What is that term? Is it best producer on the mic? Or has it become best emcee on the boards? The Weightless Crew’s emcee/producer extraordinaire, Blueprint, is doing his best to blur those lines to the point that you cannot decide which craft takes precedence. Print first gained notice in 1998 when he produced Illogic’s tremendous debut, “Unforeseen Shadows.” It wasn’t until he rhymed alongside Aesop Rock on the “Daylight EP” in 2002 that heads really took notice of his rhyme skills. By the time he dismantled Rjd2’s brilliant instrumentals on the Soul Position EP, I almost forgot he could produce too.
“The Weightroom” is Print’s time to shine. He flips his fresh style on the mic on half the tracks, and puts it down on the boards for all 14. Like his Ohio counterparts J.Rawls and Fat Jon, Print’s production is rich in texture and requires several listens for true appreciation of their quality. That is evident on the albums first song, “The Proper Education” with his group, Greenhouse Effect. Unfortunately, Inkwel and Manifest can’t match Print on the mic and are left behind. “Paradise” suffers from a similar affliction as they are outclassed by Print and Illogic. One of the few solo cuts, “Time Management,” is about the best tribute to just how talented Print is at both. Illogic and Print team up again for “Lucky,” displaying their emcee/producer chemistry that is as good as any in hip-hop today.
Likely to stand out, for better or worse, is Bahdaddy Shabazz, who goes mental on the highly unique “Rags To Rugged.” “ICU” is yet another fantastic piece of music from Print, but you’ll most likely just be thinking about how dope Vast Aire is when you listen to it. At the opposite end of the spectrum, “Slave Songs,” gripping production is not blessed by Drown the way it should have been. “Obsolete” and it’s dense soundscape certainly does not run that risk, with Illogic, Slug, Aesop Rock, Blueprint, and Eyedea dismantling the track one at a time. Fellas, I know you’ve recorded enough for an album, please release it.
Much like Large Pro, Lord Finesse, Diamond D, J-Zone, and Evidence, Blueprint is equal parts emcee and producer. The old expression that a jack of all trades is a master of none, does not apply to the Weightless founder. In fact, “The Weightroom” would have been better had Print stepped into the vocal booth more, rather than relying on counterparts that can’t hold the weight of his beats.
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7/10
