A lot of people these days complain constantly about the dearth of quality Hip-Hop produced in this day and age, but at the flip of the coin these same people won’t support it when it’s right in front of their face. Little Brother has had a tumultuous career up to now, having experienced their fair share of ups & downs including label changes & the split with producer 9th Wonder. However, one thing that remained constant is the quality product they’ve continually feed their fans since they hit the scene.

The newest addition to their discography, And Justus For All… is a mixtape turned album that is surprisingly better than most rapper’s studio albums. The tape plays through almost without fault, except for a subpar beat here and there or when a guest MC’s whole verse gets outshined by a Phonte metaphor.

The album showcases every facet of LB’s array of styles. On songs like “Time Of Your Life,” “Too Late For Us” and “Delusional,” the duo caters to the ladies with a much more adult style than most of their contemporaries, with verses talking about love opposed to lust.

Phonte and Pooh also spend some extra time exploring the braggadocios side of Hip-Hop much than they do on their proper albums. “Best Kept Secret” has the two emcees trading bars with fellow wordsmith Legacy over a electro-influenced RJD2 beat. They also rhyme to a variety of instrumentals about the same subject of being the best, but surprisingly, it doesn’t get monotonous. Instead, it gets more interesting each time you hear the off the wall metaphors that Phonte brings to fruition. Despite the majority of the songs following those two subjects, we still get to see the boys back in their lane on the autobiographical “The Pressure,” where they talk about the struggle of being a Hip-Hop artist in today’s fickle music industry and still staying true to their artistic vision.

This album is a good addition to any Little Brother fan’s collection; however, it is not the first album a new listener should check out because it’s not exactly a good showcase of what they represent. Instead it shows that they have the skills to tackle repetitive Hip-Hop subjects and still make it worth listening to. Justus is served.

3.5 CIGARETTES