I don't know exactly how they do it, but Killer Mike and El-P saturate everything they touch with their persona. This album has great tracks and great production overall. Walking in the Snow and Ju$t are clear standouts for me, doing what hip hop does best when it acts as the social conscience of the music world, full of lyrics that are both well written and on point about the state of the world, embedded in a production rich enough with musical detail for me to overlook the non-tonality of the vocals. The big single Ooh La La suffers a little bit outside the context of the music video, and I kind of wish the Yankee and the Brave concept presented in the album outro was woven into the proceedings a bit more. A few words for the firing squad ends the album on a reflective tone, and the saxophone bedrock is a refreshing breather from the bombast of the previous ten tracks. Overall, this album delivers the goods though.
By: bcpriess