This is the 11th EP from Jersey City wordsmith Ransom. Originating as 1/2 of the short-lived duo A-Team alongside Hitchcock, he branched out on his own in 2008 following their breakup which began with the debut full-length Street Cinema & Statik Selektah's sophomore production effort The proposal. But it's safe to say that these past two years have been the biggest yet whether it's the 5 EPs produced by Nicholas Craven and his latest EP 7 based on the 7 deadly sins or his previous album Heavy's the Head Produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Rome Streetz collaboration album Coup de Graceor even his last two albums Chaos is my ladder, Director's Cut 4 & Deleted scenes 2. But I knew Rich Misery it had to be a step up Save the rod, Spoil the child especially with Harry Apati in top-to-bottom production.
“Immaculate Conception” is a smooth opener to kick things off saying he's a God born in human form, while “Chain of Command” works on those rich piano chords, kicks and snares advising everyone to see what you've done to him . . “Matchstick Men” picks up the instrumental boom-bam, reminding you to leave the bullshit behind on the way to the soulful “Live from the Roxy” with Boldy James talking about being alone because misery loves company.
Approaching the 2nd half of the EP, “The Losses” focuses on the W's while ignoring the L's which bring a more groover vibe organically just before “Wilson Fisk” with 38 Spesh likening themselves to the franchise's Kingpin of Marvel. “Eye of the Storm” deals with the richness of its pain with some synths to back it up, but after “& 1” it ends Rich Misery trudging a long road to recovery.
Ransom was already one of the most consistent MCs hip-hop has seen in recent memory, but he really gave us a classic EP as we near the end of the first quarter of the new year. Features are kept to a minimum, yet both hold their own and Harry Freud's production is more consistent Save the rod, Spoil the child last fall so the Jersey City vet could find excitement in his sorrows.
Rating: 9/10
