This is your worn-down cassette, no longer sporting the imprint of its manufacturer, dulled from the consistent run it finds in your big ass walkman. Much like the kids and their burnt CD “mixes”, this mix once only heard through static of plastic is now nestled amongst the crisp ridges and valleys of your vinyl. If the name Massmen doesn’t open any doors of enlightenment, then hopefully Abstract Rude, Aceyalone, and Mikah 9 will. But those 3 heavyweights aren’t the only ones riding along the Highlife train. Contributions roll thick, both musically and lyrically. Making for 11 tracks that flow with the consistency of any well-rounded mix tape. Which in many ways that is what this is. Splitting play-time evenly between lyrical explorations and instrumental endeavors keeps things nice and circular throughout.

Musically, the platter has a definite direction yet remains surprising. 4-tracks and SPs are the tools of choice. Low-ends and soothing melodies run rampant. While it does have the Massmen imprint, I would hardly say that this sounds like Thynk Taynk, Mood Pieces and even Underground Fossils. Although if anything, the long draw-out vocal samples used in parts of “Underground Fossils” are also utilized in similar fashion through out this album’s various instrumental pieces. “The Truth” being an example of this. “The Movement” bumps the best, and has won its way on to my answering machine message.

Everything is pieced together to give the album a strong cohesive feel, so to take actual songs away from what was before and after them takes a little of their fluid magic away. Probably the best song for this would be Ab Rude’s “The Difference Between You and Me”, a start and stop melody that sticks with Ab’s flow like a shadow. Here he states, “How many time you seen a record and bought it coz’ you heard about it but it wasn’t dope as you thought it was.” Damn, too many times to mention, rudeboy. Yet alas, how many times have you heard nothing about an album, picked it up and liked it? Well, here you go.