"My goal's been the same since I
was eight or nine,
haven't signed with no major, but we
still on a major grind.
A creative mind, trying to find a way
to shine,
hoping one day, some say I wrote their
favorite rhyme."
from Sincerely Yours ft Daniel
Adams-Ray
Professor P was a skinny teenager back
when he won MC's Fight Night 2002, the most prestigeous rap battle in
scandinavia. Rap battles being mostly about punchlines and very
little about content and flow, you couldn't really be sure whether or
not his staggered punchline-style of rapping could convert favorably
to an actual album setting- which was reinforced by the fact that he
didn't drop his debut LP until 2007(aptly named "Patience"). "The Realism" marks the
second release of what is now an official duo.
While P's lyrics aren't always super
advanced or exploring new topics, his flow is tight, he has a cool
sounding voice- and his punchlines are obviously still great. Topics
range from his love for his hometown and the state of the music business to
efforts at being more insightful on songs like "Nothing's Gonna
Stop Me" and "1". While there is a solid flow and
great rhymes in the former("my rap's got the street writing
tweets in caps lock"), the latter themes unfortunately tend to
come off as somewhat cliché and forced("its hard for these
young girls, both feeling unsure of who they are and unsure of who
they once were").
The production oozes with 90's
nostalgia, spectacular horn and string samples blend with piano loops
and down to earth breakbeats. Perhaps this music belongs to a lost
audience, but I find it sublime and lively.
Notable guest artists on the album are
Promoe(of Looptroop Rockers) and Sadat X(of Brand Nubian). Both
deliver good verses but neither manages to outshine Professor P, I'd
say that's the mark of a very solid performance overall.
High point of the album:
Spellbound(L-Town)
Low point of the album: #1
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