When I was seven years old, Kanye West released his sophomore album, Late Registration. I had been a moderate hip-hop fan for a couple of years, and believe me, my family was surprised when I would quote Eminem and Jay-Z at five years old. But when Late Registration came out and I heard Gold Digger on the radio, I was made a permanent fan of hip-hop music, especially hip-hop with complex production qualities. Kanye West forever changed hip-hop in terms of the level of production you could put on your album.
Fast forward to 2016, and Kanye West is still a great producer, but the quality of his releases has diminished significantly since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Popular hip-hop varies in quality from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Chance The Rapper to Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Wiz Khalifa. The underground scene is littered with Future rip-offs getting signed to major labels, like Desiigner. However, there are several diamonds in the rough, like Danny Brown, Joey Bada$$, and Action Bronson.
One of these diamonds, smothered in the gypsum, calcite, and quartz of generic trap music, is Injury Reserve. Injury Reserve hails from the unusual location of Tempe, Arizona, and is comprised of emcees Steppa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T, along with producer Parker Corey. Steppa and Ritchie have unusual chemistry, and resemble former multiple-time WWE tag team champions Edge and Christian, because they’re both charming and charismatic in a way that can either be hilarious or compelling in equal measure. Producer Parker Corey provides excellent beats and finds the perfect samples for these beats. His style is reminiscent of Kanye West in his prime.
I wasn’t aware of their first two releases, Cooler Colors and Live from the Dentist Office, but I was turned on to their newest album, Floss, in YouTube’s suggestion section for Ka’s Honor Killed The Samurai album. I saw the album cover and instantly assumed it was some kind of underground trap album, and boy was I surprised. The first song, Oh Shit!!!, is a banger like no other released in 2016.
The song is almost alien in terms of the sci-fi beat combined with the excellent piano melody. The autotuned vocals at the end are some of the best use of autotune in this decade. This song is meant to be listened to at the highest volume possible at a high-school party with a solo cup of beer in your hand that is constantly spilling because you’re headbanging and dancing erratically (and terribly) listening to this song. Definitely one of the best songs of 2016.
The next song, Bad Boys 3, showcases some of Steppa and Ritchie’s best bars on the album. The beat is almost tribal, and the melody is so unique in our current musical climate. Ritchie’s line about being the black Ben Carson had me laughing hysterically like so few hip-hop lines have in years. The line about the Rat Pack was also pretty clever. Overall, it’s a good song that is excellent to ride to, vibe to, or play at a party.
All This Money is likely my least favorite track on the album. Not to say that it’s bad or anything, because the bars are great and the beat is infectious, but it just doesn’t match the quality of the other tracks on the album. There’s a couple of quotable lines, but it’s just not as great as everything else. The music video is really unique, but you’ll have to watch it to really understand how ironic it is. It’s a better song than most hip-hop releases in the past few years, but it’s the most forgettable song on the album, even though you’ll remember it days after you hear it.
S on Ya Chest is one of my favorite tracks, mostly because it reminds me of a College Dropout or Late Registration cut. Jazz instrumental samples seem like old news, but when Parker Corey is at the helm, it feels fresh and vibrant, just like the original spirit of jazz music. The Vic Mensa guest verse doesn’t feel out of place like many features do today. It’s a song I’ve listened to quite frequently at the gym, and I’ve connected with it like I haven’t connected with other quirky, modern hip-hop songs.
What’s Goodie is infectious and is an excellent banger. It fits so well within the context of the album, and that’s something that is rarely seen in hip-hop. What many don’t understand is that an album isn’t just a collection of songs, it’s an over-arching framework with which all of the tracks fit into. This song has so many quotable lines, but my favorite is the Rey Mysterio line that fits well with the rhyme scheme they were going for. I see Girl With The Gold Wrist as a companion to What’s Goodie, and the two work very well together. Steppa’s line in the song is probably his most memorable and exciting.
2016 Interlude and All Quiet on The Westside work well as transitions to Eeny Meeny Miney Moe, a track that prominent music reviewer Anthony Fantano disliked strongly. To me, the song is an excellent vanguard for the change of pace in the album. It’s one of the best “other rappers aren’t as great as me” tracks I’ve heard in awhile. It’s not too notable when placed side-by-side to many of the other tracks, but again, it’s still a great quality song.
Keep On Slippin is a very introspective song that invites us to feel what Steppa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T feel at this point in their lives. Anyone who has struggled with addiction or feels that they have disappointed those around them will relate to this song in a highly emotional way. The vocals are heartfelt and sincere, and the bars don’t impede on the subject matter while also maintaining the clever wit you’ll come to expect after listening to the previous cuts from this album. I love this song and it’s one of my favorite tracks of 2016 easily.
Back Then shows how Steppa and Ritchie feel at this point in their careers, and it is somewhat inspiring. You really understand what it’s like to be hometown heroes while also aspiring to something greater. Injury Reserve’s ambition is relatable if you have a kind of personality that isn’t satisfied with your accomplishments. These guys should be mainstage at every music festival featuring hip-hop, and they’re aware of how superior they are to to other hip-hop artists.
Not since 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly have I heard a better closing track to an album. Look Mama I Did It is my favorite song from this album. The gospel sample here works so well with the beat, and it truly shows the technical skill of Parker Corey. The bars that Ritchie with a T spits on this track are emotional and compelling, and I haven’t forgotten them since first hearing the song. Steppa J. Groggs follows the lyrical subject matter of Back Then, but discusses his ambitious and humbleness in such a sincere way that you really can’t argue that Injury Reserve isn’t one of the best artists to come out in the 21st century.
Parker Corey’s production skills can’t be understated, and he is a total genius in a genre where all you’re required to do is create a heavy bass line backing a generic melody. He goes above and beyond to create an atmosphere on this album that you can’t escape. Steppa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T are some of the most versatile vocalists in hip-hop today, and the writing is clever and witty beyond what you’d expect from a group that has only released two albums and an EP. I won’t go in-depth for each of their skills, because they work so well as a cohesive unit that it would only discredit them by viewing them as two wholes and not two halves. This album could easily change hip-hop for the better, and introduce a whole new generation of listeners to the best hip-hop music has to offer.
Rate: 22/24
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