Tona

Scarborough, ON native and rhyme impresario Tona has been busy with his super-group, the Freedom Writers. But recently, Big Tona teamed up with two-time Stylus DJ of the year winner DJ Wristpect for his latest offering, Reform School. This project totes major production offerings from the likes of Toronto production wunderkind Rich Kidd, as well as Grammy Award-winning audio assassin Boi-1da and none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff. As far as features go, this record is no slouch either, with assistance from the likes of Freeway, Kardinal Offishall, Ayah, Dosage, Shad K., Kim Davis, Adam Bomb, JD Era and Theo3. With such a heavyweight cast accompanying the already strong rhyme skills of Tona, the signature Toronto-esque grittiness can be found throughout tracks like "Timing," featuring Kardinall Offishall),"Blue Shield," "Street of Dreams" and "Barcelona." Beyond the typical hip-hop bravado, you get an introspective look through Tona's eyes on his love/hate relationship with the hip-hop game. In the introduction, and throughout this album, with tracks like "Love" and the Theo3- and JD Era-assisted "Super Fly," Tona touches upon the teeter-tottering topic of wanting to leave the game and dealing with all the behind-the-scenes poli-tricks. This release is strong and Tona, with his slick wit, does a good job keeping the head-knocking moving throughout. This is a definite must for hip-hop purists.