Their debut album kicks off with the bouncy, minimalistic-sounding Koruna & Lime. Oakland native Stepa J Groggs drops some nice lines on the first verse like-
'If you didn't help me get it, don't be speakin' on mine
No, for real, don't say s*it, like you speakin' in mime'
Now moving on to his partner-in-rhyme Ritchie With A T. Based on the tunes I mentioned in the intro, Ritchie isn't one to bite his tongue and hold back any criticism. You'll certainly clock this on Jawbreaker where he gives his 'You know what grinds my gears?' take on today's fashion trends. Another minimalistic production, Rico Nasty drops a dope guest verse and gives some game to the listeners with
'I got money and the power and I'm still myself
Momma said don't go broke tryin' to fill yourself
Momma said don't break tryin' to build yourself
And don't feel ashamed if you need some help
'Cause we all do...'
'I got money and the power and I'm still myself
Momma said don't go broke tryin' to fill yourself
Momma said don't break tryin' to build yourself
And don't feel ashamed if you need some help
'Cause we all do...'
The production is handled predominantly by in-house producer Parker Corey. I previous pointed out the use of minimalistic beats and that is the prominent sound for the first five tracks. They're pretty dope though. QWERTY Interlude kinda reminded me of Hive by Earl Sweatshirt and Jailbreak The Tesla is definitely one of the standout beats on the LP. The latter could give the best-behaved child ADHD.
After track 5... Gravy N Biscuits takes the listener from hyper to happy with the feelgood vibes. Three Man Weave had a similar feel to S On Ya Chest with the jazz influence though the horns can feel overbearing at times. The aforementioned tracks felt like anomalies though as the overall production was pretty damn raw and aggressive. I f'd with it though.
Both Ritchie and Stepa are technically adept and IR's content doesn't get boring as they rap about various topics from the light-hearted to the serious.
One standout was Best Spot In The House. Over a beat that is both rugged and haunting, they both speak about their shortcomings as people. The brutal honesty definitely made me revisit this a few times.
Another was What A Year It's Been where over an intensifying crescendo, the pair lament over personal events that took place in the last 12 months.
Out of the 13 tracks, 5 of them had features including Freddie Gibbs and all of the guest rappers impressed with their verses.
There were some interesting moments on this album. For one, this is the first time I've heard an openly-gay rapper (Cakes Da Killa on GTFU) feature on a hip hop album.
Also after what was said about Rapper Big Pooh, I certainly wasn't expecting to hear his old partner-in-rhyme Phonte (who he recently reconciled with) on this album either. Even if it was just to drop a couple ad-libs on the closer Three Man Weave. Richie being Richie, he may raise some eyebrows by claiming his basketball skills parallel the mic skills of Russ... we'll leave you to judge how he rates his ballin'.
Rap Song Tutorial was a cool concept too and probably the most original song I've heard this year.
Overall, I enjoyed this album. Good debut from the trio and feels somewhat unique. Injury Reserve definitely have the quality to be first-teamers in this hip hop game. I'll give this an 8.
FAVES
Beat- Jailbreak The Tesla
Verse- Best Spot In The House
Feature- Amine (Jailbreak The Tesla)
Track- What A Year It's Been
After track 5... Gravy N Biscuits takes the listener from hyper to happy with the feelgood vibes. Three Man Weave had a similar feel to S On Ya Chest with the jazz influence though the horns can feel overbearing at times. The aforementioned tracks felt like anomalies though as the overall production was pretty damn raw and aggressive. I f'd with it though.
Both Ritchie and Stepa are technically adept and IR's content doesn't get boring as they rap about various topics from the light-hearted to the serious.
One standout was Best Spot In The House. Over a beat that is both rugged and haunting, they both speak about their shortcomings as people. The brutal honesty definitely made me revisit this a few times.
Another was What A Year It's Been where over an intensifying crescendo, the pair lament over personal events that took place in the last 12 months.
Out of the 13 tracks, 5 of them had features including Freddie Gibbs and all of the guest rappers impressed with their verses.
There were some interesting moments on this album. For one, this is the first time I've heard an openly-gay rapper (Cakes Da Killa on GTFU) feature on a hip hop album.
Also after what was said about Rapper Big Pooh, I certainly wasn't expecting to hear his old partner-in-rhyme Phonte (who he recently reconciled with) on this album either. Even if it was just to drop a couple ad-libs on the closer Three Man Weave. Richie being Richie, he may raise some eyebrows by claiming his basketball skills parallel the mic skills of Russ... we'll leave you to judge how he rates his ballin'.
Rap Song Tutorial was a cool concept too and probably the most original song I've heard this year.
Overall, I enjoyed this album. Good debut from the trio and feels somewhat unique. Injury Reserve definitely have the quality to be first-teamers in this hip hop game. I'll give this an 8.
FAVES
Beat- Jailbreak The Tesla
Verse- Best Spot In The House
Feature- Amine (Jailbreak The Tesla)
Track- What A Year It's Been
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