As soon as the title track opens the project, these two lay the groundwork for what’s to come with funky production from TBG and introspective, personal raps from Ozay. They carry that same creativity and passion throughout OPAP, from the thoughtful meditation of “NUPWR” through to the uplifting anthem of “Make It Like this.”
Tracklist:
1. Prelude... 01:00
2. Stick Em 01:57
3. Viberite (feat. KUMBAYA) 05:18
4. Har Hanz (feat. Ohmega Watts) 04:52
5. MUD (feat. Sean C. Johnson) 04:19
6. Make It Like This 04:23
7. NUPWR (feat. Jabee, Add-2, Tony Ozier) 03:57
8. Runnin Away (feat. Malaya) 04:40
9. Does Anybody Care? 03:24
10. Black Is… (feat. DSTL, Sareem Poems, Rich Medina) 05:26
Even better, they carry on the tradition of showing love to those who came before them with a slew of hip-hop Easter eggs. “Viberite” absolutely oozes the best work of early ‘90s A Tribe Called Quest while featuring newcomer KUMBAYA, and TBG flips a Fat Boys sample on brassy banger “Stick Em.” And then there’s “Runnin Away,” an all-out revamp of The Pharcyde classic, and the old-school back-and-forth raps of “Har Hanz” featuring Ohmega Watts (of Ozay’s former crew, Lightheaded).
There’s just so much to love about OPAP, an easy candidate for one of the year’s best releases, regardless of genre. Both TBG and Ozay have been on a tear these past few years with their respective careers, but it’s safe to say they’re reaching a new peak together with this release.
