This EP was originally released in 2016, but it was reissued by Uncommon Records on March 31st this year. I really didn’t know anything about these guys prior to listening to this project. I still don’t know much about them. I just know that Pastense is an MC from Boston, and Shortrock is a turntablist from the legendary 1200 Hobos crew. This EP is fully produced by Uncommon Nasa, which is the reason why I decided to check it out in the first place. I’m really glad I gave it a chance though because these guys really impressed me.

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The project begins with a highlight entitled God’s Watching. The first thing that really stood out to me about this song was the production from Nasa. This beat is weird as hell, but in the best way possible. I think it’s an amazing instrumental. The next thing that really stood out to me was Pastense’s voice. He sounds a lot like old school Aesop Rock to me. I love his unorthodox approach to rhyming and flow on this track too.

It goes beer then the liquor, I call this hopscotchin'
Double dutch hotboxin', locked in with toxins
Makin' a full metal record
Been doin' this since ball fades and starter jackets
Since sittin' on the stairs, a blunt, a book of matches
Inciting, reciting reactions to the world around us
Damn, the worlds surround us, we're submerged in water
We're a bunch of drowning flounders

This is exactly the type of shit that I’m into. His voice is really great for rapping, and he sounds perfect over this beat. The hook is really nice, and the second verse is even better than the first one.

Nothing ever changes until it has to
Tear a piece off the fronto, let the spiritual pass through
True, true, my home is stolen land
Starin' at the hourglass, "Look, Mom, no sand!"
That's fine 'cause I took it and I shattered it
Took the sand and made more glass with it
Sharpened edges for arrows on some battle shit
Then I hopped back on my battleship

The cuts from Shortrock at the end of this song are just the icing on the cake. This song honestly grew on me even more after repeat listens. It’s one of my favorite songs of the year now. I think it’s amazing. Track 2 is called Windy Daze, and it features a verse from Uncommon Nasa. The weird, dark production reminds me of the Cold Vein honestly. I think it’s really awesome. The first verse from Pastense is great, and the scratching during the hook sounds really good. The second verse is really phenomenal. The final verse from Uncommon Nasa was pretty cool as well. His flow sounded less off-kilter than it usually does. There’s really nothing about this track that I don’t enjoy. It’s another one of my favorite tracks on the project. I think it’s dope as hell. The following track is called Breathe, and it doesn’t feature any rapping at all. I think the instrumental here is pretty nice, but it’s really the cuts from Shortrock that make this song worth returning to. There’s a really weird section where they include a clip of Anna Nalick’s Breathe, which is kinda funny I guess. It doesn’t really affect my enjoyment of the song, but I can see it making or breaking the track for other listeners. I really like the percussion on this song. Shortrock’s technique gets particularly flashy after about one minute and forty five seconds. It’s a really dope track overall. The penultimate track is called Rich Pryor. This is easily my least favorite track on the project, but I don’t think it’s bad at all. I just really don’t care for the repetitive production on this song. Thankfully the rapping is good enough to make the song somewhat enjoyable for me.

No man's land, live grizzly, lift me
I wanna spit with Biggie, sip a drink with Whitney
Toss a pitch to Babe & Mickey, life's a bitch behavin' sickly
But I love her, damn she's sweet
I'll go hug her in the street and kiss her on the cheek
And try not to fail her

The cuts from Shortrock before the hook are a nice touch. Again, I definitely don’t think this is a bad song. I just personally am not really into the beat at all, so it’s not something that I’m gonna be returning to. It’s an okay song overall though. The closing track is called A Broken Letter. This shit is fire. The first verse here is amazing.

Drip Pollock burgundy, wrist slitted vertically
The water in the tub's gettin' murky, angels heard my plea
Nothing's hurting me, there's nothing on this Earth for me
The world's burning, fading, fleeing urgently

I was on the edge of my seat waiting eagerly to hear each line. I was hooked by Pastense’s dark lyricism on this song.

Lost here, starts weird, odd stare, crosshairs
God's lear, no old man in an arm chair 
Unclear essence of a thought seared in my old mind appeared
Here there's no time, under no known sun
Alone to atone in a zone here
Where my soul begun

The dark production from Uncommon Nasa fits the lyrical themes of this song perfectly, and the cuts from Shortrock sound fantastic. I do think that the beat is slightly repetitive, but that’s just a nitpick. This song is dope as hell to me.

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^{This project is super dope. Apparently Uncommon Nasa is producing Pastense’s upcoming album for Uncommon Records, and it’s dropping later this year. This EP here has me super intrigued about that album. I think this was a really good entry point as a new listener. I was really impressed by Pastense’s lyricism, flows, and vocal delivery. This honestly sounds like a less dated version of some classic underground shit that could’ve come out in the 2000s—like something on Rhymesayers, Def Jux, Strange Famous, or even anticon. If you’re into any of those crews then definitely consider giving this project a listen. This was one of the nicer surprises of the year for me. I’d never heard of these guys before, but they really impressed me. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below. I think it’s great.}

Favorite Song: God’s Watching
Least Favorite Song: Rich Pryor

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