Big Mic Pereida is an emcee from Austin and part of the College of Hip Hop Knowledge collective. It’s been a couple of years since his last solo project, Optimus Rhyme, but now he comes back with a brand new project, It’s All Love???

While this is a solo album, and it definitely has Mic’s voice leading the way, I also can’t help but notice that it took a village to put this album together. On the production side of things, we get contributions from H+, illfudge, Aime!, Southside Hippie, DJ Berlin, Mr. C0by, and SK the Greatest, who bring a balance of classic East and West Coast influenced beats to the equation. This is also enhanced by bringing in DJ Berlin and DJ Zetroc on the cuts. On the mic, Big Mic is joined by a plethora of guests, including Nick_X_Cruz, Profit Z, Storm Shadow, Lady Shacklin, Tall Kyle, Sill, Jsun the Prophesor, Big Tree #4 Real, Southside Hippie, and Mike Medina. This all helps convey what a vibrant hip hop scene Austin has grown into, and it also helps show the side of Big Mic that has been active in building up a collective and a scene. All that said, this is still a solo album, and it’s still Big Mic that’s leading the way with his voice. He’s got a raspy voice and a clear, measured delivery on the mic that helps ensure that you hear every word that he’s saying, and he’s got a presence that really demands your attention. Really, what this album boils down to is the two sides of Big Mic – the side that’s full of bravado and loves to talk shit, and the sensitive soul that is trying to build something with his friends and family. On the shit talking side, it’s certainly enjoyable, but it’s not necessarily anything you haven’t heard before. That is to say, while I have fun with that side, that’s not the side of the album that sticks with me. “Raw” is fun in the moment, but it’s when Big Mic opens up about his personal life that the album becomes special. Hearing him get vulnerable about losing both of his parents in “1331” is a song where you can form that deep bond with the music and feel like you really know who the artist is. On top of that, it’s also where you get to see Big Mic’s strength as a storyteller in his lyrics. Of course, when you’re making an album like this, it’s all about finding the balance, since you don’t just want an album full of sad songs about dead parents, and overall Big Mic has done a good job of balancing the important stuff with the fun.

It’s All Love??? is another solid effort from Big Mic. He’s got a presence as an artist that lives up to the name, but he’s also mature enough to let us behind the curtain on this album, giving us a well-rounded picture of who he is.