Fifth solo studio album by Joell Ortiz, Brooklyn rapper. Domingo is the main producer of the tape, 20th Letter provides two rhythms, DJ JS-1, DNA Beatz and TonyRoc one each. Kool G Rap, Chris Rivers, Lil' Fame, Billy Danze, Raven Felix, Zooka Joe, Doo Wop, Tony Touch and DJ Cazz are the guests. The album is irregular right from the start. Ortiz proves once again to be a competent and really good MC; he also proves, for the umpteenth time, that he doesn't know how to choose the rhythms, the result is an album that is very irregular, inconstant, grumpy.
It starts badly with bad rhythm and poor syncopated rap, then comes Billy Danze on "Fall Back", delivering gritty and raw rap on a cheap and bouncy Domingo beat. With MOP you can't go wrong, the other MC of the duo is the guest of "Reppin NY": cheap bouncy rhythm, Fame performs hardcore, Joell Ortiz is fine, the third verse is made by Kool G Rap, who has no more the energy of the past and is still able to place one of the best performances of the disc. Token and Ortiz spit super-fast over an uptempo production on the next track. Chris Rivers is protagonist in "Say What I Want" with his signature style on an almost decent beat produced by DNA Beatz. It's followed by forgettable choices on economic rhythms, it closes a bad beat for the tenth song.
Joell Ortiz continues to aim for the charts after exiting the rap supergroup with Royce, Crooked and the other. He still has a good style, he just has to find the right rhythms to pull off a solid album: with a clearly lack of arguments, this is one of his least successful attempts in career, despite his good intentions. 4.5/10.
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