The Last

After covering my first experience of his solo album I was left impressed and curious for more. I now knew he could rock An album of his own and with that knowledge discovered I had nothing but optimism as I go through the rest of his catalog! Starting with this one! This is the 2019 album by MC -Maine The Medicine & -Suspect with production from -Will Sully -Know It -Nate Williams -JI Studios -U.G -Native Seals -Skinny Bones -The Kurse And features the likes of -Sharky -Block Mcloud -U.G -Singa Frass -Khali Hustle -Big Gat -Lucas Hex -Holla Da Scholar -Vision And this album is substantially larger in roster then the other one and although I’m more in favour of the bare minimum features and contributions it doesn’t mean these albums will be bad and also we’ve already heard he can create well done duo albums and so I came into this one excited to see how he handles this one and it tunes out I had no reason to worry! Let’s talk about it! As stated, there was a massive amount of producers that helped work on this one, 7 to be exact! And they all bring their own perspectives and personalities that help craft this multi dimensional record that lays its roots in what would be a prelude to the 2020’s era boom Bap in the most elegant way possible! Firstly we have tracks like -The Last which stood out to me because it has this hypnotically sharp chord progressions that come full circle with these methodical drum beats and some light keys in the background that makes this song feel almost lucid in it’s execution! You’ve got tracks like -Sharky which starts off with this beautifully crafted instrumental with those flute samples and acoustic strings that evolves into this groovy track that introduces light drums and some delicate keys! The most striking track on the whole album I’d say due to its stripped back nature! Hell, what about the track -Blah Blah this one has a very raw feel to it. A 90’s East Coast throwback track with a hilarious chorus which is pretty much just jibberish to tell the haters in no certain terms ‘fuck off, we don’t wanna hear what you have to say’ On this track we have those plucked strings combined with that heavy bass and minimal drum patterns. One of the more skeletal beats but in that lack of layers comes a strong vibe and aura that only a great producer could make! When we discuss the MC work although there’s a lot of features we still hear the main duo of Suspect and Maine be the MVP’s of their own project by showcasing a strong sense of rhythm, chemistry and synchronicity with the beats given! This is the format I first discovered Maine and as expected he thrives in that field! Both men thrive in the collaborative function. Finishing each other’s grooves. One dashes with the verbal baton the other comes up from behind, takes the mantle and runs the rest to the finish line! It’s all one fluent motion. No wasted energy, time or effort and that’s what’s special about artists who can dictate the pace in this style without ego or difficulty in combing two tones getting in the way just straight bars and strong verses and that’s what’s delivered here! Considering this album is a few minutes shy of an hour long it’s a wonder they were able to maintain the momentum and attention span for the audience. With most records being half an hour or less now days and only a handful of longer projects being remembered in the past decade it really is a testament to their ability to work well with each other to create said dynamic! Of course the way they rock with the features is also impressive! Making sure each guest maintained the same quality that they created is key and that’s what each guest did! Although this album is 7 years old now it’s still work checking out! Either for the beautiful chemistry of the MC’s or the vast production or both! Pick your reason and check it out now!