Chicago emcee Novatore returns with the 12th solo LP in his catalog. Emerging as a member of the Infamous Crew, he also built an impressive solo career spanning nearly a decade dropping 4 EPs and an acclaimed collaborative effort with the Stu Bangas-produced AM Early Morning titled Kingdom of Crime over all the previous LPs he's dropped along the way. Other highlights include; Louie, Louie II, Embrace the Darkness, Portrait of a Madman, Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience, Master of Morbid Creations & Living in the end times. It just went off Alchemy & Black Magic last summer and returns to make his Goon MuSick debut as The 87 arsonist.
Following the introduction of 'Ronald Bartel', first track 'Flammable Material' is a dirty boom bap opener produced by C-Lance that speaks to the feeling of showing off every time he writes, while 'Backdraft' featuring Lord Goat finds the 2 over a cold-blooded kick & snare instrumental as they look to burn everyone lyrically. “Point of Origin: The Biography of John Leonard Orr” depicts the life of the titular serial arsonist and mass murderer on his 75th birthday, coincidentally with the help of Stu Bangas, but then Celph Titled's “Pyromaniacs” jump on board from a piano/boom bap crossover talking about their names rising to the top.
“All Consuming” featuring Daniel Son finds the 2 battling it out for some more keys, kicks and snares from Johnny Slash just before “Burning Monk” featuring Moecyrus kicks in with some jazzy horns and a vocal sample that speaks of sense of a monk being enlightened in the fire dealing with the subject of self-destruction. “Waking Up to the Fire” is an operatic boom-bam cut about his rhymes conceived in his sleep, leading into “Incendiary Device” with AM Early Morning recapturing the magic of their collaboration a few years ago. “Sent from Hell” featuring Benny Holiday ends on an atmospherically dusty note thanks to the Snowgoons burning bare hoes.
It's been amazing to watch this guy steadily improve over the last 3 years and his Goon MuSick debut here, as I expected it to be another fiery entry in Novatore's discography. The traditional boom bap production that dominates his entire catalog continues to grow steadily stronger each year, he has one of the most consistent list of guest MCs to match the caliber of his lyricism, presenting himself as an incendiary for around 27 minutes.
Rating: 8/10
