MED

It seems like ages since Medaphoar dropped his "In Rhymes We Trust” single, but we’ve finally got a full-length effort from the Oxnard native and it’s quite the bumper, with a little help from Madlib on the beats. MED has made numerous appearances on some of Stones Throw’s hottest jams with great results, but large doses of his intense and direct flow sort of run a little thin in the long run, but the man can still throw down a hot verse when need be. Madlib can come swinging on some abstract bangers and smoother flows would sit well, but MED proves that the tone of your wisdom can intensify the situation, turning the same production into Jeep beats. J Dilla comes at us twice with an expected ass-grinder, but also as a rather unexpected and atmospheric number called "So Real.” "Just Blaze” kind of makes you groan though if you’re not really into that sound, making Push Comes to Shove feel like a struggle between the underground and the mainstream. There’s definitely enough beauty on this record to make you give Medaphoar’s debut a few spins, such as the underrated Noelle assisting in a couple numbers, but the skip-worthy joints prevent this from being essential.