A new surprise EP from host/producer Jon Connor from Flint, Michigan. He’s been on a roll for the past 20 years, including The Calling, Vinnie Chase and the SOS trilogy, as well as the World’s Finest series that pays homage to some of Jon’s influences, Redemption, While You Were Sleeping and The Unconscious State. He even signed with Aftermath Entertainment for six years before leaving after Vehicle City was shelved, Food for the Soul & 24, produced by No Limit Records’ in-house production team Beats by the Pound’s KLC, and the fourth installment of The Artist Yahn Freeman series, produced by Smitti Boi.
“Lord You Know I’m Trying” skips over a trap beat and samples gospel music to kick off this month’s installment talking about making music for the people who appreciate his style today, while “1st Day Back” grooves to a booming beat, acknowledging that he wakes up every day trying to make something out of his life before the time is up. “Solid Ground” maintains its solidity to spit out stream of consciousness, while “Evolve” features MRK_SX finding it’s time for the 2 guys in question to do better.
Beginning in the second half, “The Party 2” completes the project as a spiritual successor to artist Yahn Freeman II’s promise to never give up on money’s worth over nighttime trap beats, while “Endless Road” vents the need to talk to others unless there’s no one involved. “Praying for the Sunshine” returns with a bang, calling on us to realize that our children’s futures are in our hands, while “They Can’t Stop My Dreams” spends its final minutes promising that everything will be okay.
Coming just a week after Jon Connor’s birthday, the latest saga gets even more interesting this month, with artist Yahn Freeman IV taking over from artist Yahn Freeman III as the All Varsity Music Group founder’s best-sounding long-player of the year. Silent Riot’s Maestro Williams gave us the greatest mixing/mastering I’ve heard in the entire tetrarch through his engineering skills, inheriting the thoughtful lyricism backed by Smitti Boi’s production, with a healthy balance of booming bap and trap.
Score: 8/10
