The first 1/3 album opens with “Rhyming Over Breakbeats”, “Summertime in the Town”, “Hungry” and “Something in the Air”. As you can probably tell from the song titles, Prozack isn’t concerned with blowing your mind or appearing deep- he’s just having fun. “Summertime in the Town”, much like the first 1/3 of the album, is uptempo and melodic, perfect for sunny days and barbeques. With Prozack proclaiming, “I’m all about fast things and brown girls with accents/ rocking my Buddy Holly glasses with the black rims…” His lyrics are light hearted, honest and funny, as is most of the album.

    The next section of Bangathon is a bit of a dull compared to the beginning of the album. Whether rapping about love (“The Ballad of Adriana Sage”) or the irony of dating hard-to-understand-women (“Club Girls”), Prozack is still pretty consistent, never going off on far tangents or lacking enthusiasm. Yet the production on the mid section of the album is monotonous and a bit lackluster-specifically “Stand Up” which is a choppy beat that utilizes a very bland drum programming. Thus, the mid-section of the album creates a lull that kills the momentum of the listen.

    However, the album’s title track “Bangathon” is produced by Prozack himself and reclaims the energy of the beginning tracks. Accompanied by Foreign Legion associate Marc Stretch, the track fuses guitar riffs with hard drums and an energetic hook: “If the beats too loud, maybe you’re too old!” Following that live energy, is the thoroughly enjoyable Brother Ali, who joins Prozack on “World’s an Uproar”. Produced by Quincy Tones, the production is mellow, soulful and perfectly compliments the subject matter. This track finds Prozack at his most introspective- “A new wave era/ paranoia and terror/ the age of Aquarius, I’m the water bearer…”- proving that he’s more than a party rocking emcee, and holding his own alongside the Minnesotan stunner, Brother Ali.

    Overall, Bangathon is a solid effort filled with quirky raps and good beats. Surely it’s filled with low points-most notably the sluggish production on the middle portion, a few songs that run a bit long and some repetitive subject matter- but it does let Prozack’s persona shine on its own aside from his Foreign Legion efforts. Also, it should be noted that Bangathon is a completely independent effort by Prozack, after Dreamworks shelved his original solo effort. Needless to say, Prozack proves he doesn’t need major label support or a marketing machine to make a charmingly dope album.

     This is one ambitious project, especially considering that big name producers like Pete Rock, Organized Noize, The Alchemist and Jay Dee were invited to man the boards. Foreign Legion’s very own, underrated DJ Design may have only gotten one shot (“Baby You Got Soul”) to compliment his crewmate, but he works wonders with his funky-ass drum pattern as Prozack spits lines like,”What’s up with cats talking ’bout, ‘Bring it back?’/ Fuck that!/ Hip-hop has never been wack–you bought the wrong wax.”

     This upfront MC wants to reach as many heads as possible, and his guest producers will certainly help him in doing so. The lead single, “Wonderful Life” is a prime example of this. Here, Zack reminisces about his youth over Pete Rock’s melodic production, and in doing so he recalls everything from buying his first Run DMC record to getting busted for shoplifting. It’s songs like these that keep you captivated, no matter how many of his experiences you relate to. The Alchemist-produced “Dear Old Dad” is another gem that sees Prozack question his father’s absence in his life. Prozack’s father actually passed away before he could hear the song, but Zack released it anyway in hopes that somehow he will hear it wherever his soul may be.

     Other choice cuts with potential mass appeal are the ultimate chillout anthem, “Leisure Rules” produced by Jay Dilla and the Dirty South infused, Organized Noize-produced “El Chepa”. There are a few numbers that aren’t exactly easy listening  (e.g. The annoying and over-produced “What is an M.C.?” and the under-produced Madlib remix of “Bang It”), but for the most part Prozack and his producers keep it consistent. This MC’s future with DreamWorks may be uncertain, but thankfully Death, Taxes & Prozack didn’t become yet another shelved hip-hop album never to reach the public. Cop it while you still can.