Another one that inspired several mentions on 'best underground rap album' lists.
On paper, this should be a front to back winner. The rhyming is complex, and the production's melodic and hooky. The subject matter is only occasionally violent, and the instrumental tracks in particular are groove-laden and well-paced. The spazzy, offbeat production on Falling Down is probably worth a half-point score bump all on its own.
But there's just something intangible I didn't love here. There's something insincere about it, a bit too polished, a bit too scattered in its sentiment. And the delivery just doesn't pop, it sounds like its being read of lyrics sheets without being felt.
Have I earned the right to criticize nuances on such a subtle level? Maybe not, but the fact remains this didn't quite work for me in practice; it lacks energy, lacks truth. Plus, man that's a bad name for a group. With those problems on one hand, and the on-paper-strengths on the other, I feel like its both too generous and too harsh that I end up at 3/5
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