Los Angeles emcee/producer AFRO teams up with Boston, MA underground veteran Stu Bangas for his proper full-length debut studio album. A protégé of RA the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his 5th EP supported by Duck Down Music Inc. AFRO Polo produced by Marco Polo presented himself as a promising underground up-and-comer. I got to cover his self-produced 9th EP The painting earlier this spring and while he thought it was his best work to date, The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First he certainly had more than enough potential to top her.
“Hip Hop Tournament” kicks off with a horn-fueled boom-bap instrumental aimed at those who want to fight him, while “Bring Ya Best Army” brings an unusual vibe to the table, keeping it raw by talking about his opposition bringing the best from their arsenal. “Lost Souls” works in more kicks and snares to discuss the honorable kind of people that roam his parts just before “From Dusk 'Till Dawn” in which Lil D speaks harshly about being unstoppable.
Moving on from there, “Pay Attention” maintains a boom bap edge, advising you to actively listen very carefully as he shows how it's done, leading into “Hallucinogenz” sampling a piece of psychedelic rock with nothing on mind but the swagger. . “Story of a Scumbag” wistfully reaches into its narrative bag and discusses a young kid with a cold heart before “Eyes Closed” brags that he could do this shit in his sleep.
“Breakadawn” with Horror City & Motion+ is coming to an end The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First connecting the trio with a promise to always keep it moving before “Run 4 Ya Life!” wrapping things up in the form of this killer closer tip for everyone listening to bring a pen and microphone instead of a gun, clarifying that your death will be a good time for him.
For over a decade, I've always felt that AFRO had more than enough potential to make a classic studio LP someday, and it finally happened on Halloween, sweeping away almost everything else he's done up to that point. The features are just okay, but Stu Bangas' production from top to bottom reveals itself to be a great match for AFR-O's spontaneous lyricism.
Rating: 9/10
