Finally got the 6th installment of Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor‘s ongoing The Artist Yahn Freeman series. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to drop VI, VII & VIII simultaneously for Halloween.
“Miracle” begins with this cinematic trap intro talking about being a supernatural phenomenon in the living flesh whereas “The Confessional (Long Road)” breaks down all the things he used to do in his life. “Unapologetically Me” instrumentally leans towards a more soulful trap vibe talking about having no remorse for doing his thing just before “Consequences of Content” observes people not comprehending the things they watch every single day.
Continuing from there, “Evidence” talks about the amount of potential wasted when people succumb to temptation leading into “The Best” flexing that he was born to be the greatest to ever do this shit. “Forgiveness of Self” interestingly blends jazz rap & trap including a cool interpolation of “Hail Mary” by the Outlawz to reach the midway point of the tape while “On Everything” passionately talks about using the flow to bare his soul when he’s ready to snap.
“Chosen / The Moral” comes through with a 2-parter explaining that he’s worked too hard to waste his energy while “It Will All Make Sense” spends a couple minutes getting in his conscious bag lyrically. The boom bap instrumental “On Everything 2” brings to the table could be my personal favorite on VII revisiting it’s predecessor’s energy & “Never Die (Testify)” encourages to go hard when you’re fed up, “Conversations with Keva” remembers his late friend Mekeva Blackmon.
So much has happened in Jon Connor’s life over the course of these past 4 months including the untimely death of Keva, so it makes all the sense in the world for the All Varsity Music Group founder to dedicate VII in memory of the very person who always gave him a space to be himself around since she believed in him since the very beginning alongside making it The Artist Yahn Freeman saga’s lengthiest clocking at over a half hour.
Score: 7/10