Detroit, Michigan veteran Finale returns with his fourth studio LP and his first in over a decade. He debuted in 2007 with Develop, the sophomore effort “A Pipe Dream & A Promise” which later led to him signing with Mello Music Group to produce Odds & Evens, before releasing the Bits & Pieces mixtape the summer after I graduated high school. This winter will mark the 7th anniversary of the 62nd extended run, and looking at some of the names involved on The Good, I’m hoping it will be an improvement over the last EP.
The titular intro kicks off with a soulful boom beat that talks about trying to make music people can enjoy and keep a good name, until the last 90 seconds or so sequence into “Whatever’s Left,” combined with a beat switch to give us the remaining amount in the tank. “Take the Time” continues from there about being remembered, rather than simply existing, until the final moment when “Mirrors” speaks his mind without trying to offend.
The Trox-produced “Thanks 2 Hip Hop” is a personal highlight for me, from the instrumental to the lyrics about what the culture has done for him, while “District 12” is my favorite single from Nottz’s delivery of vocal samples and a finale that makes him effortless. “Gunna’s Lament” sends a message to all the rappers trying to eat here, warning them to be careful before “Roses” “Self Checks & Balance” talks about looking within themselves to find the good.
Meanwhile, in “The Job Is Not Done” we’re treated to a cinematic boom vibe for most of the run, clarifying that his mission is far from complete, until “Bread and Butter” humorously talks about taking the tag to the bank rather than having them think he’s a joke. The Twin Towers-themed “Honor the Code” implores artists to let go of intrigue and search hard, while “Patience” has a jazzier vibe as you talk about something some people lack.
“Make a Wish” brought the sample back to life thanks to none other than Apollo Brown, who fondly explained that he simply couldn’t sit down and calm down, while “Luther Stickell” was compared to the eponymous character from Mission: Impossible. “Enough” tells the story of fits and starts over the years, no lies on Jamil Honesty’s beats, until joining forces with Guilty Simpson, IAMGAWD and Phat Kat to launch “4 Rounds” while remaining solid.
The final two-parter “DWMB (Drink Water, Mind Your Business)/Know-It-All” talks about frying bigger fish in different dishes to try and learn a lot, though not enough to say he knows it all. DJ Jewels delivers a soulful performance on “A Good Time to Go,” admitting he feels like he’s on a head-on collision with reality, while “Just Rap” featuring Homeboy Sandman & yU completes the album, refusing to believe everyone’s out of the trap.
If you ask me who is the most underrated hip-hop artist to come out of the Motor City, I’m always going to throw Finale’s name out there, so when he came back and dropped “The Good,” which I’d been looking forward to all year, I had to put it behind “A Pipe Dream” and “A Promise” as his second-best full-length album. I personally preferred the show here to 62, the guest performances were spot on and he himself made his late grandfather proud.
Score: 8/10
