D.O.

At a whopping eight hours and 45 minutes, D.O. is the current record holder for the longest freestyle in The Guinness Book of World Records. It’s an impressive feat but can he overcome the hurdle that many superstar freestyle and battle MCs face? Can he record a solid album? On the plus side, D.O. (short for Defy the Odds) has delivered a debut that is filled with positivity, the occasional battle rap and a bit of reminiscing, almost all over smooth hip-hop boom bap. On the negative side, it tends to be pretty damn boring. With the exception of the Classified-produced "motivational music” of "Bring It!” and maybe the somewhat up-tempo Spen Zilla-produced "Breathless,” North Starr is just slow song after slow song. Yawn. And that’s too bad. When D.O. does bring it, he shows the potential the album could have had if he was willing to inject a bit more energy. While North Starr may not be a solid album, it does have some decent songs: "Defy the Odds” and "By My Side (Signs)” are positive tracks that deserve a listen. And "Yes Yall,” "Ambition” and "Thin Air” are also worth checking out. But next time, more variety, please.