The last time we heard from Grand Agent he was overseas doing his thing on the lyrically inclined Fish Outta Water album. Although Grand Agent is a gifted lyricist, his album was marred by inconsistent production and less than stellar hooks. So what is an Agent to do? Go find the best accomplice to suit your needs and embark on your next endavour. So of all the people out there making beats who does GA choose? The brother of a madman and problem child of Oxnard CA, Oh No. The two link up to help each other out. Agent needing stellar production and Oh No looking to branch out on a production tip. So the two set out to give you the best of both worlds with the EP of sorts Under The Circumstances.     

     So the question that needs to be answered by album’s end is “does the addition of Oh No production boost the album?” Yes and No. Yes, Oh No’s production gives GA a much needed lift. “L.A. Confidential” is the perfect example of how GA’s stellar lyricism fit well with the sub sonic thump of Oh No’s production. The signature Oh No production surrounds GA’s description of the last decade of his career capping off with “Here’s a Salt and Pepa line/I keep making records if you keep on buyin” which holds true if GA continues to make songs like this. The pinnacle is hit when Oh No provides a real neck snapper with “Ohh-La-La” where GA and Liv L’Raynge menace the resounding production. The duo rock over the flutes where Liv spits “You think cause I got tits I ain’t got skills/gangsta for this rap shit, spit and leave you ill/Like SARS when I rip through at least 8 bars/I ate about 8 dunnies who ripped they bras/That’s 8 dicks I bounced on and left in gauze/got there cats robbed by about 8 broads.”

     But as mentioned before the production alone can’t save the album. It seems as if GA has sacrificed much of his content when making this EP. Even though it seems to be only a teaser, Grand Agent’s faults still are visible. He still is not a very captivating artist in terms of excitement. His flow remains the same and his hooks border on needing a dose of NoDoze. What made him appealing on Fish Outta Water was his diverse content, which is completely lost in this album. He still has a hard time creating a song and even though Oh No provides some great production, GA can’t find a way to make his lyrics and Oh No’s production into a great song.

     While Grand Agent remains to be an above average lyricist, it seems as if you used make up to attempt to hide a very severe gouge in his art. You can dress a duck up in the finest suit and tie but at the end of the day the result is that it is still a duck, just a little more attractive on the outside then before.