Haverstraw New York emcee Pro Dillinger has made a surprise release of his seventh studio record. As a member of the group Umbrella and 1/2 of the Steiner Brothers, he has released a total of 5 mixtapes as well as his most recent 5 albums and even 7 EPs. Most popular songs include “Pray for My Prey” from his Finn-produced debut album, “Dirt Don’t Hurt” produced by Machacha, his third EP “MOSFoul”, and “Sting vs. Flair” featuring Mickey Diamond ” and the Steiner Brothers’ self-titled debut album. Dirty Work celebrated its anniversary earlier this summer, and The Dirty of the Umbrella brought Sean Kelly back to helm production on Reasonable Dirt, just like Forever Foul, but in the context of Don’t Feed the Animal” EP, Futurewave also joined in their high praise.
“Still Here” is a soulful opener, with Pro talking about what everyone here wants to rap about, in addition to the differences between humans and mice, and acting weird, while “Summer Smoke” takes the route of a booming beat , instrumentally wanting everything and taking everything away. “Gun Play” maintains a completely dusty vibe, talking about being tied down before “Magic” skipped over to a more perfectly crafted boom-bap production where he had to dump his old bitch instead of having sex with him.
Daniel Son appeared on “No Loyalty” angrily railed against all the disloyal people on the street, and before “Target Him,” starring Blakkito, he graciously made it clear that if you don’t take down this gang Man, you are not dirty. “Flower” exudes a magical booming edge, professing his love for Bonnie to Clyde, while the Steiner Brothers’ “Come Home” talks about rising above kick, snare and soul samples. “Say So” rightly establishes Dirtwave’s status as a masterpiece, while “Power Trippin'” closes it out by discussing a different count.
I’ve repeatedly praised Futurewave as one of the greatest underground producers of recent years, and as I expected, Dirtwave has now surpassed Pray for My Prey as my favorite work on Pro Dillinger’s discography. If not reaching new heights, the production is entirely consistent with the aforementioned debut, I like that they only have 3 guests, and that Haverstraw’s lyricist himself works harder than he did on the last two compositions.
Rating: 9/10
