Brand new LP & the 6th overall from Rochester, New York producer/emcee 38 Spesh. Known for being the leader of the Trust Army & founder of TCF Music Group, he’s been steadily busy throughout the last few years whether it be him producing projects for the likes of Planet Asia & Elcamino or his own solo output. Last time we heard Spesh by himself was the intimate Mother & Gun nearly a couple summers ago, firing off 8 Shots to end the month of May.
“Free Game” hops over a drumless, crooning loop to spend the opening 105 seconds talking about rappers taking his life story & making competition out of it whereas “The Main Line” aggressively discusses the reaper being at one’s door with Jesus trying to call. “Used 2” featuring Rome Streetz finds the pair talking about how having 1 gun simply isn’t enough prior to the self-produced “Be the Best” soulfully speaking against being a small-time individual.
Che Noir appears alongside Spesh to poignantly address some “Mental Health” struggles & I wouldn’t really consider “Speshal” to be that much of an interlude, promising those who fuck with him that the’ll eat because of him. “Trust Us” featuring Ransom & Smooth Haynes gets the 2nd half going dropping verses of their own without the need of a hook over strings while “Heavy Burden” featuring Dave East turns up the soulfulness talking about carrying a weighty load for petty individuals.
“Great Wall” featuring Curtis Coke nears towards 8 Shots’ final moments responding to the crowd of people who were expecting Spesh to stay put even if Curtis’ verse left me on the fence while “Renovations” talks about selling everything from weed to shrooms back then. Busta Rhymes comes into the picture to help Spesh recall a “Cold War” survived 2 decades earlier & “Everything” sends off the album talking about his desire to have it all.
Carrying forward the tradition of street-certified storytelling & razor-sharp lyricism, 8 Shots further cements 38 Spesh’s place as one of hip hop’s most underappreciated multi-hyphenates pushing his evolution even further by showcasing ability to bridge generations of elite lyricists whilst continuing to sharpen his own voice from the standpoint of both an MC & a producer. The subject matter takes it back to the grit that made the other Shots installments so well received.
Score: 8/10