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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Mikey AK No More Freebies Review by Gary Hill This hip hop set makes a nice balance between the raps and background music. There is some cool range here. The raps are all effective. I think that there are definitely pieces that work better, but nothing is really weak. As is common with a lot of hip hop, this earns a bunch of parental advisories. It's prevalent enough that I haven't listed them separately in the tracks, as the majority get them. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 2 at garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review

No More Freebies The musical backdrop on this is part electronic and part horror movie soundtrack. The cut is a good one, but the repetitive part at the end gets a little annoying to me.

Run It Up I like the rhythm on the raps here. The music is tasty, but sort of a backseat thing here. The raps are the real star of this particular show.

Every Other City I like the little echoes on the raps. The musical textures behind that one are understated but so cool. This is one of the best tracks here.

Loose Change Interlude There is a cool keyboard based introduction to this. From there it works out to a cool hip hop grind. There are some processed vocals in the background. The cut kind of stretches onward at the end rather than ending.

Up A Check A rhythmic workout opens this cut. After a bit the raps enter. I like the flow of this tune.

Respect Me There is an intriguing rhythm element to this. The raps have a great meter and power, too. This is another of the strongest cut here.

Reach You With rhythmic elements and some waves of keyboards at the backdrop, some piano enters later. It does a nice job of showcasing the rap on the track. This has an empowering positive message to it. This is my favorite cut here.

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