It's been nearly 6 years since Chicago drill artist Montana of 300 dropped his magnum opus, and while Montana is still dropping music to this day, he hasn't dropped anything quite like this since. Make no mistakes, this is a special album. Because 2016 was full of far bigger albums by far bigger artists this one may have went under the radar to the mainstream, but luckily for me I had a friend who put me on to Montana just in time for him to drop this flaming hidden gem on me.
What makes this album so special? Energy and optimism. Montana makes many bold, sweeping statements in this. They may or may not be true, but he says them with such fervor that it's believable. This is evident from the very intro, spoken from a very white, english sounding voice from the first track aptly titled "Heatstroke"-
"Do you smell that? Do you? Is that a fire? There's a fire in the church!"
Then the beat comes in, which itself is grand in nature, a chant with a gregorian flair in a loop. And then the aforementioned fire in the church appears with an unrelenting barrage of hyperbolic boasts, biblical references, and general bravado all shouted at the top of his lungs with the most genuine confidence. The track is somewhat of a lyrical tocatta; a virtuostic exhibition of Montana's knack for metaphors and wordplay. Not only are his punchlines solid, his message about god and success is just as potent. The song concludes with the same voice as the intro, who gives a quick synopsis of Montana-
"Do you know what they call him when he's not looking? The rap god, the bloody rap god! He never runs out of bars, it's smashing! They say he had no religion, but his motto is god over everything. Now this should be interesting!"
Now, after such a bar filled track, he had to temper the fire with an auto tune track. However, it's a good autotune track. The same passion to a darker beat, with some great moments such as-
"Make you open your mouth stick my weapon in light your shit up I feel like I'm thomas edison GAH! *electric sound effects*
Next up is another autotune track with a more upbeat yet high energy vibes, where he tells you exactly why those "motherfuckers mad". It's merely an opener for the next track, "Fighting Demons Dropping Jewels".
This is another bar-heavy track, more biblical references. This one is somewhat more of deep messaging than Heatstroke, and the beat has more of an "epic" sound. My personal favorite part is-
"Show em the real you may never know how that feel nigga, I don't complain or chill got too much will nigga, made it this far and I did it without a deal nigga, JUST CUZ YOU GOT A DEAD HOMIE DON'T MAKE YOU REAL NIGGA!"
After this is a string of songs that vary in quality but never drop the passion. Notably, "robo opp" and "fge cypher" are very bar heavy and "wts now", "don't trick off", and "goonies" are more autotune. These songs still have bars but there is more emphasis on a hook. This would establish a common theme in Montana's discography, a contrast of catchy hooks and ruthless bars in his albums.
"Down Here is kind of a mix as it delivers both autotune and bars in a heartfelt and intentional flow meant to cast light on his rough upbringing on Chicago's south side.
Then it's two more somewhat average autotune songs before one of my personal favorite songs on the album- "Daddy Used to be the Plug". This song is Montana addressing his sons and telling a motivational story of his success and struggle to a triumphant, high energy beat.
Now "Who I am" is an ok autotune song, but it's the next song "Angel with an uzi" that steals the show. This is the "hardest" track on the album. It has a hectic, aggressive beat of church bells and sirens, invoking a religious motif that first appeared on Montana's previous album "Cursed With A Blessing". The bars are on their own potent powerful messaging said forcefully-
"The same ones who tied a the knot and put the rope up
Been telling lies to get the common people hopes up
Everything they printed you chose to soak up
The jokes up they ain't fear us until we woke up"
The next track is give or take, but the final track "Here Now" is also a personal favorite of mine; another triumphant optimistic beat and some inspiring lyrics... Which brings me back to what I love about this album- the optimism and passion and genuine confidence that Montana brings forth is inspiring. It was a nice soundtrack to have for such an important and high energy year and encapsulated the time quite well.
So what are you waiting for? Give this album a spin if you're a hip hop fan, you won't regret it.
