The 51-year-old rapper is one of the rare artists in the game who care about writing songs without taking it to far and getting lost in the industry's pop machine. "Badge of Honor" shows he can write a catchy song, and still craft verses with something to say. "Knock" finds Conway the Machine joining him on the track, while he fires off rhymes with bullet-sharp aggression. Not as hooky as the first song, but it still works pretty well. His verses carry a more urgent tension on "KC Huh? KC What?" which finds him bringing some of the Kanas City local talents to the track. The flare for songwriting sparks back up to its potential with "They Know Meh" and keeps the momentum with a darker and more cinematic dynamic of "Tell Everyone".
" Things I Like" finds him busting off a list of what inspires him ranging from boobs, horror movies and drugs. He also has some musical preferences. The next moment that finds him doing something outside the box is on "WHAT" which finds him joining Kim Dracula. Lyrically things are chanted with a great deal of substance. This is not new for him as his career has been pretty consistent in that regard. It is also not the first time he has crossed over into rock sounds. Having been a regular at the Gathering , leading to more bookings at rock festivals, Tech knows where his audience lies. "Wess Paul Bennett" finds the faster flow he is known for keeping things moving while employing Nate Dogg-like melodies.
"Pull Out" finds him playing it safer by leaning in a more dumbed down direction that has more common with the current state of hip-hop. He has been in the game long enough for old school DNA give his mainstream dabbling to have more substance than what kids today are doing. There are several "Skit" tracks which I am ignoring as they do not con tribute to the album, so I am just focusing on the actual songs. "Fatha Fig Ya" has enough groove to work, though not the album's best song. "Reach Us" has DJ scratching bringing a more old school feel. He continues to impress with varied lyrical themes. "Red Aura" relaxes into more of an R&B feel. Qveen Herby steps in for a verse that elevates her to one of the best guests on this album.
"Screen" is about the kind of energy you let into your life, which is more conscious than most rap out today. "Drill Sargent' is marginally darker, with him popping off with the old-school feel in this song's veins. "Bro So Mo" switches up the song's narrative in a manner that rappers today have become too lazy to attempt. "I Met a Morph" falls back into more of an R&B-tinged groove. He weaves his voice around it well. Once again he gets into deeper topics like energy exchange, showing that some of his more primal verses are to appeal to the hip-hop status quo. "Deer Alley" has a more languid stoned malaise as he ponders why deer wander out into traffic. How high did he have to get the idea to write this song? I am not complaining.
"2Happy" has enough of a hook to make the song work even though some of the verses sound like an Eminem B-side. "Got What I Wanted" closes the album with the kind of hit-and-run lyrical finesse that you want from him. There is a melodic hook that allows this song to check off all the boxes. I will give this album a 9.5, as he meets your expectations if you consider him to be one of the last great rappers still making music.
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