killer mike is no stranger to the underground. an artist of his status in hip hop needs no further introduction. a certified legend of his craft, MICHAEL is a homage to a past self, and a stark reminder of just who he has become

standout tracks : SHED TEARS, MOTHERLESS, DON’T LET THE DEVIL, HIGH & HOLY

right out the gate, the album sets you up with horns peeking through the smooth bass line laid down, then Mike somehow manages to follow the 1-2 with a punch that hits as hard as my geriatric grandmother. i mean really. the first words on the first track, “DOWN BY LAW”, were “hello my niggas, hello my, hello my niggas, please keep it mellow my niggas”. talk about an awful first impression. and unfortunately those bars were a sign of what more was to come. this album is one of the most disappointing lyrical performances i’ve heard in a long while, so many times i found myself asking “what is that even supposed to mean?”. when it comes to subject matter, Killer Mike sounds like he’s trying to give a Jay-Z impression so bad it sounds borderline satirical. like he heard the Che Guevara with bling bar from “PSA” and decided that would be the basis of his new persona. problem is, that persona is at best a paper thin disguise for the continued enabling of capitalism. it works for Jay, he was always about the money so, to a certain extent, it’s hard to blame him for that part of his identity. but for Killer Mike, who rapped for years about toppling the capitalist regime and launching a new revolution for the people, this is a clear as day departure from the kind of commentary that made him who he is. disappointing to say the least

by the end of the album it was hard not to notice that any enjoyment i felt was that same kind of “enjoyment” you feel when you’re sitting through the amateur play that the girl you’re really into dragged you along to see. sure there’s minor enjoyment at times, but mostly it’s that dreadful forced politeness you have show while quietly being held hostage by the mediocrity consuming you. the album isn’t so bad you want ruin peoples fun and go against the grain of acclaim, but it’s bad enough to be so boring you might put it on a random playlist then forget the songs even existed until they surprise you with their frightening blandness.

for someone who came up in the underground with such a jarring, unique, and individualistic style, Killer Mike sounds so… corporate on this album. i mean, just look at the feature list! sure this is ‘technically’ an indie release, but it really is indie in title only. from the subject matter to the production to the bars themselves, everything carries this “perfect” industry sheen you see on every major label release, as if all the perceived imperfections have been perfectly smoothed out. but therein lies the issue. every metaphorical hill and valley on the surface of our music is what gives it true character and meaning. we need the imperfections to appreciate the perfections, smoothing the surface is how you turn a beautiful mountain range into a boring ass plain.

and one more thing…

“TALK’N THAT SHIT” is genuinely one of the worst songs i’ve heard this year. seriously. with glorious rhyme schemes like:

You see, your words ain't worth no money, I ain't spoke back, bitch All of you niggas hang together on some Brokeback shit Really, y'all niggas some hoes, on some ho-ass shit Look at me and take a picture, on some Kodak shit

and

You play bad, I go evil I know folk, I know people I'm the shit, I go fecal You a leech, I'm a leader

you start to wonder, was anybody actually listening to this shit before the label let it fly? isn’t Killer Mike supposed to be known for his hard hitting, topical messages and killer (pun intended) wordplay? this is just so lazy, everything about this project is lazy. the bars are phoned in. the beats sound like something from a stock sample pack. what the hell was he cooking??

final verdict - shelved: sure this album isn’t “bad” per se, if anything it’s objectively a solid tape. but “solid” has a few different connotations. in this case, it’s something much much worse than bad. bland. cause if i’m reaching for Killer Mike, it’s for a change of pace, something completely different, not another rapper shouting nigga 150 times over an 808, we got enough of that already. god damn i'm getting old.