Detroit emcee/producer Marv Won returning for his 5th full-length solo LP albeit the first after signing to Mello Music Group. Coming up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz, he has gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released his last 4 albums alongside a few EPs. It’s been over 2 years since we last heard from Marv on his 3rd EP Hagler & he’s looking to respond to everyone asking about his well-being by simply saying I’m Fine, Thanks for Asking.

The title track is a self-produced boom bap opener expressing that his feeling aren’t allowed when they surely are & that they really be expecting him to save their asses whereas “Measuring Stick” by the Twin Towers featuring eLZhi brings the 3 Motor City titans coming together for a gritty, bass-laden anthem that reverberates with the city’s hard-knock life. “Roc Nation Brunch” featuring Freeway blends epic orchestration & Joe Louis drums that hit like Tommy Hearns to deliver a tableau of Black excellence while “Purple” talks about a woman being destroyed by a kind of love.

“It’s Ok” goes for a smoother approach instrumentally providing comfort food for those simply trying to get through today while “Higher” brings this ghostly vocal sample flip into the fold so Marv can reasonably talk about becoming a better person. “Say My Name” featuring Monica Blaire soulfully encourages to acknowledge them by saying their names out loud so they know who they fuckin’ with, but then “Nosy” featuring Rapper Big Pooh returns to the boom bap explaining why they couldn’t sell dope.

Quelle Chris does the hook on the penultimate track “Good Thangs” crafting an auditory experience that feels like a voyage from the depths of darkness to the first light of dawn by orchestrates a narrative of resilience, guiding listeners through a transformation from enduring life’s hardships to savoring its most luminous moments & subtly reminds us of the virtue of humility, cautioning against the pitfalls of greed & encouraging us to keep our heads held high in adversity prior to “Grand Piano” ending the LP by stripping the drums to celebrate.

For his MMG debut, one of the Motor City’s most prolific battle MCs takes us on a soul-baring endeavor that weaves tales of struggle & triumph inspired by his storied life in his hometown. He brings a lyrical ferocity to his unapologetically raw & heartfelt rhymes by showcasing a seamless fusion of his word play & production with storytelling transcending mere verses that paint vivid portraits of life in the D. In a masterful blend of production & rap, this album is pure Detroit in it’s soul & sound reverberating with the city’s hard-knock life.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

Marv Won is a 40 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan who came up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz. He’s gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released a total of 4 solo albums, with the previous one being Sooner Than Later last winter. However just a few months after dropping his 2nd EP Rabbits Can’t Shoot over the summer, he’s ending the year by dropping his 3rd EP exclusively on Bandcamp for 24 hours.

The title track is a perfect opener with it’s boom bap production paying homage to the Marvelous Marvin Hagler himself whereas “Bread Crumbs” takes a more melodic route saying he don’t know why he would want to be like other cats & The Olympicks’ production has this jazzy undertone to it that I just love. “King & Duck” gets back on the boom bap tip as his partner in rhyme Quest MCODY helps take their battle bar skills on wax very well, but then “Salt N Pepper” switches things up by emotionally talking about his father’s death.

The song “Holy Spirits” has a fitting organ-laced instrumental throughout powerfully comparing a liquor store in the hood to a church while the penultimate track “Back at It” by the Twin Towers weaves in a more uncanny beat talking about how it’s all trouble when they get together & rightfully so. Finally, the Chanes-produced “Heavy Bag” couldn’t have finished off the EP any better by sending warning shots at those who want beef with him.

Although I loved the previous EP, Marv really outdoes himself with Hagler over here. It’s refreshing to hear him bring outside producers into the fold with his lyricism being a healthy mix of battle raps & some personal confessions of what’s happened in his life within the last few months.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

Marv Won is a 39 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan who came up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz. He’s gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released a total of 3 solo albums, with the previous one being Soundtrack of Autumn in late 2016. However after this new full-length effort of his was set to drop next weekend, Marv decided to put it out on his Bandcamp a week early.

The album kicks off with “Workin’”, where Marv talks about staying on the grind over a glistening beat. The next song “G.T.F.O.T.W. (Get The Fuck Out The Way)” talks about being beyond rappers over a grimy instrumental while the track “Twin Towers” showcases the titular duo consisting of Marv & Fatt Father over sinister boom bap beat. The song “Camp Low” talks about taking his own route over a soulful instrumental while the track “Lenny Cooke” talks about how he used to be the best kid in the class over a forlorn beat.

The song “Lay You Down” talks about living in a bucket of crabs over a gloomy instrumental while the track “Streets” talks about how you already know what it’s like in the gutter over some keys & a soul sample. The song “Clock on ‘Em” talks about putting cats under the gun over a dusty boom bap instrumental while the track “Nautica Van” talks about how that’s all he ever wanted over a lavish beat. The penultimate track “Raynathan” with Willie the Kid finds the 2 talking about those who want them to fall over a relaxing instrumental & then the closer “Rose” talks about appreciating loved ones before they’re gone over a glamorous beat.

Marv has always been one of the illest to ever come out of Detroit & this album is just a reminder of that. Dude’s production has only gotten better with time & his pen-game on here is powerfully thought-provoking.

Score: 8/10

The post Marv Won – “Sooner Than Later” (Album Review) first appeared on UndergroundHipHopBlog.

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com