The long wait for
Sean Price's solo effort
Mic Tyson was due to the birth of the rapper's son, but career-wise, plenty happened between this one and 2007's
Jesus Price Supastar. His membership in
Random Axe, along with
Black Milk and
Guilty Simpson, introduced his gruff and direct style to a whole new audience, and then he became a household name for the button-mashing set when the video game NBA 2K11 featured him as a selectable, playable character. That's some serious crossover heat, but
Mic Tyson is concerned about a payoff and is less flashy than the boxer its title plays off, sounding somewhere between a rough-and-ready mixtape and sound street release with just that extra bit of production that puts it in the category of official. Highlights include the hood lullaby "Hush" ("Hush little baby, don't say a word/Ruck is gonna hit you with the nine than you heard") and "Battering Bars," where
Price rides a soulful
Beat Butcha production. Producer
the Alchemist offers four true bangers to the set, while
9th Wonder shows up with "Straight Music," one of his most minimal soul constructions to date. Speaking of minimal, most tracks barely pass the two-minute mark, but
Price's material-starved fans are craving his words more than beats, so don't call it a comeback but a wicked, wordy return.