Columbus, Ohio emcee and producer Blueprint returns with his fifth EP six years after his tenth full-length studio album, 2-Headed Monster. Starting in 1997, he formed the Greenhouse trio alongside Inkwel and Manifest, and by 2009 he was their only remaining original member, with the other two leaving and Illogic taking their place. In terms of his solo work: Printmatic started out on his own in 2003 with The Weightroom, but his third LP in 1988, backed by Rhymesayers Entertainment, became his most popular work a few years later, and I got to know him later. . I’m personally equally fond of his soulful duo work with RJD2, his experimental counter-culture ventures, and even Greenhouse’s third album, Bend But Don’t Break. However, just one day after Respect the Architect celebrated its 10th anniversary, Blueprint returned with the release of Falling Down.
“Fix Your Own Plate” is a dusty opener with some piano chords bragging about being the coldest man in his city and being in a lab late at night with his hands covered in dust, while the title track has a bit of jazz The tone, talking about being trapped outside trying to find an open door. “Bad Boy Bill” shows off his bill for a few minutes over some speakers, while “It’s Over” has this sample of gravitas while addressing a woman he’s seen in the past who’s looking for someone else. “Tough Times Don’t Last” closes out the EP with upbeat lyricism provided by keys, kick and snare.
Little did I know that over the past 4 years, since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill, Blueprint had been struggling, experiencing financial devastation, relationship turmoil, depression, and even a sense of disorientation. Ultimately, “Falling Down” joins “The Vitamins & Minerals” and “Vigilante Genesis” as the best EPs of his career. After all this time, he’s back to give listeners an idea of what it’s like when you’re down and what it’s like when you’re trying to find the inspiration to stand up.
Score: 8/10
