Five years after the last record, Queens rapper NORE releases his seventh studio album, which is also expected to be the last one in his career. Originally announced as the sequel to his debut, or alternatively, the sequel to his much-criticized sophomore, the album takes a whole new path: consisting of 11 cuts for a total of 41 minutes, the production is made by Hazardis Soundz, SPK, Reazy Renegade, The-Dream, Phokus, Swizz Beatz and Pharrell Williams, while in the rapping, NORE collaborates with Fabolous, Fat Joe, Tory Lanez, The-Dream, Jadakiss, Wyclef Jean and Pharrell Williams, among others.
The record starts well, with good jazzy rhythm by Hazardis Soundz, sublime soul sample, good hardcore delivery by NORE in his only solo cut of the whole project. "Big Chain" isn't evil, and it's not a claim you can make for many songs here: that Cool & Dre did a nice production is a surprise, Fabolous looks inspired and with Noreaga builds a decent cut. Then come two consecutive tracks with Fat Joe: the boy delivers worthily, but by now, he seems to be at the end of his career, like Noreaga, he too goes on autopilot, first in a homage to reggaeton on a dark controversial boom bap by Hazardis Soundz & SPK, then on a discreet boom bap by Reazy Renegade, where NORE seems subdued. "She's Mine" is among the less successful songs: Tory Lanez performs just by autotune, the Queens MC tries to get the cut back on track, not least because it wouldn't have been fair to trash SPK's almost decent trap rhythm, however, the track is also sunk by a hook weak.
With "Woof", the rapper moves permanently into the trap scene, performing his lyrics on a boom bap synthesized quite well by The Dream, here guest. "Let Me Be Great" is still trap, bleak beat by Beats N Da Hood & SPK, the guys do a decent job, while I think that NORE copied his delivery style from someone, I didn't write down who in my annotation of a couple of years ago. "No Reason" boasts a bouncy jazzy boom bap soul conceived by SPK's mind, with Sevyn Streeter hook and background, nonetheless, NORE delivers mediocrely throughout the piece, and it's a half torture. Jadakiss and Wyclef Jean spit out a few generic bars on a Phokus reggae beat, before the bonus tracks. Swizz Beatz doesn't disappoint and make a Swizz Beatz (read: bad) rhythm in "Parade", the trap delivery of performers clashes with the production. Pharrell Williams produces and performs "Uno Mas", reggae rhythm, I don't think he did anything wrong, instead, NORE has a hopping and choked style.
In conclusion, NORE comes out with a record that no one missed: his lyrical choices are at best decent, often uninspired and flat, and performed with a pseudo-energetic, somewhat weak style, while the production is bad. A little reggae, a little trap, a little boom bap, he experiments different genres, tries a few hits for the club: he can't really do anything, especially since he doesn't have a good ear for beats. And he's not a good lyricist, he sounds poor even in his socio-conscious veins in this project. Released by his label Thugged Out Militainment, along with Queensbridge Legend Nas' Mass Appeal, this record is erratic and full of guests, some guessed, some not: the rapper has fun, but he disappoints, it's not his worst record, but he's rightly ignored by the public and critics. Unless you're a completist, die-hard fan, or a relative of NORE, listening isn't essential.
Rating: 5/10.
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