Words By Malik V.

Whether they’re not marketed well, or just flat out suck, comebacks by older MC’s in today’s fluid and ever-changing Hip-Hop game are usually busts (just ask the Juice Crew). Hip-Hop’s elder statesmen must simultaneously adapt to modern styles, while reminding listeners about the good ol’ days in order to be successful. If just the right amounts of these components are added, careers and reputations can be reborn.

Producer/MC Large Professor attempts to walk this tightrope with Main Source, his first release since 2002′s First Class. After much success in the early 90′s with his group Main Source, whose influential album Breaking Atoms featured the debut of a young Nasir Jones, Large Pro manages to make a mark in ’08 with his latest creation. Though some tracks need to be fast-forwarded, Large Professor manages to create a solid album with a laudable mix of styles.

Main Source opens up with “The Entrance”. The energetic beat, smooth raps and delivery are early indicators that Pro is not just a washed up, has-been making a futile attempt at relevance. P tones it down with “Maica Living,” featuring appearances from Killah P and Guardian Leep, and a slower, more somber beat. The song is just another “gotta-make-that-money” joint, but all three MC’s deliver, and it makes for a quality listen. “Hardcore Hip Hop” fits a similar description to that of “The Entrance,” with its aggressive drums and angry raps, including Large Pro spitting defiance, “To hell with that alternative rap.” The song lives up to its name, and in an album that is mostly full of chill and slower vibes, its placement in the middle of the order is almost like a wake-up call to listeners – reminding them of the grimy shit that was hot before backpackers and hipsters took over. Styles P and AZ help Pro finish things off with “The Hardest.” In traditional fashion, Large Pro saved the best for last, definitely the standout of the album.

While there is plenty of solid material, Main Source does include some tracks that showcase Large Professor’s attempt to appeal to today’s listeners, and unfortunately, they don’t succeed. A weak hook and generic-sounding raps qualify “Party Time” as a failed club song, and “Large Pro Says” as a wannabe banger. Unlike the rest of the album, both tracks feel forced, as if they had to be thrown in at the last minute. Though younger listeners can appreciate the flow of the album, it’s a safe assumption to say that Large Pro will not be on the house party playlist on any of their iPods.

The majority of Main Source is a display of Large Professor’s skills on the drum pads as well as the mic. Most of the album can hold its own in the ’08, which is an accomplishment for one of Hip-Hop’s elders, with only a few bumps in the road along the way. Overall, Large Professor makes it known that although it’s not 1991 anymore, he can still crank out quality material that both the old dogs and young pups can appreciate.

3.5 CIGARETTES