This album was released on March 20th this year. I think the first time I ever heard WateRR rap was in 2020 when he was featured on Rob Viktum’s O’Herlihy album. He had one of my favorite tracks on that album, and I went on to enjoy his features with artists like Ty Farris & IAMGAWD. However, I didn’t ever hear an album from him until now. Lupara are a collective of some of the underground’s best producers right now. The group contains Timepiece, Hobgoblin, MIGHTYHEALTHY, SB11, Machacha, Bohemia Lynch, Farmabeats, and Flu. I’d consider myself a fan of all of them. I’ve only ever heard a few beats from MIGHTYHEALTHY, but what I’ve listened to has been very good. I had a feeling that I would enjoy this album to some extent, but it ended up surpassing my expectations.

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The albums starts with an Intro produced by Machacha. I really love the slow, ominous production on this track, and WateRR’s flow over it is really awesome.

Optical 20/20, philosophical
I don't know do dummy money, that ain't logical
'Member when I was lonely in the hospital
Killer, when I get hungry I'm unstoppable

He slaughtered this track honestly. I love the way the drums come in once the verse is finished. I wish y’all could’ve seen my face the first time I heard that beat drop. This beat is absolutely fire, and WateRR floated over it beautifully. I think this track is dope as hell. The following song is called Silent Maneuvers, and it’s produced by SB11. I think the instrumental here is really good, and WateRR sounds great over it. The first verse is really nice, and the second one is even better.

Commerce & trade, the art of grenades
Major part to get paid, shoutout to my barber for carvin' my waves
Divin' like scuba, supplied with the Buddha
Silent maneuvers like Malcolm & Castro catchin' vibes out in Cuba
The root of evil, build a huge cathedral
Fool the people through Sunday schoolin', amusin' how that tender still legal

I love his flow on this track. The hook doesn’t really do much for me, but I’m not gonna pretend to have a huge issue with it being here. The song’s really dope overall. It’s followed by Circumstances & Consequences, which is honestly one of my favorite songs of the year. I think the beat here from SB11 is absolutely amazing. It’s really melodic & dark. For whatever reason, it reminds me of Traverse Town from Kingdom Hearts. WateRR killed this shit.

Any rapper claimin' he better, they veins gettin' severed
Blood rivers floodin' your level, bring pain to the devil
Grab a shovel, dig a grave, on my schedule get paid
I gets to carvin' like Geppetto you threaten my brigade

His flow sounds so fucking good over this beat. I even love the hook. There’s really nothing about this track that I don’t really enjoy. This shit is excellent.

Any doubt inexcusable, the route I traveled tailored and suitable
More than gracious, I was made irrefutable through crucibles
Immutable statements with beautiful cadence, I view a surveillance
My school included movers and shakers, farmers and quakers
Varnishin' the armor by acres, storms in Jamaica reverberate
Alarmin' by nature, spillin' the pain like you pinchin' a vein
No practice, this is the game, feelin' like a savage when fists get exchanged

I love it. The song’s dope as fuck. Track 4 is called Property & Paper, and it’s produced by Machacha. The melodic instrumental here feels a lot more reserved than that of the preceding track. It’s pretty good. WateRR slaughtered this song too. I love the way he rhymes, and his flow is fantastic. The song didn’t blow me away like most of the others did, mainly because the production feels relatively simplistic, but I definitely still enjoyed this song a lot. WateRR’s rapping is fire here. The song’s really dope. Track 5 is a highlight called Cheebah & C-Notes.

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This was one of the more exciting songs on the album for me because it features Rufus Sims, and it didn’t disappoint at all. The production from Farmabeats is exceptional, and WateRR’s flow over it is really nice. Rufus Sims kinda stole the show for me here though. His flow was impeccable.

All of the roads I took
Led me back to the path they most overlooked
Led me back to that fork in the road
I picked it up, whipped up the bowl for the O's I cooked
Police read me my rights like an open book
Flashing lights around me like a show I booked
Parol lease if they think that I'm overcooked
'Cause I open books, I ain't close to shook

It’s honestly one of my favorite features I’ve heard so far in 2023. He really stood out a lot here. I love it. The song’s dope as hell. It’s followed by another highlight called Michelin Star, which is produced by MIGHTYHEALTHY. I love this beat. This shit sounds dirty as hell in the best way possible. It’s the kind of instrumental that I’d only wanna hear a really skilled lyricist over. WateRR fits on it perfectly. The beat is really what makes this track stand out so much to me. WateRR killed it though.

Sensational favors, tastemaker ratings at FADER
With no debate, I had a plate they could savor
Grace to the waiter, balancin' the cake that I cater
You get paralysis engagin' the data, praisin' the flavor
Them garlic chives place your problems aside
Come out dead or come out alive, major part of your diet
Good onion powder & cannabis flower, and I'm brandishing power
Double barrel gauge dismantle your tower

I even like the hook on this song too. That’s one thing that I really appreciate about this album. A lot of times underground artists will just not include hooks at all, and they’ll just rap the whole time. That’s not a bad thing in small doses, but it makes the album feel a little stale if every single track is structured that way. This album has good hooks though. You can tell they actually wanted to craft fleshed out songs instead of just having a collection of verses over dope beats. Anyway, this song is dope as hell. It’s followed by Travel the Soundscape, which has another instrumental from Farmabeats. I really love the weird, kind of jazzy beat here. WateRR’s rapping over it is really good too. This is one of the shortest songs on the album, so there’s only really time for one verse, followed by an outro. The verse itself is really nice. I’m not crazy about the outro, but it’s not bad. It’s kinda just there. I love the way the instrumental closes out though. The production is definitely what makes this song stand out so much to me, but the rapping is very good too. I think it’s a dope track. Every song from this point forward is a highlight to me. Track 8 is called Bathe in the Jordan, and it’s produced by Flu. The beat here is amazing. WateRR rhymed his ass off too.

Inhale medicinals, practicin' principles
Action & rituals, the man right here active & mystical
All an illusion, a ball of confusion
Good cigars from the Cubans, feelin' like a star when I fall in the Buick

The stellar production in conjunction with WateRR’s superb rhyming makes this one of the better songs on the album in my opinion. The hook is very simple, but it works pretty well as a break between the two verses. I think this shit is dope as hell. It’s followed by the most melodic song on the album, Whenever the Drama Come, which features Defcee.

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The production from Bohemia Lynch is phenomenal, and same goes for the opening verse from WateRR.

Fire they dumpin' started speedin' with no reluctance
A couple ones bleedin', but no discussion, just repercussion
Sequential struggle, search for pieces that fit the puzzle
I exercise my demons and send them for you, pistols and shovels

The sung hook is pretty solid. WateRR’s vocals aren’t amazing or anything, but they’re definitely sufficient. To no one’s surprise, Defcee murdered the second verse.

You can find me wandering the wreckage of all my mistakes
Vice grippin' the whiskey bottle, my body is locked in place
Man, I walked the race, and passed the wind sprinters once they legs gave in
They were more gas than the best strains that chest-cave

This is another one of the best songs on the album in my opinion. The production and rapping are exquisite. Track 10 is called Hour Glass, and it’s produced by Timepiece. I absolutely love the melodic beat here. The minimalistic approach to the percussion was a good decision in my opinion. Much like with the preceding track, the sung hook here is pretty solid. It’s definitely not the main appeal of the song, but it serves its purpose well enough. The actual rapping here is outstanding.

Royal genes craft a seat at my throne
Military bombin' the people with drones, secrets unknown
Clandestine meetings, Willie Manchesters who grievin'
Conversations with ancestors, tell 'em I need 'em

This is another one of the shorter songs on the album, so there’s only time for one verse. The hook prevents this track from feeling undercooked though. I love the song. Hexes & Curses has another really awesome beat from Timepiece. It’s a lot more energetic and aggressive sounding. This is one of the most lyrically aggressive songs on the album too. I love WateRR’s shit talking here.

Styles, I got various, rule of law, this is the magisterium
Who you know better? Bring 'em, I'll bury 'em

The hook is very good, and the second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion.

Breakin' the huddle, raised in the struggle
Learned to make it and double, if you patient, that's on your station to bubble
Came straight from the troubles, wages I hustle, maintaining the ruffles
You engage in a scuffle, I'll grab the blade then start shavin' your muscle

If aggressive, battle-adjacent bars are your preference, this will likely be your favorite song on the album. It’s definitely one of mine. The penultimate track is entitled Versace Frames, and it has one more beat from Timepiece. I really love the instrumental here, although I will admit that the loop gets a bit repetitive by the time the song ends. I feel like Jay-Z would sound fantastic over this one. Once again, I like the minimalistic percussion a lot. WateRR killed this shit too. There’s only one verse since this is one of the shorter songs on the album. It’s fantastic though. I think the song’s awesome. The closing track is called Tool of Thought, and it’s another one of the more exciting songs for me because it has production from Hobgoblin. The beat that Hobgoblin made for Pro Zay‘s Splintz song is honestly one of my favorite instrumentals ever made, so I was super curious to see what he would cook up for WateRR on this album. This shit did not disappoint at all. The fast paced production here is the perfect canvas for WateRR, who flowed over it beautifully. I kinda wish there was a second verse on this song, but I still love it as it is. The hook is pretty nice, WateRR killed the verse, and the production from Hobgoblin is stunning. This shit is fire.

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^{This album is really goddamn great. There’s not a single track here that I don’t like, and damn near every song can be considered a highlight. This is gonna be the album I point to when arguing that Lupara are one of the most talented collectives in Hip Hop right now. The production throughout this entire album is fire. WateRR is a super skilled lyricist too. This was my first time hearing a full project from him, and I can’t imagine a better entry point. He slaughtered every single verse he delivered here. This is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard so far in 2023. WateRR is definitely on my radar now. I can’t wait to check out the new album that he dropped today, The Policy Kings. I was already a big fan of the Lupara gang, and this project just bolstered my affinity for their music. Don’t sleep on this shit. It’s dope as hell.}

Favorite Song: Circumstances & Consequences
Least Favorite Song: Silent Maneuvers

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