Nickelus F is not new to this shit. Not one bit. As the self proclaimed "only rapper not to blow up off a Drake feature", he's someone who has been in the game for decades. "MMCHT" is his newest full length project where he shows he's more than capable of living up to his prodigious past.

Standout Tracks: Just F, Him, Fire Bath, What Lies Beneath

F's lyrical skill is the main actor in this feature. Front and center, from the top he puts on an impressive display weaving rhymes and metaphors to present the stories of his life in a way that's both dense and digestible. Moments like the second half of the title track are where this project peaks. As the beat switches, F takes the energy up a notch, spitting venomous bars like My forecast is nothing but shining so I use shady I shut the whole side of ya body down like ya tooth achy ... Fuck I might build a hideout on the moon maybe Or dope beat butter Timbs into your mouth like the boot tasty And the clever wordplay only starts there. On this album, some songs are introspective, some are ignant, but across the board the raps are immaculate. Easily the highest point of any listen.

The one major critique of this project is the lack of consistency in sound that you would expect from the most spectacular of projects. There are a few times where it's hard to pin down exactly what style F is going for with the direction. Does he want to be boom bap or trap? Does he want to sound traditional or off the wall, subdued or aggressive? There's some of all of that on the album, and that can make it feel very disjointed, but that doesn't keep it from excelling at the things that work. Tracks like Ziplocs and What Lies Beneath are where Nickelus is at his best. Taking introspective glimpses into his life and spinning the yarn of his fabric into lyrics that radiate his emotions. The times where he strays from this formula are the times where the songs start losing their appeal. Diabolical is the prime example. The fast-paced jagged aura is nothing like the rest, and it feels completely out of place, especially when followed by the most mellow and reflective song on the album. That breakneck pace change only harms the cohesion and flow of the tracks; to the point where there can be real tonal whiplash on the album. Even a simple reordering could have served the feeling much better.

This is the type of project that would have been a killer mixtape 15 years ago, it has that kind of feel to it. Patchy but potent, the concepts resemble a loose collection of thoughts much more than a cohesive narrative, but the execution is unquestionable. Despite some blemishes when evaluated as a whole, it's also important to see the forest for the trees. Looking at each track on its own gives a much better image of what Nickelus F is capable of on a smaller scale, even if the full picture is a bit muddy.

Final Verdict: in the rotation - A full listen doesn't paint the best picture, but each individual track on this album, save a couple, is excellent. The cohesion may be lacking but the content is packing.