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| Track by Track Review
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Hell No
This opens with the rapper talking about the origins of his stage name in an interview. The cut works out to there to a hard rocking thing that’s catchy and angry. |
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Way of Life Feat Deadly Forte
The music on this starts fairly stripped back. As it moves forward it gets very powerful. This feels empowering in terms of the rap. The end section here includes more interview, this time talking about the Bay area sound. |
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New Bay
The groove to this cut is infectious. The rap is very catchy. This is melodic hip hop that flows really well. |
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Pride Feat RyanNicole and TASK1ne
This is a cool song. It’s a very powerful and positive one in terms of vibe. I love the female rap on this. The whole cut works particularly well, though. More of the interview is included here. |
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Beauty & Brains Feat A Dubb, Bazooka Joe, Lil mc
I love the balance between the more direct rap section and the sung vocal part’s soulful groove. This is another strong cut. It brings variety and style to the table. |
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The World is Ours Feat Edgar Miranda, Breathless AKA Honey B, Dizz
While this is good, it’s not really a standout. Musically and in terms of the rap, it just sort of feels a lot like something we’ve heard before. There is some more interview at the end. |
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Stay
Piano is a big part of the mix here. The song is more of a pretty, melodic number. It’s mellower than a lot of the rest. It does have a cool soulful groove. |
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Tell Me Feat Edgar Miranda
There’s an electronic vibe to this. I have to say, this cut doesn’t really work for me. It’s a little goofy to my ears. It does have some nice soulful moments, but overall falls a bit flat. There is some more interview here. |
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War Zone Feat Frank Vencci
This groove is one of the best here. The raps are among the strongest, too. This is a great place for a strong tune as the disc was dragging a bit before this. There’s a sample from Blue Oyster Cult later in the song and once that enters, the groove seems to have some problems. I think it would have been a stronger cut if that other section had been left out. The rap has moments during that second section, but the music just feels a little silly there. |
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Mind of a Mentor Feat Brown Lotus
Starting with another interview segment, this is a stronger piece of music. The message is powerful and positive. The music fits well with that vibe, too. |
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What's Right Feat B.A.D.
Here’s another that’s among the better tracks of the set. This has some great female vocals and a soulful, jazzy element to it. It’s classy. |
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I Don't Know Why Feat Verbal D
While I dig the groove here, this isn’t all that special. It has a tastefully slightly twisted sound, but overall just doesn’t manage to really standout. |
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My I.D Feat Teffany
The rap here is strong. The song, though, is another that’s starting to get weighed down a bit from a monolithic nature. There is more interview at the end here. |
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How Far I've Grown Feat Ron G, Monni
This song manages to rise up from the lack of variety. It’s actually one of the strongest cuts here. It has a great energy and rock meets jazz groove. The raps are potent, too. This ends with another interview section.
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