I had not heard of Prof & St. Paul Slim before, but when I see an album called Recession Music being sold for $5, and know that they are part of a very strong Minnesota scene, my interest was piqued.

Unfortunately, the album does not live up to its potential. The production on the album is good, but lyrically the album really falls short. Instead of being a smart political album released at a crucial point in U.S. history, we get another hip hop album with decent music but terribly lazy lyrics that retreads tired rhetoric about bitches, guns and hos. It’s gotta say something that I have trouble getting through it in one sitting.

And it’s not like the music is so good that I even feel conflicted about the lyrics. It’s more like the only good thing I can think to say about this album is, “Production-wise, it’s got potential before the lyrics just ruin it.” I’d go into a more in-depth analysis, but I kind of don’t want to spend that much time with an album like this. Big-time disappointment.