Injury Reserve: Floss ALBUM REVIEW

Injury Reserve were the lone group featured on my end of the year list last year that I can guarantee you had no idea who they were. That's because up until last year with their debut full length Live From The Dentist Office, Injury Reserve were simply a trio from Arizona grinding out videos and an EP. However, I and many others saw listened to that LP and came away feeling really excited about the future of Injury Reserve and luckily the group didn't wait too long to follow that project up. And once again, T, Steppa and Parker don't disappoint on this new project.

However, Floss is a different kind of album for Injury Reserve, whereas the previous album brought to mind groups like Tribe or De La Soul, Floss is way more hype and has a much more prominent hardcore rap influence, but it also showcases even more uniqueness, especially on tracks like "Bad Boys 3" or "Oh Shit!" which kicks the album off perfectly. We also get to see the groups newfound relevance take fruition with features such as Vic Mensa and Cakes Da Killa, both of which bring some incredibly strong verses. But just like the first project, the two core MC's Ritchie and Steppa really steal the show, and both of them bring some truly awesome bars to the table such as T referring the group as "the rap game Weezer" or referring to himself as the "black Ben Carson" a line that makes me laugh every time I hear it.

And the production of Floss is better too; Parker tries out some new styles, like an oddly industrial style on tracks like "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" or just improving the Tribe esque production most prominently on the track "S On Ya Chest" which really gives me Midnight Marauders vibes. Also, tracks like "Girl With The Gold Wrist" are just so odd and off the wall in terms of their samples and rhythm.  And while not every track here is amazing ("Eeny Meeny" being a repetitive and sort of aimless cut), I can't help but appreciate the love and talent that was so obviously poured into this project. I can really tell that these guys want to be a prominent voice in modern hip-hop, and as long as people haven't completely lost their tastes, I don't see why these guys wouldn't be able to do just that, especially with projects as great as Floss.

8.7/10