Sunspot Jonz- Never Surrender

By: R.M. London

((1.8.2008))

Living Legends and Battle Axe Records affiliate, Sunspot Jonz, is no stranger to the recording studio. Whether it's behind the boards laying down some beat bedrock, or in front of the mic lacing another West Coast banger-- Sunspot is a true veteran and a "mystical journeyman" of the underground hip hop scene. With over 15 solo records as a producer and MC, countless guest spots on Living Legends crew albums, and a few highly sought after gems with the Mystik Journeymen (alongside Lucky.i.am PSC), Sunspot returns with part 3 in his "Journey to the Suns" series, and one of the first hip hop records that kicked off 2008.

Consistent with his past releases Sunspot blazes through this quirky laced record with straight forward rhymes mixed with sing-song change ups. Sometimes it works, however, there are other times where it teeters between distracting and uncomfortable. While Sunspot does have a lot of sunny spots on "Never Surrender," those glimmers of greatness are quickly over shadowed by a follow up track that lacks the same vigor or appeal as the one before. Songs like 'Animal Face', Sattellites', and all the tracks with a guest spot appearance (Gift of Gab, Luckyiam, The Grouch) make the album listenable, while all the other tracks seem they are missing a certain ingredient.

There is no doubt that Sunspot is a creative and original rapper that is always fun to listen to, but it's solo records like this one that shows how much more enjoyable he is to listen to on crew albums with the Legends, or as a highlight guest feature. There are a few tracks from this record that I have had on repeat since its release earlier this year, but the album as a whole would not be one I would remember while reminiscing on New Years Eve '08. A nice addition for Living Legend collectors, but not a record I would recommend to start off the year to. I hope Sunspot sticks to rapping on the LL crew album coming out later this year!

Favorite Tracks: Satellites, Ride the Rhythm
What to do (Buy/Try/Frisbee): Save a few tracks for your mp3 collection and frisbee to a hardcore LL fan.
Digits: 6.0 // 10