapped anybody up to this point, which is impressive given the roster of guest spots.
LAY IT DOWN (FEAT. ROC MARCIANO)
The main MC from The U.N. (see the post below), drops some un-inspired verses over a decent guitar loop. They can't all be winners.
GO AROUND (FEAT. BUCKSHOT)
Buckshot re-assures the hip-hop world that he's lost it over a jazzy beat. Another average track.
HOOD TALES (FEAT. KOOL G. RAP & DV ALIAS KHRYST)
A subtle, grimey background suits Kool G. Rap perfectly, as he sounds better than the other old MC's on this album.
HEAT (FEAT. SUPASTITION)
Not a fan of the synths on this, but Supastition just muders this shit. So much so that I'd rather listen to this than most of the tracks with good beats.
ROLLIN' (FEAT. SADAT X, JU JU, & A.G.)
Three more old rappers rap about cheeba cheeba. Sort of cliche but it's ok for what it is.
FOR THE FUTURE (FEAT. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED)
The keyboards on this one sound like something you'd hear at a chinese restaurant and Critically Acclaimed is sort of wack. Whatever.
RELAX (FEAT J*DAVEY) (BONUS TRACK)
Basically some chick over "Electric Relaxation." Hopefully this god-forsaken "Bonus Track" doesn't make the real album.
OVERALL: A real dope album. Marco Polo's production is on point and the guest spots from some of the younger guys make up for the washed up 90's legends, and there are many. I am going to buy this album when it drops and encourage you to do the same.
BEST TRACKS: "Marquee", "Nostalgia", "All My Love", "Heat"
1 comment:
dope review!!
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