“The illest shit you heard in your life…well, maybe not.” For the most part, this quote from the Reef the Lost Cauze solo track, “This is Where the Fun Stops,” summarizes the entire sophomore effort, Black Snow, of German DJ/producer team, Snowgoons. I get the impression that these guys think they are the best producers in hip-hop. Maybe it’s from their redundant attempts to have the most epic sounding hip-hop production of all time. I also view the ridiculously long list of featured emcees with the same perspective. Something about this album makes me believe all these dudes think they actually are the “illest shit you heard in your life.”

So, is this egotism justifiable by reason of incredible beats and dope rhymes? Well…certainly not. The production as well as the emceeing on Black Snow is far from the illest shit I have ever heard. Black Snow is unfortunately one of those albums that play like the most generic and inconsistent of mix-tapes. Black Snow, much like the Snowgoons star-studded first effort, German Lugers, is a major disappointment. At times, the production is repetitive as much as the rhymes are predictable and boring. Don’t eat yellow snow, don’t buy Black Snow.

-Lee Reed