Blaq Poet — Blaq Death

Sixth studio album as soloist for Blaq Poet, rapper from Queensbridge, New York. The production is entirely entrusted to Stu Bangas & Vanderslice. The guests are Army of the Pharaohs emcees Vinie Paz, Celph Titled, Blacastan along with Chino XL, Spit Gemz, Tragedy Kahdafi, Lateb, Snak the Ripper and Roc Marciano.

How many times has he been compared to Freddie Foxxx? Too many. But on the other side, how could we not do it? Both of 1969, born in NY, in the game since the late eighties, ignored by audiences and critics for more than a decade, both with an album produced by Premier who, to be wide, have partially disappointed. Both hardcore. And it's unlikely that any casual listener will escape the fact that Freddie Foxxx is lyrically better than Poet.

This effort isn't a sort of confirm. Blaq Poet has never done too much to evolve lyrically and he doesn't do it here either. As in "Blaq Poet Society", the duo Stu Bangas & Vanderslice realizes a cheap, poor jazzy production, dragging the record very low. Of course, Poet's lyrics don't help, unlike the guests: "Looking for Trouble" stands out as the best track on the album thanks to solid lines by Chino XL and Vinnie Paz, as well as a fast hook by Spit Gemz; Blacastan ("Jack Move") and Roc Marciano ("All Blaq Everything") stand out positively.

Different speech for "Mean and Dirty", which sinks among the less successful tracks of this tape: tight jazzy pop rhythm that doesn't do too much to hide its commercial intentions, Poet's bad delivery, Celph Titled's functional, light-hearted and banal hook, Tragedy delivers better and tries to vainly save the cut. The other songs are an agglomeration of dark, hardcore or synthesized jazzy rhythms with unthinkable mediocrity peaks: "Drunk and High" and "Blaq Kruger" are among the worst tracks on the record, to which is added "Voices Pt. 2": boom bap with heavy synth from the beginning, pretty simplistic, disturbing, alienating rhythm, subdued delivery of Poet who pays homage to his late colleagues under a slightly rocking bridge. Perhaps the Outro pays homage to "The Exorcist".

He said the same things before and better, elsewhere. 5/10.