The Chicago collective known as the Single Minded Pros have been around for quite awhile. What used to be group of six has now dwindled to two over the years as DJ Rude One and Doc West have rocked together since the early 90′s. The two DJs have made a name for themselves over the years ripping everything from DJ battles to rocking stages with some of hip-hop’s finest. Now after over a decade in the game, the duo is prepared to release an album with a hand picked selection of hip-hop heavyweights entitled From Now On.

    Being as though this is an album put out by producers, one would think that the main focus would have to be how the chemistry between SMPs and their guests develop into either good or bad moments. Out the gate, the SMPs snatch up fellow Chi-town representative, JUICE, for a wild romp on the lyrical vortex “Dumb Hot”. JUICE is at ease with the grimy production handled by DJ Rude One and flexes all types of lyrical muscle that made him a name amongst battle emcees in the first place. From there tracks like “Feels So Good” featuring Pace One and Earatik Statik and “Kaboom” featuring Binkis Recs have a great deal of head nod potential and provide the album with some great moments.

      The most impressive moment of the album would have to be Louis Logic’s “Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” where the SMPs provide the perfect backdrop for Louis to narrate his rambunctious tale of a crazy man terrorizing the streets. It seems as if the track would definitely be something that could be featured on a Louis Logic project. This track’s awkward production may not fit the persona of just any old emcee, but for Louis Logic it is all thumbs up.

     While at times the album sounds great, other times the collabs don’t pan out. It could be because some of the other artists have absolutely ridiculous chemistry with SMPs while others just don’t sound as good. That doesn’t mean that it is bad, but just average. “You Know I’m Wit It” featuring Kool G Rap is a solid track, but the combination doesn’t provide the sparks like the previous mentioning. Some other tracks are just mundane, “Devil’s Masquerade” featuring Monkey Wrench Factory and “Death Bells” featuring Shabaam Sahdeeq just don’t have the bang that tracks like “This is A Test” featuring Mr. Lif possess. 

     From a production standpoint, SMPs provide refreshing vibes for the emcees to rock over. This can definitely be billed as a solid hip-hop album. Although some of the emcees don’t deliver as much as others, the blame cannot be placed on the shoulders of the Single Minded Pros. They set out to prove that their production can go blow for blow with some of the finest that sit behind the board and they prove it with From Now On. Hopefully the duo can build on this and continue making dope hip-hop tracks for many years to come.