Pro the Leader's eighth album, fifth solo, the first with this moniker and above all the first solo in fourteen years. Skarekrow produces the album entirely, leaving two beats to St. Louis. The guests are Killah Priest of Sunz of Man, Crisis of Black Knights, Christ Bearer of Northstar, Skarekrow of Da Monstar Mob, C-Rayz Walz of Almighty, Ras Kass of The Four Horsemen, Nova-Kane and Casual, the main guest of the project.
The record boasts a splendid production by Skarekrow for the title track: solid bass, sparse drum, bright strings, horns, dirty rhythm, smooth hardcore delivery by Pro the Leader, great cut, skit outro. The second choice is a posse: raw bass, urgent dry drum, boom bap, dark piano, hardcore rap by the performers, inside Pro the Leader is joined by Black Knights rapper Crisis, Nova-Kane, Planet Asia and Skarekrow. Planet Asia rips the cut. "Rap Circles Around You" features a lively piano and heavy bassline to support the writer's raps, amidst sparse, minimal drumming. Skarekrow remains with Pro on the mic again on the next choice, joined by C-Rayz Walz over bouncy production with cymbals clattering every two seconds.
"The Show Must Continue" boasts a phat bassline, sweet strings, vinyl crackle, elegant piano, slow, loose rapping by Pro the Leader, who delivers one of his best cuts. The sonic cohesion established by Skarekrow up to this point is suddenly interrupted by "Body Language Remix": heavy dry drums, funky bass, sparse hi-hats, stretched synths, rough rap by Ras Kass that opens the track. Pro the Leader in the second stanza, Casual closes. Skarekrow returns behind the keyboards for "Believe and Achieve", one of the last solo tunes of Pro the Leader, who until now has alternated one of his songs with a track with guests: bouncing boom bap, sparse drum, hi-hats, raw bass, honest loops, slow, irregular rapping by the author, who continues to get bogged down in some cumbersome hooks.
Nova-Kane joins Pro the Leader in "It All Meant Something": frenetic hi-hats, dizzying loops, dotted bass, rapid rapping by Pro the Leader, splendid break with cinematic strings that lasts a few moments. Nova-Kane spits with a less regular style, good bridge at the end of the track, the song sounds better than usual also for the wise decision not to use hooks. Choice number nine tries to keep that cinematic mood declining towards the cartoonish: hi-hats, poor drum, liquid synths, scattered horns, the member of The Four Horsemen Ras Kass sweeps away the beat after the first verse of Pro the Leader.
Skarekrow places rough electric guitar licks to welcome the main guest of the Casual album on this track that pays homage to a Guru bar from "Code of the Streets" that is a sample for the hook and from which the track takes its title. Heavy dry drum, robust bass, Casual kills the cut, Pro the Leader drops bars with an energetic style, the last stanza is performed by both. St. Louis fishes out a heavenly rhythm for "Greater Efficiency", majestic synths, downtempo sparse drum, sweet and soft piano keys, deep bass, regular almost spoken delivery of the rapper. Pearl cut in the Pro the Leader discography.
Christ Bearer joins the main emcee in "Unique Speech", on a Skarekrow production: thundering deep bass, midtempo dry drum, vocal sample, dissonant flute loop, the rhythm is immediately attacked by the irregular, slow rapping of the Northstar rapper. Scratched sample for the hook, regular rap by Pro the Leader to complete the cut. The last posse of the record, "Savage Sanctuary" follows: sparse drums, morbid loops, raw bass, Pro the Leader is joined by Killah Priest of Sunz of Man, Nova-Kane and C-Rayz Walz. Monstar Mob producer crafts cinematic beat for "Times Have Changed": urgent metallic hi-hats, sparse drum, smooth bass, graceful strings, steady delivery from Pro the Leader on his latest solo cut, hook is made up of scratched samples from Ldonthecut, including "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop" by dead prez. heavy rough echoing drum, keyboards, bouncy boom bap, Casual at ease on this beat alongside Pro the Leader.
With fifteen tracks and over fifty minutes of material, Pro the Leader returns to release a solo album after almost fifteen years and proves to be still in good shape, creating one of his most compact and solid efforts, on par with his best works. 7/10.
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