(FLANNERY)

The beauty of doing what I do is the fact I get to go through different artists, periods of music that I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. In this case, I get to go back to 2023 before my website was even out and talk about a MC I haven’t discovered until now, and now we get to revisit an album that was good enough to make it on Paka The Plug! So with that in mind, let’s talk about it!

This is the 4th Jan 2023 album by MC -RONTHEGREAT with production from

-Dom2xl

-ETO

And with these seven tracks and 19 minutes of content, we get to discover an album that has some pretty solid energy and atmosphere! If we discuss the production first, we hear a score that has a few different tones, paces, and influences that all come together smoothly to create a strong sonic presence!

Whether we talk about the track -LEN BIAS VS MICHAEL JORDAN, which has this classical meets boom bap feel to it with those grand strings, thudding drum beats, and some thick keys that are equal parts subtle and powerful! A minimally layered instrumental that has an impactful sound to it!

Or what about the track -FLANNERY, where we get into one of the more surreal tracks in the line-up courtesy of ETO! First of all, those rhythmic key progressions are the first thing to hit you in the face! Combined with some trademark hip-hop drums and some deliciously plucked bass that all wrap together to create this experimental in nature track that I couldn’t get enough of! 

There’s also the track -GOLD MEDALLIONS AND FOREIGNS that definitely has a grand feel to it! With those luscious piano keys that have such a lively quality to them as if there’s a live pianist playing in the studio with them!

Some sharp synth chords, thick bass, and more heavy drums! This has boom bap written all over it, but it’s fucking infectious! The kind of beat I could listen to for hours without ever getting sick of it!

When it comes to the MC aspect of things, I found his performances and subject matter rather interesting. Why? Because of the way he can switch up his topics and themes in a blink of an eye. 

For example, on the track -GOLD MEDALLIONS AND FOREIGNS, he goes from mentioning the heartbreak of losing his daughter due to miscarriage (can’t imagine how hard that would

be to go through) to in a few bars later flexing about a girl’s deep throat game! 

That level of brutal honesty combined with the ability to just speed-run different thoughts is actually impressive because he’s not downplaying anything! You can hear the pain in his voice when he’s talking about his loss, and then you can also hear his tone shift accordingly when talking about the woman’s abilities with her mouth, or the reflection in his voice when he’s discussing personal struggles or life experiences.

With each new experience comes the appropriate emotion that he spreads throughout the track! It’d actually be insane. Most rappers have talked about various things, but they don’t normally equip the songs with the emotional energy as well! It’s normally just said. That’s what makes this guy already stand out to me! He’s like a verbal empath to his own stories and situations!

On top of all that, he has a chronically dope flow, exceptional use of vocabulary, gripping lyricism with in-depth storytelling, and nice manipulation of the beats to make his wordplay and penmanship that much more appealing! No features in sight, just one man and his skill for encapsulating the album with his natural one-of-a-kind charisma, and sometimes that’s all you need!

Definitely recommend this one! Even if it is three years old at this point, it still holds up with some solid chemistry between the rapper and producers! Link below! It all makes sense now what Paka saw in him! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/7rBQyVazFqJCztY6PjDAG5?si=zG65QqFsSk2HPkitm4_gPw