Recently, we blubbered on about our love for URB Magazine and how it felt very warm and fuzzy (and hardcore)(guns weed forties) to have them recognize PDP for our deep underground antics. Well, they've come through again: URB has given Reason's Landlords & Lullabies a rating of 4 out of 5 Stars! Peep the text below for their take on the record:
For many, hip-hop may not be the first thing that comes to mind when the small state of Rhode Island is brought up – but that’s okay. Rhode Island has a true underground scene, and it’s one of hip-hop’s best-kept secrets. Emerging from this underground is rapper Reason, who is also a member of the collective Poorly Drawn People. Reason’s latest full-length, Landlords and Lullabies, is an ambitious, blue-collar album that gives a fresh spin to many of hip-hop’s most trite topics. “Designer Kids” takes aim at pretentious artists, using hilarious anecdotes for verses that lead into a cautionary hook. On “Release” Reason delivers some of his more personal bars, instructing critics to love him or hate him, but to understand that he simply won’t change just to please them. And that’s a good thing, because Reason is making moves in the right direction.
The production on Landlords and Lullabies is a welcomed return to hip-hop’s more traditional aesthetics. Sampling vocal chops and catchy piano and horn loops, the production gives the album a slight jazz vibe, but it remains grounded in hip-hop with boom-bap drum sequences. Falside produced half of the album, including the standout track “Paid Bills.” The production lineup is rounded out by Esh the Monolith, Justin Catoni, DRUMAT!C, Dox, and PhillipDrummond. Despite a large production roster, Landlords and Lullabies is a remarkably cohesive project.
Reason succeeds because he allows his intelligence to subtly overcome the listener. His rhymes aren’t overpowering and verbose like Percee P’s, yet there is a definite creativity to his storytelling that makes his lyrics every bit as worthwhile. He pays close attention to finer details such as syllable structure and internal rhyme to ensure that his words flow fluidly over the beats. It is this attention to details that makes Landlords and Lullabies a rewarding listen from start to finish.
Check out the article in its original context here.
Big ups to URB and writer Zach Cole for the endorsement.
