This one is a mixed bag. It begins with a who's who list of rappers but the loop on 'Banned From TV' is monotonous. Five minutes of that? No thanks. I'm not surprised it's a Swizz Beatz beat. 'Mathematics' has another weak beat, sounding like a nursery rhyme and is very late '90s. 'Fiesta' is one of the worst here as well, and the love 'Superthug' gets surprises me. Maybe there's some nostalgia associated with it? Again, it's a product of its time with the beat being average in my opinion and the hook just consisting of "what" on repeat. Aside from those though, it's decent-great.
Da dark Asian sounding beat of 'Da Story' is fantastic, and one of, if not the best moment here. 'It's Not a Game' features classically sounding east coast menacing boom bap production. It finishes well with 'The Assignment and 'Body in the Trunk' being other strong cuts. There is also some decent pop-rap on offer with 'I Love My Life' and 'The Way We Live'.
I often refer to distinctiveness being important for a rapper, and I don't think Noreaga is that. He sounds like a lot of other rappers. Nas' voice is distinctive. Pun's is distinctive. Nore's isn't. I'd struggle to pick him out of a crowd.
Overall, as I started with, this is a mixed bag. The rapping is always likeable but doesn't stand out too much, the skits ruin its flow, and there are a handful of poor beats. Not far from a 3.5/5 though based on its strengths.
Beats: ★★★
Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆
Hooks: ★★★☆
Best Tracks: It's Not a Game, 40 Island, The Change, Da Story, The Assignment, Body in the Trunk
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