Bex - Grow (9 1 6 Productions)

Bex is a Baltimore MC that I'd heard a couple times in the past guesting on Pro & Reg projects, but had never really heard his solo material until he e-mailed me his new album. And even though it's a pretty solid record, with dope production by Krazyfingaz on most of the tracks, it was really hard for me to get into because of the unrelenting negativity of the lyrics. I mean, ostensibly he's kind of a conscious, uplifting MC who's trying to put a message in his lyrics, but really every single song is just bitching about the industry or the way other rappers are and after a while you realize you know a lot about what he's not, but very little about what he actually is. I encounter this problem with a lot of indie rappers who aren't trying to be commercial, but man, on this album it was really just stifling and unpleasant, which is a shame because the guy can flow, he just has very little to say besides the same backpacker MC complaints you've heard a billion times, no real new energy or imagination to make it fresh. Ogun, Jade Fox and Regulus from Pro & Reg guest on the album.

Bex - "F Critics" (mp3)
As a critic I liked this song from the jump when I saw the title (lol), although he doesn't really go at critics too hard on this song after all, but it is one of my favorites on here, with a good beat from SideFX.

Labels: Jade Fox, mixtape/album review, mp3, Ogun, Pro and Reg