The hardcore superduo the Housing Authority Rap District aka HARD consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED are back for their 4th LP. Both had notorious problems with record labels early in their careers, but would see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse alongside Royce da 5'9” & Joe Budden in the late 2000s to mid-2000s of 2010. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe retired from music, although it wasn't confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. HARD launched a few months after the pandemic hit with an incredible self-titled debut EP along with 2 full-lengths: The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse and Port City. They dropped their 2nd EP JFKLAX & their 3rd LP Prosper to a more moderate reception, but they are reunited Tapestry in summer time.
After the intro, the first song “Born” starts us off with an angelic sample that talks about both of them being children of Heaven, while the soulful trap joint “Rap Music” tells us how much hip hop culture has saved life their. “Here I Am” works on this gospel twist to talk about talking to them about life, since death is tongue-in-cheek just before “Holiday” blithely explains that the harvest helped keep their people from starving .
“No Other Way” sadly begins to play after the game with no options on the table for those driving the “Parental Advisory” talks about doing it all so their towns of Brooklyn and Long Beach can eat now . “How Y'all Feel” surges forward wanting to know exactly how the crowd feels out there, but then “Fall Down” has an aggressive snare that bursts into the beat that picks back up when it falls.
Sampling throughout “Thorazine” is absolutely classy start to finish making something beautiful out of a straight horror scene, while “My World” brings back the kicks and snares inviting everyone into their worlds. “Yachts” calms down about not being able to feel hard left since everything is ocean, while the last song “Broadwalk & Park Place” before the outro pours out their heart describing where they were stuck together.
I honestly think that if these guys stuck with a single producer throughout a project like The Heatmakerz, they'd be giving us their best offering since their self-titled EP or debut. But still: the material from which they have given us Port City and then remains a very acceptable listen & Tapestry maintains the consistent quality of its predecessors over the past year and a half. The production balances boom bap & trap, so both MCs represent east and west.
Rating: 7/10
