It’s finally here! I’ve been waiting for this moment! I was nearly ready to start a protest for this project! I was first introduced to Dominique Larue and D/Will after listening to their 2010 release, Carpe, and ever since then I’ve been anticipating this release. When I say I was anticipating it, I’m not over-exaggerating. I mean, I was constantly tweeting Miss Larue and asking her where the heck the project was. Lol. Point is I needed this in my life! On numerous occasions I have publicly discussed how people have asked me to review their projects but ask me to purchase it first. Miss Larue sent me a link to download the project for free, and I turned it away. Before all else, I am a fan/supporter of dope Hip Hop music. Even if I already had the project for free, I will pay for it if it deserves my money. This project, ladies and gents, deserves my money. Let me break it down for you and give you a few details on why this project deserves for you to pick it up.
I should start by saying this pair is among my current top five favorite musical duos. I have mentioned before that I missed the dynamic producer and emcee duos of the early years of Hip Hop and I feel that Miss Larue and D/Will are setting the bar high. I want to give you guys a brief track by track rundown of each track’s strongest points. So here we go!
- “I’m Good” – This up-tempo beat is the perfect way to open up this project and captivate the listener. At the same time, it helped to highlight what is, in my opinion, Miss Larue’s strongest suit, her flow. This was smart because everything about this joint makes me want to listen to the rest of the album. I heard this and was immediately stoked to hear the rest of the project. Think of the arrangement of a project like writing a paper. The intro is like the hook, it needs to do exactly that. If you don’t catch the listener with the intro, you’re failing already. So, this was a great way to start off the project. It started the project off strong.
- “But I will” – Although the tempo on this joint isn’t as high energy as the intro, I think it’s the proper transition. This gave a bit of insight on the fact that D/Will is able to make all types of beats, and Miss Larue is able to adjust to any tempo. Somewhere in the song Dominique Larue says, “..That gangsta sheeeeeeyiiiiit..” and I think that’s the best way to describe this joint. Everything about it is “G”. Lol. This joint brought some necessary rawness to the project.
- “Circulate” – I’ve already written about this joint, and there’s also a video out for it. I tagged the video to the title of the song. Anyway, Miss Larue put together the perfect song that has a message. In this joint she describes her current views of the world, as it relates to money. I think she’s successfully found a balance between making music with her personal views while also making it appealing. D/Will’s usage of the sample in this joint, and basically everything else incorporated, helps to make this joint amazing. I’m pretty ecstatic about the fact that this joint was chosen to be the first single off the project, and the fact that a video was made for it.
- “Make Love/Make War” – As if the project didn’t have enough variety already, I heard this joint. She portrays a confident woman and flaunts her femininity and sexual side without coming off slutty or giving too much like many female emcees usually do. Ladies, please use Miss Larue as an example. You can still be yourself and deliver a sexy joint without giving too much! I like how she uses her flow to her advantage and plays around with it on certain parts in order to put greater emphasis on certain parts.
- “The Boulevard” – Ladies and gentlemen, as if the project wasn’t displaying enough diversity already, I present to you, story-telling! Miss Larue tells a couple of stories that seem like stories she’s heard herself. This song is a prime example of emcees putting what they see and experience in their bars. I think she does a dope job of capturing the feeling of the joint and those keys that D/Will added to it only makes it even better.
- “Dream” – Samples galore! D/Will’s got samples. If the listener hasn’t noticed by this point, they’re deaf. And D/Will knows the art of placing a sample aptly. Now, I will admit I don’t know too much about beats, but I know when something sounds good. And this, ladies and gentlemen, sounds great! I love how Miss Larue arranges her bars around the sample and takes pauses for it. This song is the perfect example of how emcee and producer can coexist on a track. This track portrays the equality of this project for both artists.
- “The Day” – This song is probably the most heart-felt one of the project. This track most relies on the feeling. Once again, more variety in the project. I believe, besides “Circulate”, this is my favorite track of the project. It says something about an emcee when I’m able to feel what they’re saying; even when I haven’t experienced the things they’re talking about. D/Will’s beat on this, and beat drops, adds to the essence of the track.
- “Ms Pac Man (Bonus Track)” – This track exudes “Dominique Larue”. The dope metaphors, similes, solid flow, mean presence, and confidence I’m accustomed from seeing from her. I should also add that the hook and title of the song are definitely fitting.
My overall rating of this project would probably be a 4.5. If you ask anyone, they will tell you that it’s nearly impossible to get that type of rating from me. I feel that everything that should be included in a project was included in this one. There was so much variety and skill in the whole project. Although Carpe (the first part of this project that was dropped in 2010) offered a talented Dominique Larue to Hip Hop fans, this offered a talented, poised, and experienced Dominique Larue to the world. I’m proud of this project and most importantly her growth as an artist, same with D/Will. These two have grown together nicely and have interwoven a nearly impeccable project.
If you haven’t heard this project, listen now! Like I mentioned before, I actually purchased this project and I feel everyone should have this project in their collection. Don’t miss out, grab it now!
