With gas at $4.00 a gallon, the price of food rising, and money being stretched further and further, it can be disheartening at times to see rappers continue to live in their fantasy world of endless partying and bottomless pockets. Killer Mike understands this and is providing a soundtrack for listeners as they navigate through these tough times. Behind a message of putting your nose to the grindstone and self-empowerment, Mr. Killa Kil from the ‘Ville continues his independent hustle and flow with I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II.

Coming out the gate swinging on “10 G’s,” Mike breaks down his ascension from “10 G’s for blow to 30 G’s for shows.” The track is standard Southern anthem fare: deep 808′s, slow organ riffs, and hi-hats on speed; the sort of beat that you really can’t go wrong on. He details his time in the dope game, while simulatenously reminding us everybody isn’t built for it. His aggressive delivery adds more energy than the song than the beat itself. The same can be said for “Two Sides” featuring Shawty Lo. Taking Shawty’s divisive diss against T.I. and turning it into a rallying cry for ATL, Mike crucifies alll out-of-towners who try to come in and wave the banner like it’s their birthright.

When he turns his attention to actually motivating and giving inspiration, Mike steps outside of Southern comfort zone and expands his beat selection. On “Can You Hear Me,” which samples the 80′s soft rock song “Silent Running,” the mellow tempo and guitar riffs provide great contrast to his rough delivery. You’ll also find one of the most effective uses of the auto-tuner on the chorus as he spits about breaking through obstacles. On “God In The Building,” Mike literally takes the pulpit to the block as he ministers a message for the homies. Lines like “The church ladies weep when they hear your man speak/they say they see God in me, but I’m in the streets/They ask me why I’m rappin’, tell me I’m called to preach/I smile – I kiss ‘em on their honey-brown cheeks/I tell them God bless ‘em and they concern for me.”

You get the feeling that while he may be telling stories, there’s a lot more truth in them than fiction, as you can sense the honesty in his vocals. It’s when Mike lets others get airtime do things get shaky. Outside of Ice Cube and his rejuvenated lyrical punch on “Pressure” or 8Ball & MJG doing what they do best on “Super Clean/Super Hard” the guests can’t seem to hold their own. When he left Purple Ribbon, Mike said that he was leaving the Clippers to join the Lakers; he must not have meant the ones that just lost in the Finals. The likes of Rock D, Rochelle Fox, Messy Marv, & Gangsta Pill need some more time down in the D-League for seasoning.

While the production isn’t bad, it does nothing more than give Mike something to rap to. Rarely does it rise above the level of generic Southern backdrops; meaning that if you played an instrumental and asked whose it was, you’d probably get five different answers. It’s apparent when he switches up his flow mid-verse it’s just to show you he can, not because the beat dictated it. Outside of that, Mike does the damn thing. All he needs to do is apply the messages he preaches throughout the album to his Grind Time affiliates so they can step their game up. Otherwise he’ll have to be a little more selfish with the mic next go around.

4 CIGARETTES

Previously Posted — Killer Mike & Ice Cube – “Pressure” Video | Killer Mike – 10 G’s | TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With Killer Mike | Killer Mike Performing “Two Sides” Live In Atlanta (Video)