"Ameer is one of those rare energies that demands attention from every fan of this music. His skill as an MC appeal to even the harshest of critics looking for the rising suns from the underground. While the production he chooses, his presense on the mic, his smooth delivery mixed with rough concepts should appeal to anyone - pop or otherwise."

Words from the Captain... Posted: Oct 9, 2005 11:27 PM   Reply

"Stop the Frontin'" - I've always had a difficult time with hearing northern MC's treading in southern territory. Meaning, when it's crystal clear that an MC from New York is making a rap song only to show appreciation for southern hip-hop. I don't look at that as going too far but, I do look at it as someone not playing their trump cards. Your flow on this song contains the average southern rap template. I have yet to hear of any MC's from the Tri-state area who was able to go beyond that basic format... meanwhile, day after day these southern cats keep coming with new ways to flip that flow and make it unique in their own way. Don't get me wrong... the beat is bumpin and your rhymes are on point. But if your rhymes were a beat that I had to judge, I'd say they were very quantized. Sometimes we can show more love for other styles of music when we just support it, and not create it. I think your strengths in MCing could be put to a better use... this song doesn't compliment your abilities one bit.

"Ghetto Serenade" - now this what the hell I'm talking about right here! Your flow is hella precise and your content on this song is what I'd bet, all them hard rock cats would feel is some mediocre shit to be saying. When in actuality, this song is what hardcore rhyming's all about. Your words come across strong and serious, yet inviting to listen to. You're speaking in "english" and not some hallway slang that you and your boys made up yesterday but, the voice of the streets you come from, remains in your tone. It says that Baby Paul did the production on this joint... and a damn good job he's done. This joint should be on a 12-inch right now! Like, I should be going into a record store and my man should be telling me to pick this joint up... marvelous.

"Way to Go" - this joint's definitely on the chill side, you meant for it to be this way... but it's still a little rugged. I think it's your presence on the mic that saves this one from being really R&B-ish. Even though you've got Ms. Erykah on the joint with you, she isn't overriding this song like she could've easily done... you've got her playing a good role and she's killing that hook. I think this is a good album cut, nothing phenomenal and nothing to overlook. I see it like this... Jazzy Hip-Hop Groove + Average Street Raps + Soul Sista = a good song.

"Steps Away" - alright, I skipped over a joint in my review so I could get at a song I'd rather talk about. Although I really enjoyed that "Lifeline" song and even though the beat was hot ta def... the rhymes just didn't do as much for me as the ones in this song right here. I like when you put your heart into these lyrics... I've listened to so much braggadocio that a lot of times now... I'm turning the shit off. I don't care how hot the beat is nor how tight the MC's flow is, if he aint saying something with a continuous thought that excels from the beginning to the end of a joint... then I'm sorry... you can bounce that off of the next guy. In this song, you're bringing it as if this is the last rhyme you could ever say. The verses are so strong that the hook sounds soft as hell... Not that it's bad but, here's a song you could remove the hook from and put down some serious cuts. The underground heads are always complaining about cats not having cuts in their songs anymore and I can't argue with them... do not forget the DJ! You've got your hot club joints, you've got your joint for the ladies, you've got your ode to the Dirty... so it's only right that you... "kick this one here for me and my DJay".

Overall Analysis: I don't rate people's albums, I buy them and become a fan. In this case, I'm making an exception because, you've got some really tight shit and I don't know why, a person with this much skill and this amount of resources, doesn't have a record out right now. What's stopping you homie? Can I get the answer to that one? Rock on...