Unique studio album by Berntony "Al' Tariq" Smalls, Queens rapper former member of the Beatnuts. Most of the album is produced by the Beatnuts themselves, along with VIC, Al' Tariq, No ID (the second production outside the works with Common) and Lucien. Guests are Problemz, Rawcotiks, Black Attack, The Beatnuts, A-Massacre and SK.
The first part of the disc is good, so well-done that you might think that this is one of the most deserving efforts of the season, then after the first six songs the work decreases in intensity and quality, coinciding with the arrival of the seventh track. It's hard to explain unless you take a look at the production credits: these first cuts are all produced by the Beatnuts (and by Al' Tariq, who was part of the group until a couple of years earlier) and they have some normal East Coast boom bap rhythms and done really well, they sound good, with a precise choice of drums and samples that suit the rapper's regular and quiet delivery. After twenty minutes, the tape goes down in a way that feels almost physiological, Al' Tariq's style starts to get a little too flat and monotonous and the other producers aren't bad, however, the CD loses some cohesion and strength in the proposed music, peaking in one of the last tracks where VIC chooses a horrible sample.
Released by an independent (in the Japanese edition it's supported by Sony), the disc doesn't shine for the number of copies sold and puts an end to the attempt of a solo musical career for Al' Tariq. 6/10.
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