Jon Connor is a 38-year-old MC/producer from Flint, Michigan who has released twelve mixtapes and his previous 4 LPs over the course of nearly 2 decades. This includes his first 2 installments The call, Vinnie Chase & warning sign respectively which III here it serves as a continuation of the series, along with Best in the World, paying homage to some of Jon's influences, Salvation, While you were sleeping & Unconscious state. He even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before leaving after that Vehicle city finished the shelf. However, he has been growing his footprint on All Varsity Music ever since and is back for his 5th album.
“The Gospel Under Ron” begins by caving you into church to balance out what the snakes are telling you, while the sumptuous “Dreams” encourages one not to weep their dreams. “Connor for the Win” is this fiery tribute to the late DJ Kay Slay, accompanied by this glowing instrumental just before “Homecoming” emits a symphonic trap about wanting to leave and never lose faith.
Stretch Money joins The People's Rapper on “On God (The Sauce)” with a tougher approach by confiding in the sauce's secret and remaining optimistic until their goals become realistic leading into the emotional trap ballad “Forever” advising against do you ever give up all your secrets because you then take it as a sign of weakness. “The Addiction” featuring Flawless takes a dark trap approach acknowledging that addiction itself is a drug hell, but then the murky “Paper Soldiers” with Caas Swift & Khujo talking about soldiers when it comes to money.
“Subtle/Rose (The Gospel According to Chyna)” kicks off the LP's next chapter with a 2-parter that asks this woman who she's loyal to and even wants to spoil her, while “Double Standard” has to is the highlight for me from the key-driven Focus… he beat Keke Palmer on the hook and the subject admitted that she was all in the crib where he was lying. “I'm Sorry/You Deserve It” is a more vulnerable 2-part balancing karma that feels every frustration it's ever been a part of, while the melodic “Bulletproof/Tryna Get There” speaks of not being designed for perfection.
My favorite track here, “Worst Day Ever” has this crazy sample from Middle Finger Music co-founder and producer Foul Mouth describing a day he woke up feeling like shit and probably went back to sleep when he was in that particular mood, but after the “This Jon Connor Interview” sketch, “We Gon See Then (The Gospel According to Nana)” with Mr. Nuby shifts back to trap turf talking about not getting fucked. “Generation Gap/Heaven Sent Evidence” is the most heartfelt 2-part song on the entire album describing memories that will last forever while “The Greatest Show on Earth/Bid You Adieu” eerily calls out to those who haven't been to the circus lately time if you don't think this is spectacular.
“Harvey/2-Face” nears the end of III with a heartbreaking explanation of how villains are made, while the song “The Dame Theory/We Won (One)” jumps over those strings and brags about putting in the work and being either strong or weak. The penultimate track “Celebrate” comes with this memorial ode, and the aptly titled “Last Laugh” wraps up the album using the same sample as Killah Priest's “BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)” saying he'll let it shine.
I know this has been in the works for quite some time and anyone familiar with Jon up to this point should walk away from III as a solid conclusion to a few trilogies in his catalog. component of the album separately accumulates the magic that The call, Vinnie Chase & warning sign individually to close out each epic, showcasing his musical roots mixed with how much he's grown artistically over the last 19 years.
Rating: 7/10
