Myka 9 is a legendary emcee from L.A. who helped usher in an unprecedented wave of creativity in hip hop in the early to mid ‘90s, with the Good Life Café open mic, Freestyle Fellowship, Project Blowed, and Haiku D’Etat. His distinct style, with a smooth baritone voice that moves between straight soulful singing and a rapid fire spitting, has set him apart from his peers. At this point in his career, it would be easy for Myka 9 to phone it in, and I’m sure there are a few detractors that will say he’s been doing just that. However, by pairing up with Factor once again, he seems more determined than ever to challenge himself and his listeners, and to show everyone that he still has it. He first teamed up with Canadian producer Factor for the album 1969 in 2009. Factor himself has seen his own profile grow in the last few years, most notably for his work with Awol One, but also as a solo artist. His chemistry with Myka 9 is evident from the first track, and this album serves as a wake up call to anyone who’s been sleeping on Myka 9 in recent years.

Of course, if you heard Freestyle Fellowship’s new album last year, The Promise, you probably noticed that there is a new fire amongst this older group of emcees to show everyone that hip hop artists can grow old and remain relevant and exciting. On the title track, which opens the album, Factor lays down a fantastic psychedelic beat, with wonderful interplay between guitar and choral vocal samples. It doesn’t take long until you’re quickly reminded how no one sounds quite like Myka 9 on the mic. As he croons the chorus, I’m struck with just how talented he is as a singer as well as a rapper, and just how seamlessly he blends one skill with the other. Lyrically, Myka 9 has always explored areas of spiritually, and with songs like “You Are Free,” “Ode To Cosmosis,” and “Bless Me Out,” this is certainly continued here as well. Of course, he can also have fun and rock the crowd, and I don’t want to be at the party where “Heaven Up” doesn’t get everybody on the dance floor. Factor channels Later That Day-era Lyrics Born, with a big, fat beat and minimal instrumentation, and JNatural steals the track with a really fun and confident delivery. Hip hop heads are sure to go wild for “5 Mikes,” a simple-yet-entertaining track in which five talented emcees named Mike jump in for some cypher fun. Open Mike Eagle is easily my favorite of the five, but there’s no weak link, and the interplay between the different styles of each emcee is really makes the song so great. I wouldn’t be surprised if that song was taught to aspiring emcees one day. The two songs that battle it out for my absolute favorite are “Bask In These Rays” and “Mind Heights.” “Bask In These Rays” features an absolutely killer beat from Factor, with an infectious bass line than demands to be turned up, and some great guest verses from labelmates Astronautalis and Ceschi. “Mind Heights,” though, is really unique in the way that it marries a seventies soul ballad about heartbreak with a Dirty South beat in a way that I don’t think I’ve heard, and it really makes the case for Myka 9 as a talented and slept-on vocalist. There are a few songs that get lost in the mix, which happens. The song that I end up feeling the most conflicted about is “Sexy To The Beat.” It has a beat from Factor that is dying to be a party classic, but Myka’s lyrics definitely cross over the line from playfully raunchy to distasteful, and it just seems unfortunate that he’d make the mistake of this far into his career.

It’s not perfect, but Myka 9 is one of the most unique talents in hip hop, and Factor has a great chemistry with him and pushes and challenges him to get the most out of him. We get everything from psychedelic rock to reggae to old school funk to some modern hip hop bangers, along with some great guest verses. There are a few tracks that don’t completely come together, but I’d take a few swings and misses in exchange for the best parts of Sovereign Soul any day.