Search - J-Live :: Then What Happened?

J-Live Takes A Lickin' And Keeps On Tickin' {4 ½ Stars}

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 09/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When J-Live drops an album, you can expect a certain level of dopeness and consistency. He hasn't failed to meet that expectation, if you ask me -- well, one could argue that Reveal the Secret didn't meet those expectations, but I liked it. On Then What Happened, J-Live delivers another banger from the perspective of a man that has been battered and beaten by the record industry but still stands tall and delivers the goods. I don't know if this is the best production he's ever rhymed over -- mostly because All of the Above is one of my favorite rap albums ever -- but it's some of the best production on a J-Live album in quite some time. The highlight of the album, in my opinion, is "The Upgrade" which features Oddisee and De La's Posdnuos over some inspiring production. There are other highlights as well, but the entire album is solid from top to bottom.



As far as flaws, there's nothing on this album that one could call wack. For me, it's all tight from to bottom. That being said, there are one or two tracks that I skip every now and then because I have to be in the mood for them -- "Be No Slave", "What You Holdin", and "The Last Third", for example.



Then What Happened is one of the best rap releases of 2008, in my opinion. Sure, the production is nothing out of this world or groundbreaking, but all around output is nothing short of excellent. I recommend adding this album to your music collection.



Standout Tracks: It Don't Stop, We Are!, One to 31, The Upgrade feat. Oddisee & Posdnuos (My Favorite), The Zone feat. Chali 2na, and The Understanding"