This album was released on June 16th this year. After hearing the album that The Expert made with Jermiside last year, he immediately became one of the most exciting producers out right now to me. The beats on that project were very intricate and dynamic. Stik Figa was featured on a highlight from that album called Black Tears, which really made a full album from him produced by The Expert seem like a no-brainer. The fact that we actually ended up getting this album is great. Before I even heard it, I was expecting this to be one of the best albums of the year, and it did not disappoint. In fact, this is now my favorite album that Stik Figa has ever made.

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The opening track is entitled BlacAmerica. I really dig the kind of jazzy production here. The horns that eventually come in sound great. With that said, this isn’t even one of my favorite beats on the album. It’s definitely enjoyable though. However, what really makes this song stand out to me is just Stik Figa’s flow and lyricism.

In America, shoot first, ask questions later
Whether you was left for dead or you on a respirator
Don't matter if you thuggin' or you on your best behavior
Somehow violence is a crime, but violence in the legislature
Y'all profess a savior, Big Floyd'd be still alive
How you kill a guy, the guy that died get vilified?
The victim is somehow the guy that's still alive
No faith is in your justice system 'cause it's all compromised

He was talkin’ that talk on this one. I like the way the beat evolves throughout the runtime of this track, but, as I said before, it’s mainly Stik Figa’s performance that had me hooked. The song is really dope. It’s followed by a major highlight called Uknowhut?, which features one of my favorite rappers of all time, Blu. This is definitely a contender for my favorite track on the album, and one of my favorite songs of the year. The instrumental here is absolutely glorious. That sample is amazing. I love Stik Figa’s flow and poetic lyricism here as well.

So much pressure, be wantin' to unwind
Be surprised what we carry on two shoulders and one spine
My life, my life in the sunshine
Love don't cost a thing but it's harder to come by
Closed mouths don't get fed, open your mind
Constant is the only change, can't be frozen in time
Extend grace, we suffer broken designs
Heard seein' is believin' and we start to go blind
Weight of the world is the measure of a man
Sacrificin' simple pleasures, give our babies a chance
Intentional with our efforts, impressin' lessons expand
Got too heavy, gave it to God, and left it in his hands

The way the beat switches up for the verse from Blu is really nice, and the verse itself is stellar. He killed this shit.

Life is so beautiful, I trust my vision
Even when all I see is victims and corrupted systems
Fuck 'em, they want my niggas to end up in prison
Keepin' us drug dealin', hustlin', and killin' so that we struggle endless
But they don't know that it's something in us
That makes us rise above the mud that they want us to live in
See, I was into sinnin' too, but I know I'm forgiven
Was once a Christian, and now I study different religions
And I'm just beginning

That’s definitely one of my favorite features of the year. I love it. The song is dope as fuck overall. There’s not a single aspect of this track that I don’t love. The following track is another highlight called Cost of Business. This song has one of my favorite hooks on the album, and the second verse on this one is absolutely stunning. Every single line of this verse had me hooked.

Looked in the eyes of the killers, heard the pleas of the young
Confronted monsters in the shadows, contempt bleeds from their gums
Goosebumps on they skin from the subs in the trunk
Brown sugar in my phone, can taste the lust on her tongue
Popped by the fish grease, know the chill of our grief
Sirens disrupt our peace, elders exhale beliefs
Peep duplicitous grins, expose gold on their teeth
So much charm on a thief, could turn shame to relief

He went crazy on this one. That’s definitely one of my favorite verses on the album. The production from The Expert here is amazing too. I love this track. It’s dope as hell. Track four is an interlude performed by an artist named Daniel Luke. The performance here is really impressive. It’s basically a piano reprise of the preceding instrumental. It’s gorgeous. I think it’s a really dope interlude. It’s followed by Slo Pokes, which is another highlight for me. I think it has some more of the best rapping on the whole album. The reference to Ace Hood‘s watch falling apart on the red carpet at the 2013 BET Awards was really clever to me.

You the ace in your hood, paid in full and ain't settle
New jacks in the club clouding diamonds and fake bezels

That’s fire. The flow and rhyme scheme that Stik Figa tapped into around the 52 second mark is really fucking nice too.

Is that so?
You know the street, I know the back road
That bold
Frog, he didn't leap, he still a tadpole
Pleateu'd
Peak of the show, way in the back row
Hella drums
Couple of sticks, that means I'm Max Roach
Asshole
All in the biz, get what you ask for
Act broke
Bury the skrill' off in the shadows
Crack jokes
Snapple and pop, leave 'em with tagged toes
Man, the iron right by my side, I'm Jon Favreau

I love his flow on this track. If you’re into really technical rhyming skills you should hopefully be able to appreciate what he did here. The song’s dope as hell. Track 6 is called The Green Monster, and it features Solemn Brigham. This is another highlight for me. The production here is superb. It’s impossible for me to not get the coveted involuntary head nod when I hear the first verse from Stik Figa on this one. His flow is excellent. The guitar that comes in around the 0:43 mark really adds a lot to this track for me. I appreciate how it’s kinda panned to the left side. I will admit that the break between the actual two verses on this song feels like kind of a lull, but the verses themselves are fantastic. Solemn Brigham fits over this beat like a glove, and his flow is great. His melodic delivery sounds really good here.

Spoke with passion, wrote the passage
Hopeless actors choked and they growth is backwards
Seein' the smoke they post as I stoke the mattress
Never let 'em see a quote, they gon' note the caption
But I done let it go, I got no detatchment
Still I keep my friends close, I can tell when they 'bout to fold
First they see the life, then they try to snatch the microphone
Quick to tell a joke, but you can never tell whose side they on
Better know your foes when it all goes down
When you leap into the wild better know your crowd
My homie said he turned me in so we don't all go down
I don't even come around, I got no trust now

They killed this track. The song’s dope as hell. The following track is called Zambezi Zinger, and it’s one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. The production is absolutely incredible, and the Tanya Morgan feature is fantastic. The sample that Donwill raps over sounds so fucking good, and the way the instrumental switches up for Stik Figa’s verse is one of the most exciting moments on the album to me. He absolutely slaughtered this shit.

Link in the bio, quit lyin' about your image
Caught up in a twist and then spiral out of position
State my opinion, don't hide it in hieroglyphics
These niggas is rank and file, I'm colder than cryogenics
My style is reminiscent of Yeshua fighting merchants
Checks you can't cash, your life is a big purchase
Threats is lip service, so why would I get nervous?
Google searchin' for peace, Amazon brought me disturbance

The instrumental switches up again for the third verse from Von Pea. The beat is fire, and he sounds awesome over this shit.

I'ma keep my crown on, I'm duckin' the swan song
Another win, let's keep it steady like we Krondon
I wasn't born with a silver anything
Now my female fans are cool with me
But pretty mean to the other guys
Whether Don, Aeon, or The Other Guys
It's some joints comin' so don't be surprised

The instrumental switches up a third time for the final verse from Stik Figa, which is also superb. They really knocked this one outta the park. This is one of the coolest songs I’ve heard all year. Every single artist involved in the creation of this song did a fantastic job. I love it. It’s followed by another highlight called Lonely Planet. I just really love the instrumental here. This beat is fucking amazing to me. Stik Figa’s opening verse is awesome. I love how he ended it with the lines about suicidal ideation. The hook on this track is good too. I love the second verse as well, and the way this song ends with those weird, kind of angelic, yet slightly unsettling vocals is awesome. I know I didn’t really say much about this track, but that’s because it’s got a very straightforward structure, and I really don’t have any issues with it. The beat is amazing, and Stik Figa killed it. The following track is called Yah’s Shorthand. The vocal sample here sounds a little DOOMish to me. I can definitely imagine him spitting over this beat. It’s a really pretty, melodic, jazzy instrumental. I can also imagine AJ Suede on this beat. The hook on this track is really nice, but it’s really the actual verse from Stik Figa that makes this song stand out so much to me. His flow is really great here.

"Can I be honest?" question establishes trust
I'm afraid there's limitation this world crafted for us
What does it value a man that's only after the bucks
To gain the world and lose his soul and never have it enough?
It actually stuck, and I ain't been practicin' my faith
Know it'll never be perfect, take action after I pray
'Cause without it works instead I can't abandon your name
Provider of a safe passage, the path and the way
But still, you touch my girly face I'll send you to an early grave
Express to the pearly gates, can harmonize with early saints
Bristles lay her baby hairs, intention make babies heirs
Crackers, they ain't playin' fair, legislation won't make 'em share

The outro is pretty nice as well. This song actually grew on me a lot. I always thought it was good, but now I think it’s dope as hell. Track 10 is another highlight called Service, and it features Defcee. The vocal sample here is fire, and the beat is actually pretty different from a lot of the other instrumentals. It sounds a lot more intense. Stik Figa fuckin’ killed the first verse on this track too.

Seek relief for the burden, peaceful, say "peace, fool"
Don't even like people, caught cabin fever in igloos
Smearin' owl pellets all over my damaged easel
Stumblin' over revelations, breachin' portals and I ain't need to
How I reach you, invitations into my stream of conscious
Don't trip, the water's fine, just please empty out your pockets
Deep breaths, wide steps, stay cautious, often it's toxic
Follow the north star, travel light, go where the moss is

I love the way the instrumental builds up as the song progresses. Defcee of course fucking killed the second verse. His flow and vocal delivery sound so good. I really love this track. The following song is called President Streets. This is definitely my least favorite song on the album, but I still like it. It’s a good track. I just don’t love the instrumental as much as the others. Stik Figa’s flow is great here though, especially right at the start of his verse. The weird guitar section that divides the two verses is really cool. It comes back in towards the end of the second verse. Again, I definitely like this song. It’s just not as great as any of the other tracks to me. I still fuck with it though. The penultimate track is a major highlight called The All, and it features Sleep Sinatra. This is another one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. The instrumental is absolutely beautiful. The first verse from Stik Figa is exceptional. I absolutely love the feature from Sleep too. The way the guitar comes in for his verse sounds so good, and his writing is excellent.

Some would forfeit, I'm stayin' the course
I'm water runnin' on boulders 'til I make it a gorge
I don't got all of the answers, but the patience is the source
I been stayin' sedated, so the stress is enforced
Hittin' reps with this notepad, tryna show 'em how to flex
Never had the opportunity to bring out my best
Life been feelin' quick as sudden death
I cherish every breath, intent with every move and step
Remain studious, the words what you choose to accept
But I ain't preachin', I just seen what the views reflect

There’s not a single aspect of this song that I don’t love. The vocal sample that they used for the outro sounds awesome. I love this shit. The song’s dope as fuck. Same goes for the closing track, The Forgotten. I absolutely love the melody of the horns on this track. Stik Figa rapped his ass off on this track too. I love the thoughtful lyricism here.

How do I make it clear, all my conventions?
I say my prayers to God, and I hope he hears repentance
I move by faith, never steered by tradition
Never had thoughts of suicide, but feared the commitment
It appears I'm conflicted, sad, and stressed
Mad depressed, emptiness of a massive death
I'd rather grab a bag, make sure that math's correct
Instead I play Russian Roulette, and I laugh at Death

The way the instrumental builds up is absolutely amazing. This might just be the best song on the album. I don’t know. I’ve been listening to this album for over a week, and I still haven’t chosen a favorite track. This is a strong contender though. It’s dope as fuck.

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^{This is the best Stik Figa album in my opinion. These are the best beats he’s rapped over, and some of the best features he’s gotten. I think this album is amazing. Stik Figa’s writing is just as consistently engaging as I’ve come to expect, and I think these songs have some of the sharpest flows he’s ever spit. All of the beats here are really layered and dynamic too. They keep you on your toes because they’re constantly evolving. There’s not a single track on this album that I don’t like. They knocked this album outta the park in my opinion. Give it a listen, and let me know what you think of it in the comments below. They also recently released a project called The Forgotten EP, which contains remixes of songs from this album, so check that shit out too. Anyway, I think this album is dope as fuck. Don’t sleep on it.}

Favorite Song: The Forgotten
Least Favorite Song: President Streets

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