Get To Know H.E.R.

First off, big props to the dude for appearing on XXL mag’s list of top ten independent artists. I’m not the biggest fan of the magazine, but hey, any exposure is good. Anyways, these days the South seems to have a lockdown on mainstream hip hop, polluting the airways with the likes of Soulja Boy, Young Jeezy and the like. In the midst of all that attention the dirty South seems to be getting, it’s a shame that somebody as talented as Killer Mike, will probably be, for the most part, ignored. The former Outkast protege is one of a handful of Southern acts that actually excite me with the release of a new album. His last album was actually shelved and finally leaked on to the internet this past January. And if memory serves me well, it was a pretty enjoyable album. So with that, of course I’m looking forward to hearing his latest effort, I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II. Don’t fail me buddy.

The Good:

2. 10 G’s - A good track that’s hopefully a sign of good things to come. I love that break right before the hook drops.

4. 2 Sides (ft Shawty Lo)

5. Pressure (ft Ice Cube) - Great song. Killer Mike with all his anger here comes off as a sort of Southern Immortal Technique. Especially when coupled with the video.

7. God In The Building - The beat meshes so well with the lyrics, it’s beautiful.

10. Bang! - The hook isn’t anything to write home about, but the rest of the song is good enough to pardon that.

11. Grandma’s House

13. I Gotcha - I gotta hand it to the South, I freaking love their beats. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge die hard East Coast sound fan and will gladly trade a great Lil Jon beat to get my hands on a great Primo beat any day. Still, the dirty South knows how to make some fun beats.

15. Can You Buy That (ft Rock D)

17. Good Bye (City Of Dope) - A great way to end the album on a hight note.

The Solid:

1. Intro - Mike says this ain’t gonna be your average rap album, but ironically it does start out with your average rap intro.

3. Can You Hear Me - I still can’t stand that voice effect hook shit. At least Killer Mike’s verses on this is pretty dope.

6. Big Money Big Cars (ft Chamillionare and Messy Marv)

8. Super Clean/Super Hard (ft 8Ball & MJG)

12. If I Can’t Eat Right (ft Gangsta Pill and Rochelle Fox)

14. I’m The Shit - I’m just disappointed that Killer Mike didn’t bring his A game to the booth to record a song titled as such.

16. You See It (ft SL Jones)

The Bad:

9. Woke Up This Mornin’ - Just doesn’t have the replay value to me.

Final Score: 8.5

There’s a good number of bangers on this album but there’s also a good number of average songs on it as well. Not that this is a bad thing, it could’ve been worse and there could’ve been a good number of outright bad songs. Still, an average track could be the difference between a dope album and a decent one. Ah, but I shouldn’t really complain. There’s enough great tracks on this album to satisfy, and I would recommend a pickup, especially if you happen to be a fan of the dirty south sound.