J Live

Then What Happened?

BBE Records

Rating: 3/4

Out the gate, J Live hits you with the same lyrical prowess that attracted you to him back in the ’90s on his debut The Best Part. On the opening track, “One to 31,” J Live is “bold to go where emcees are scared to.” In just 3 minutes and 24 seconds, J Live castigates his absent father, blasts the blinded masses and disgraces the manipulative music industry. Although Then What Happened? is light on guest appearances with verses from Oddisee, Posdanous, and Chali 2na, it’s heavy on production featuring beats by Nicolay, DJ Spinna, Jazzy Jeff and Oddisee among others. It’s apparent that J Live is no new booty on tracks like “Understanding” and the lyrically calculating “We Are” (produced by DJ Spinna). He even provides scratches and mixing on a couple of the tracks. With all of J Live’s career ups and downs, he definitely takes a win with Then What Happened? With only 11 tracks, this album isn’t clogged with album fillers or unnecessary interludes that you wish never existed. Even though the album can get a bit preachy at times, you can’t help but to be fulfilled by J Live’s hip-hop gospel.