Masta Ace has been doing the skit thing for a while. He should stop. It’s a lame idea that does little more than bring his albums down. This EMC group release qualifies as an EP; not the official follow-up to their Show album, which is said to come later this year; but it’s no exception. The skits, most of which consist of Superbowl phone dialogue about the group’s return via Penalty Records, aren’t funny or particularly interesting. And there are seven; one before and after every song.

The rappers, with the exception of a weak Punchline; EMC really would be a lot stronger without him; are still nice as far as skills go, so the songs are best during their verses. Masta Ace uses a lot of lazy similes; hopefully he’s saving his best rhymes for the full album; but all three (MCs) are consistently better than average. The hooks, two of which are based on silly kid chants; the “monkey” bit on Sweet Potato Fries irks me almost as much as the Charly Murphie shout; don’t fare as well.

my rating : 2 of 5

2014