This is the 11th EP from Jersey City wordsmith Ransom. He was one-half of the short-lived duo A-Team with Hitchcock, and after their disbandment, he started his own career in 2008 with his feature-length debut Street Cinema and the Statik Selektah-produced The second work is “A Surprise Proposal”. But it’s safe to say that the past few years have been his most important yet, whether it’s the 5 Nicholas Craven-produced EPs he’s put out, his last EP around The Seven Deadly Sins, 7, or his The last Nicholas Craven-produced album Heavy’s the Head Big Ghost Ltd., the Rome Streetz collaboration album Coup de Grâce, and even his last few projects Chaos is My Ladder, Director’s Cut 4 and “Deleted Scenes 2”. But I knew “Lavish Misery” had to go further than “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Rod.” The kids, especially Harry Fraud, are a production from top to bottom.
“Immaculate Conception” is a smooth opener that gets things started talking about being a God born in human form, while “Chain of Command” works with lush piano chords, kick drum and snare drum, recommend everyone to check it out you guys What was done to him. “Stick Man” reminds you to leave the bullshit behind with an orchestral roar, before segueing into the soulful “Live from the Roxy,” where Boldy James talks about spending time alone because pain loves company.
Towards the second half of the EP, “The Losses” focuses on the Ws and ignores the Ls. Before “Wilson Fisk”, 38 Spesh compares himself to the Kingpin from the Marvel series, bringing a more beautiful sound to the instrument. Atmosphere. “Eye of the Storm” addresses his pain, backed by some synths, but then “&1” ends the lavish misery by ruggedly breaking down the long road to recovery.
Ransom has been one of the most consistent MCs in hip-hop in recent memory, but as Season 1 comes to a close in the new year, he really gave us a classic EP. These traits are kept to a minimum, but they all maintain his level of play, and Harry Flood’s production was more consistent in last fall’s “Let Go, Spoil the Child,” so that the Jersey City vet could be in his misery Find energy.
Rating: 9/10
