By Odeisel

The Mash Out Posse has been through blood sweat and tears on their journey from gritty Brownsville to around the world. Their latest release, Sparta, is symbolic of their bare bones approach to hardcore Hip-Hop while ironically boasting more garnish than perhaps any M.O.P. album.  The ten track album is helmed wholly by the Snowgoons, freeing both Billy and Lil Fame to only concentrate on rhyming, a move that allowed Brooklyn’s dynamic duo to show more mic skills and slicker chemistry than ever.

The album starts off slow with the title track which gets a little too wrapped up in connecting itself to the “Sparta” theme. The continued allegory dilutes the duo’s normal mic mania but it’s still a solid song. They don’t settle into their normal grit until “Back At It,” which serves as an unofficial return. Triumphant horns punctuate the intro and the hook while Billy showcases a newfound fluidity on the mic. There is a new veteran cool to him the complements his normal grit.

“Get Yours” gives you the face frowning M.O.P. you know and love as Fame interpolates Rakim and Big Pun throughout the intro verse. The bottom heavy beat and the atmospherics add muscle to the mid tempo track. Their chemistry is in game time form, chiming in on each other’s verses perfectly with perfect timing. The hook is also an addition that isn’t normally a function of an M.O.P. song, but the Snowgoons’ influence is felt there. “Blasphemy” continues that roll. Lil Fame comes out swinging, spitting, “I’m the ghetto Mr. Universe, call me Lou Ferrenegro, I push a lot of iron, I don’t do it in the gym though.” With two verse a piece, Billy and Fame show you that aside from the raucous energy they bring to the table. They are nice on the mic, something that isn’t always brought up when people speak of them.

Pounding drums and organs, similar to Beans’ “The Truth,” power “Opium” as Billy Danze knows that this Hip-Hop shit is supposed to mean, with all the fame and the girls and fast life, but Danze is paying his mortgage and staying true to himself, not getting caught up in all that shit.  “Hard Niggas” is not a porn title, but a melodic track that belies to angry sentiment laid on top. The crew likes when cats on the street get money because that’s only a larger pot for the vic. Lil Fam stars on this clapping and rapping withan “aim like Jessie James with the .40 cal.”

The pace slows with “Rollin’” with faux crooning and a slow tempo. Billy declares, “the credentials my hood gave me gave me potential to roc nations further than Jay-Z.” The pistol’s out the window, ready to blow. Hardcore synth gives “No Mercy” a nervous energy that allows Fame and Billy to rip some really slick and ill rhymes and drop smooth rhyme schemes. The escalations are flawless and the bottoms are low and tight. This track is arguably the best on the album and the reason why an M.O.P. would collaborate with the Snowgoons: to add a new wrinkle to their Mash Out mythos.

“Break Em” is a piano punctuated mid-tempo track that features the duo’s trademark interplay. It’s standard M.O.P. with rugged lines and mic bullying that is certifiably anti-shook one. Billy Danze’s first verse is his line in the sand, rife with slick lines, tough talk and street grit while Fame lets you know that the “blocka blacka “ didn’t start with Waka Flocka. The album closes with “Body On The Iron.” Fame put holes in heads like a dolphin over this frenetically paced track. Police sirens blare in the background as Billy ducks an ambush on a bullet-riddled car chase, licking shots at suckewrs in Abercrombie sweaters.

Sparta isn’t M.O.P.’s best album but it is a welcome change of pace from their norm. The added melody and nuance of the production allow M.O.PO. to showcase more wrinkles in their flow and delivery, something ironically opposed to a Spartan approach.. Consider the Snowgoons a Coke chaser to the Mash Out Hennessey; smoother and easier to take but not as strong as the normal shot.

out of 5

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