After having tried under the name of 3'Da Hard Way, MC Hardhead and DJ Stoneface make up the New York hip-hop duo Hard Knocks, who somehow have a contract with Wild Pitch (and a distribution from EMI), now famous among fans as a source of hip-hop hidden and dark gems.
The production of the record is done by a beatmaker duo known as The Spear Chuckers, they provide accessible and light, simple jazzy rhythms, with good jazzy samples and a lean, syncopated and light drum machine. The music never strays too far from the typical East Coast jazzy sound you already know (the intro gives me hip house vibes, but it's an exception), and Hardhead's lyricism is also quite typical of the New York rap scene, with arguments socio-conscious and braggadocio: very personal record, without guests, the rapper here has a pleasant flow and an elementary, syncopated, slow delivery style, the beats are functional to his style and it's all right, a quite round album with no notable irregularities. It's a really good listen, even if it lacks banger or immediate classics, so it's therefore not a particularly refined hidden gem.
Rating: 7/10.
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