Max Prime

Matching the voice of Max Prime to the face would be difficult. In a police line-up, looking for the culprit of these fearsome raps, it's unlikely the witness would pick out the pint-sized, nondescript Edmontonian unless they saw him live. Known on the prairies for his lyrical "oomph," and as a member of Low Budget Affiliates, Max Prime has just released, as a free download, one of his best works yet. Sufferance is ten songs of Prime basically stick-handling words in cynical form. All but one track is less than three minutes long, yet there are enough parts of speech packed per verse for any length. Sufferance is carried mostly on strong, percussive beats but it's interesting to hear him rap on the beats of "Fragments" and "Expressive but Still," which are mellow and contrast his abrasion. The only fault of Sufferance is not so much quality but preference. There are some thematic songs like "No Hope for the Jaded" but often his rhymes, impressive as they are, seem aimed only at a punch line.