Rittz - Top of the Line Album Review!
This has probably been the hardest review I’ve had to write. Upon first listen of Top of the Line, Rittz’s 3rd official album on Tech N9ne’s Strange Music record label, I said to myself, “Holy shit, this is going to be my first 5 star album review! That was amazing!” I usually try not to form too much of an opinion about a project until I’ve listened to it a few times, but after just one listen, I already knew this one was special. Every emotion that you can feel while listening to an album are present here, and that’s often not the case. Rittz even managed to have me a bit emotional at the end of the album (more on that later.) There is not a single bad song throughout this entire project. Not one! This is also very rare, especially over the course of 24 songs. But the real question I’ve been asking myself all week, and even still now is, is this album really a 5 star album?
I’ve spent the past week listening to TOTL trying to come up with a reason as to why it’s NOT a 5 star album. I’ve never done that before while reviewing music. I’ve been listening over and over trying to find something that’s wrong with this album. I’ve been trying to find something to skip over in the flow of the album. There is one skit, the initial Bootleg Kev skit near the beginning, that can be skipped after a few listens, but initially it is funny and sets up the next track. There’s another Bootleg Kev skit blended into another track somewhere later in the album, but it’s also not too bad. I said to myself, “This album would be a true 5 star album, if it didn’t have 24 songs,” totally reaching for a reason to drop the score from a 5. But after consulting with my brother and a friend of mine, the verdict was reached that if that’s the only bad thing you’ve got on this album, then that’s not a good reason to drop the score.
Typically for me, I don’t like albums that have more than say, 12 tracks. 12 is a nice solid number of songs, and usually there’s no room for filler after that number. Rittz delivers 24 tracks (18 songs and 2 skits, and outro on the regular album, then 3 bonus cuts on this Google Play Edition version of the album). While some of the songs go way harder than others, I feel confident in saying that there are no skippable songs to be found here. There’s not a song, in my opinion that I just don’t like. Not one! Upon my search of trying to find a track that was just filler and trying to drop the score, I kept finding myself singing different songs throughout the day. One day I’m humming the Melody to “Lookin Back Now,” the next day I’m singing the hook to, “Pull Up.” Wake up the next morning, I’m rewinding verses on, “Until We Meet Again,” and, “The Formula.” I get off work, and find myself near tears listening to, “Nostalgia.” I mean, really, I’m really reaching for negatives here and I just can’t seem to find any.
So let me get into the stand out tracks before I give my final verdict. Right out the gate, “Until We Meet Again,” blew me away because I was really waiting for it to happen, but wasn’t expecting it to come from Rittz. At the BET Awards a few years back, David Banner made reference to how none of the rappers had anything to say about the death of Mike Brown in Missouri. It was a wow moment for sure, and nobody seemed to really have an answer to the question. Macklemore said his piece last year, but Rittz stepped up and really explained his side of the story, and it was done in a great way. Nothing but respect from me after hearing that. “Pull Up,” is another standout track, and one of my favorites on the album, as well as, “Inside of the Groove,” featuring E-40 and Mike Posner. E-40 is in my top 5 all-time favorite emcees list, so I’m a bit biased, but I really love that track.
There are plenty of other great tracks here, but the best song on the entire album, and also probably the saddest song I’ve heard in my life, is “Nostalgia.” Damn the story told in this song absolutely sucks as a dog owner and lover of dogs myself, but it’s told so well that you can’t help but listen to it. After I heard this song the first time, I had to call my dog into my room and give him a hug. Nostalgia tells the story of Rittz and his lady having a dog and how that dog was pretty much like their son, but one day the poor guy hurt himself and when they took him to the vet, the vet tells them he has cancer in his leg and it’s spreading and he’s gonna have to be put down soon. I went through this in 2002 with our family dog, and I remember when it happened I just cried uncontrollably for a bit after my father broke the news to me. Sucks that Rittz and his lady had to go through that, but kudos to him for telling that story so well and making it into an amazing song.
So, with all this being said, what did I decide as the final verdict of this album? I tried and tried as I said before, to find a reason to drop my original score. But I just can’t, I honestly can’t find a legit reason to drop the score. Rittz, Top of the Line, gets my very first 5 star album review. I highly recommend picking this album up, streaming it, whatever it takes for you to listen to it, do it. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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