Rome Cee & Justin Ambush - Street Scholar

Rome Cee's Tunnel Vision (FreEP) really knocked me out a few months ago as easily one of the best Baltimore releases I've heard this year, so I was excited to hear that he had another new record out. This one, a collaboration with producer Justin Ambush, I'm not as into, but it also confirms for me that Rome Cee is definitely a rapper worth checking for, really talented, kinda plainspoken cat who doesn't throw a lot of crazy ideas or gimmicks out there and just makes you listen to what he's saying. It's 8 songs, 30 minutes, so it really kinda makes its points and gets it over with quick, which is one of the things I also liked about Tunnel Vision, brevity is really underrated in hip hop. I'm not that crazy about Ambush's production, some of the live guitar and bass is cool but some of the more rock-sounding beats don't sound that great. Now and then he has a banger, though. Download Street Scholar for free at Rome Cee's Band Camp page.

Rome Cee & Justin Ambush - "Hangover" (mp3)
This one's one of the more mellow cuts on the record, really lets you focus on the lyrics.

Labels: mixtape/album review, mp3, Rome Cee