Slaine

This release is for the fans that have been with Slaine (or the genre) since the beginning, satisfying expectations while still pushing them. Stepping away from the comic book fiction and witchcraft imagery common to his group, La Coka Nostra. Slaine spins tangible, realistic yarns of addiction, grief, defeat and, occasionally, triumph. He draws as equally from the street folk tales of the Boston projects as his life and career. On "Loyalty," Slaine skips from bar to bar, schizophrenically arranging vignettes of hustler etiquette, with Kali twisting up a soulful melody for a hook about riding dirty. Lyrically, Slaine leaves a trail of blood and grime across these beats, skipping the stereotypical rap biz bitching for a trap number of his own. "Bad Guy" is a lyrical miracle; Slaine dumbs down his flow to that of Meek Mill's, chops and screws a hook about wearing black clothes, and runs all over an EDM-inspired beat, but it doesn't sound like anything on MTV. He deconstructs the whole trend, proving his adaptability while still creating something wholly original. The beats remain dark and ominous, while the cast includes, but isn't exclusive to, Reks, Edo, Moroney, Esoteric, Easy Money and Lou Armstrong. The only tiresome aspect of The Boston Project is its length: 17 tracks, almost all of which are full cuts. The Boston Project is for long-time fans, counterculture junkies or, hell, anyone with some bucks to spare. Most kids would prefer 17 presents under the tree to 11.