I never thought this album would have added up for me. First off, anyone teaming up with Vast Aire would most likely foil in comparison to what was done with Megallah on the Cannibal Ox LP. And secondly, fourteen tracks with eleven different producers can sometimes lead to an incoherent mess of an album. Turns out my assumptions have been proved wrong by Vast and his new teammate, Karniege, who form together as Mighty Joseph to put out the solid effort, Empire State. Truth be told, not since The Cold Vein have I heard another emcee compliment and contrast Vast’s style as nicely as Karniege, and to be even more honest, I haven’t heard an album produced as well as this one in a long time.

Let me kick this off by stating how just about everything about this album is fresh as can be—so, instead of breaking my review down track by track and writing about how good both the rhymes and production are on every song, I’ll go ahead and score the album at 8.5 out of 10 and explain my reasoning, starting at the positives, followed by where I think the album could have improved.

Empire State starts off incredibly with “The Uprising,” a hauntingly produced introduction to the two members which put the immediate impression on me that I was about to be taken hostage for thirteen more tracks. This track and “The Dark Ages,” the only two songs where Karniege handles the production, are two of the finest on the album. Competing with these two is the quirky and complexly produced Aerz Nights track, “Beast,” featuring a notable contribution from the always grimy rhyme-slinger, Poison Pen. “Kids [NYC]” is another outstanding cut consisting of flawless narration from Karniege and Vast that takes the listener on a scenic voyage through their gritty childhood struggles.

One track that will probably catch the eyes and ears of most Hip-Hop heads out there is “Legend.” At first sight, a nervous feeling ran through my stomach when I read the track was produced by Madlib. Calm down, I know Madlib is nice, but after that questionable job on Perseverance: The Remix I didn’t know what to expect from him. The result is straight ridiculousness. Much like Diamond D did on the original Perseverance, Madlib comes with another finely recreated video game beat. Vast laces the verses, owning what I consider to be the most memorable line of the album: “Like I aint the real, what the fuck you want a Happy Meal?” The crazy shit that comes out of this mans mouth never ceases to amaze me.

Although I think this project is the best release in a while, there are still a few things that could have helped step the album up to a higher rating. A couple featured appearances I could have went without: “Out the Gate” would have held together better if Genesis was out of the picture and Access Immortal’s verse on “Pandora’s Box” could have been done without—however, Swave Sevah picks up the slack and completely kills it when closing this one out. “Night Life” is the only track I would have reconsidered putting on the album: the overall idea of the track is alright, but compared to the other thirteen tracks it doesn’t stand a chance.

Regardless of the few things that can be picked apart about Empire State, it is an excellent piece of work that should not be overlooked by any Hip-Hop fan. The formation of Mighty Joseph will most likely take some weight off of Vordul’s shoulders for the long-awaited sophomore effort from Can Ox because I’m sure cats will be demanding another one from these two. But for now, you will have to bump this. It’s a must have in the collection.

Beats: 4.25

Lyrics: 4.25

Life: 4.25

-Lee Reed