REBIRTH is what you'd expect from the long-time socially conscious rapper: songs with themes of poverty, social injustice, et al. Unfortunately, unlike on his previous albums the subject matter starts to wear thin almost from the get-go. REBIRTH is unable to find a nice balance between important subject matter and the necessary head-nodding beats that should help carry the message. Adding to the imbalance are a few tracks that boil down to self-veneration of his own hip hop skills, which seem out of place given all the heavy topics featured on the album. REBIRTH is definitely a solid album with a couple of gems, but it's simply not as immersive or soulful as his previous efforts.

Review by: Olaolu Jegede

Posted Saturday, February 9th, 2008 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Reviews. The opinions expressed in music reviews are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WIUX or any of its other volunteers.