Funeral Review

The skill never left and that is the frustrating part. Pick any verse here and you will find internal rhyme schemes and rhythmic shifts that younger rappers cannot execute, delivered with total ease. Then the verse ends and nothing has happened. There is no story, no argument, no emotional register beyond a general amusement with himself, and the beats are the anonymous modern default, dark keys and stock drums bought by the yard.

Mahogany has a decent loop. I Do It works because of the guests. Mama Mia is the only track with an identifiable idea. Across seventy six minutes the effect is a man performing scales beautifully in an empty room. He was releasing music at this point because releasing music is what he does, and the album has the weight of an obligation met. Nobody who loves him plays this one, and nobody who is curious about him should start here.