It’s good to hear Masta Ace; one of my favorite rappers; still rapping. When it comes to having the skills that, no matter how good you are, may not be able to pay the bills, he’s one of the most consistent in the game. I just wish he’d make a proper solo album with no concepts or gimmicks; something he hasn’t really done since his debut; Take a Look Around; which remains his best.

The thing here is that he’s making new songs out of beats from MF Doom’s Special Herbs beat set. This album is also a nostalgic dedication to his mother. But the two concepts do not mesh well. MF Doom sampled a lot of old soul songs, but it’s not like his albums were around when Masta Ace was a kid; played here by a different kid we have to hear talk on far too many skits.

Where you’ll have to focus your attention to enjoy this album is on the verses; Masta Ace rapping to an array of funky/jazzy hip-hop beats, which is almost always a good thing. Best songs include a Saturday night club starter featuring a girl named Milani The Artist. The Outtakes that follow, if they had to be included at all, should’ve been followed by a more appropriate closer song.

A pleasant surprise comes in the form of a verse by Big Daddy Kane, speaking of hip-hop veterans. If Masta Ace isn’t going to do a proper solo album, I want to see these two collab. But for some reason Kane’s verse is followed by a vocal feature from none other than MF Doom, whose sole vocal feature, in the middle of the album where it is, comes across as off-puttingly random.

my rating : 3 of 5

2012