As dope of a line-up as the 15 member collective known as the Justus
League has, I must admit, that I have had my ears closed throughout
the years to their music. Never doubting their talent, as I take in all the Little
Brother that I can, it’s just I tend to overlook the releases that
come through. Now being put in the position to review the new mixtape from L.E.G.A.C.Y.,
I decided to take on the task and give the tape an honest listen.
Now there is one thing about Justus League,that is a guarantee:
that would be awesome production from the ever-growing 9th Wonder,
to the ‘need-to-be -noticed’ sounds of Khrysis. It is highly
doubtful that you will listen to 50+ minutes of music that didn’t leave you
with your head nodding. And that holds true during the tape. From the Supastition
and K-Hill assisted, DJ Forge banger “Top Seeded” to
the smooth DL produced “Don’t Care,” it is obvious that you are
in for a treat. Khrysis, noted as the main producer for the
job, provides L with the sample chopped “No Apology,”
the well-named instrumental of “The Weirdo Zone,” as well as just over half the production
for the tape. Khrysis continues to grow on me as an
outstanding producer coming from the underground, but it’s the K-Slack-produced,
Median and K-Slack assisted “Melting Pot”
that steals the show and stands out as the highlight of the tape. Sprinkle a
little 9th Wonder over the mix and you are left, yet again,
with music that is just…dope.
The tape jumps off with the Embassay and Chaundon-assisted
“The Product.”
Aside the weak and lackluster hook, all three emcees come nice, Chaundon
being the star. A few solo joints come next, like the Khrysis
produced “Pairadice,”
that shows L.E.G.A.C.Y. expressing his view on the county jail
that kept him trapped down. How can you front on the realness of “I’ve
gotta go, it’s an animal war/ it’s all controlled by mechanical doors/ frozen
and sealed, they controllin our mail/ and viewin habits, I’m done with doing
bad shit/ no game here, put trust in the heavens/ no name here, I’m just number
seven.” That’s a microcosm of what Leggy Snipes is
all about; witty, intelligent and thoughtful rhymes. The aforementioned “Top Seeded”
has L.E.G., Supa and K-Hill just absolutely
destroying the DJ Forge laced track. Little Brother’s
soul man provides L with a lovely backdrop with “Verbatim” and L
doesn’t disappoint at all. Thank God. If there is one thing that I can’t stand
in Hip Hop, it has to be when an amazing instrumental is just shot to pieces by
below average verses or unimpressive performances from the emcee. And since
that is the topic at hand, enter the one-line-at-a-time-flow of “The Last Clown.”
The only thing worth putting to memory about the joint is the little shot
taking at the college dropout himself, Kanye West: “…all
is left if pieces nigga, Kanye you ain’t Jesus nigga/what…it’s blasphemy
now”). I see what he was doing, I just didn’t like it.
L can hold his own as he commands the mic with ease. It’s when
guest spots are involved that you notice L slipping into the
background. It’s not that the man leaves his skills at home before hitting up
the studio, but its just seems that he gets shown up a few times –Supastition
being one of the guys to do it, with his stunning verse on “Top Seeded.”
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After a few steady listens, the latest being on my long plane ride across the
country, I must say that I enjoyed the tape. The production alone is enough to
keep your attention, and that’s only half the battle. L.E.G.A.C.Y.
definitely holds it down. Coming from someone who doesn’t give the J
League enough credit, I must say that I will be checking for future
releases with high expectations and using my free time to go back and listen to
music that I shouldn’t have slept on in the beginning. L.E.G.
should sleep easy now, knowing that he won the war.
