Album Review: Tomorrow Already – Now On

Now On is a progressive LA hip hop trio consisting of emcees IX Lives, Jackson Perry, and Haircut (Of The Athletic Mic League). I am coming into this review completely unbiased as I had never heard of them before until this.

First off let’s talk about production…

Beats in Tomorrow Already range fall into the downbeat, headbanger category. They aren’t big and complicated which provides a simpler sound to the album. And while scratching and mixing is apparent, it is not overdone. In other words, the beats and lyrical style are balanced rather than one overpowering the other.

The only downside of the production is that I felt like they tried too hard to make it follow the “theme” by being futuristic. For example “The Return”, has some kind of synth pattern and distortion in the background which just gets annoying after awhile.

Laid-back lyrics and vocal choruses are steady throughout the album which I think is an aspect that goes well with the theme. If you look at popular mainstream hip hop artists like Kanye West and Lil Wayne you see a trend. Yes, they both rely on the autotune effect to cover up the fact that they can’t sing, but the more important thing is that they are singing!

The age of hardcore gangsta rap is coming to an end and this more RnB influenced rap seems to be growing more popular by the day. Now On, as a group, represents what is is next to come in the future of hip hop.

The album’s lyrics are not radio qualifiable. (Good thing, it means they have content)

Overall this is something you pop in at the end of the day at home and just vibe to. Definitely worth a listen.

B+