Album Review: Jag - Dalton Ave.

South Central rapper Jag recently tweeted that his debut album Dalton Ave. is the best rap album out right now. If you appreciate hip-hop in its truest form, then there's a good chance that you'll feel the same after one listen.

Checking in @ 18 tracks, Dalton Ave. is a lengthy body of work, but it never really feels that way. Jag seamlessly delivers professional grade flow & lyrics that are complex, but not to the point of going over a casual listeners ears.

The album is filled with features including Kace, DB Bantino, Cassidy, Davion Farris, Fassod, Childish Major, Taylor J & Derrick Millano - mostly singers to handle the chorus, but that doesn't keep Jag from stealing the show every time he gets to dropping knowledge.

Jag seamlessly delivers professional grade flow & lyrics that are complex.

Standout moments like the one the one to close out 'TD Jakes' highlight the qualities that make Jag such a rarity in today's game. He doesn't rely on melody or a hyper active bassline to get listeners hooked; he just raps.

He raps as good as anyone on any level in hip-hop. His sound brings to mind Kurupt & T.D.E. captain Jay Rock, but there's also elements of what Jag does that only sound like Jag.

For one, he's mixing his fierce, unfiltered style of rap with real emotion - without fear of appearing too vulnerable. He opens up with the utmost honesty on 'Who Changed?' where he weighs in on the struggle to maintain relationships with the lifestyle that comes with rap.

He's mixing his fierce, unfiltered style of rap with real emotion - without fear of appearing too vulnerable.

Not that opening up is foreign to hip-hop. The biggest artists in the game are where they are because they connect to fans on an emotional level. But, Jag is able to pour his emotions out on a beat without sacrificing the hardness that exists in the rest of his rhymes. Even when Jag gives autotune a try on 'Mr. Good Bars' feat. Davion Farris, he doesn't sound like he's doing anything out of his comfort zone.

The albums standout tracks are honestly hard to pin point (it's THAT good). But the creative conceptuality of 'Mannequin Challenge' make it one of the most unique hip-hop songs of the year. The album's intro and outro are both peppered with impressive production and intense, vivid storytelling.

It took Jag the better part of 10 years to perfect his fusion of classic by-the-book hip-hop and emotional slow jams, but he's smart to have waited. The finished product is nothing short of a masterpiece.

It's hard to say what the best project out at any given time is, but we can't argue with Jag when he says it's Dalton Ave. Listen below:

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