SETTHETONE-T - Don’t Speak on My Dad (Album)

“They think JT just entered but it took ten years for this tenure.” That statement alone from the lead & lone single “Don’t Wait” stands as a testament to this man’s determination for longevity. After all this time, to still be carving out a legacy this finely detailed is truly astonishing to say the least. When you really look into it, everything is so intentional, even down to the cover art! It’s evident this is a full circle moment for him as it not only features his son on the cover but it’s also the only album or better yet “rap capsule” of his that’s in black & white! Just look back at his debut album “My Heart Is My Compass” & listen to his ode to fatherhood “Father to Father” specifically & tell me I’m wrong! It’s truly beautiful to see how far he’s come & still steadily on his incline! It might be a little too early to declare this his magnum opus but dammit it just might be or at the very least, a major milestone, checkpoint even for SET.

Everything about this is so crisp & concise, godly & gritty & the momentum never lets up as it builds up to its concluding crescendo but I’m not trying to Tarantino this so let’s start from the beginning with this opener cause “I Mean…”, I trust you saw the tracklist beforehand & if you’re like me, after seeing the features, the anticipation became even more intense, especially given the record’s pushback but trust that the delays will prove more than worth it, right off rip too! Once you hear that flute, it’s like you just stepped into an old western film standoff with SET & Kalamari as the gunslingers. The precision in which SET fires off his lyrics is impeccable, each lyric whizzing past you, grazing you little by little. It’s not a situation anybody would want to find themselves in but there you were, going blah blah blah so I mean, what choice did he have other than to set the record straight? People love to run their mouth as if they know you better than you know yourself. It’s comical coming from someone who doesn’t even know themselves enough to write their own lyrics so how could they ever think for a second that they’re peers? SET is cut from a cloth of an era where wackness & surely ghostwriting was frowned upon but these days, it’s blatantly accepted. Their argument against this would most likely be to throw out the numbers they make as if that’s indicative of any sort of skill but if you take away the numbers than what foundation do they really have to stand on? It’s almost unfair at this point to commit such overkill but then here comes Big Squiddy to embarrass these cats even further, leaving them fainting like Squilliam Fancyson in the “Band Geeks” episode with his performance here. Kalamari stay spraying ink don’t he?

When I saw that Kree23 made the final cut, you have no idea the amount of joy my heart was filled with. Knowing these two come from the “Southside” like I do, made this the most anticipated collab on the record for me & it does not disappoint. Inarguably the darkest record on the album that really captures the harsh realities of growing up in a toxic environment while also showcasing how these two managed to make a way out of them southside streets by working with what was made available for them. It wasn’t much but just enough & they’re more than grateful for the experiences, for the hardships that would’ve broken down anybody else. Most people tend to forget where they come from & even speak down on it but as SET says, this is family business, never go public! Think of all the diamonds that unfortunately never make it out the rough & then you’ll understand why this is deeper than rap for him cause honestly, if a part of you is not doing this for the betterment of your people then what are you doing it for other than pure selfishness? These two may have seen some shit & been put through traumas that have forever altered their life but at least they can proudly call themselves survivors & continue thriving so they can pay it all back to the people who matter most.

A lot of people don’t understand that, this rap shit is a lifestyle. Sure people are more than willing to talk a good game but when it comes time to stand on what they believe, they tend to get a little wobbly don’t you think? Not everyone is willing to put real action behind the words they speak, they really just like to hear themselves talk but when push comes to shove, they’re not prepared to lose all the byproducts that come with this lifestyle. Not SET or YS. They understand what it’s like to come from nothing, to have nothing so you can take away all of those finer things, strip them of food, water, even clothing but you can’t take away their skill, passion & determination to literally “Die 4 This” if necessary. Obviously nobody wants to die & it’s not like they’re trying to manifest it happening anytime soon but death is literally on everybody’s schedules so wouldn’t you rather die knowing that you gave it your literal ALL to leave behind a legacy for not only your people to continue to eat off of but for future generations to study & apply to their own lives? These two, as he puts it, really reiterate what it means to be a legend cause I also don’t think people truly understand the definition. It’s a word that gets tossed around far too lightly. It’s a sad truth but, a lot of these cats people label “legend” will not be remembered as that.

The words they speak & the so called “Leg Work” they’ve put in holds “No Weight”. They’re not exercising properly like, don’t even try to fix your form, just put it down, you look like SpongeBob with his stuffed animal weights & don’t try to fake like it’s heavy enough to have you buckling at the knees like that. It’s clearly your first time in the gym & certainly will be your last cause, back to the SpongeBob references, training with these two is like training with Sandy Cheeks, if you know you know! SET is once again, talking that talk! I mean, if he was able to carry the weight of the world with ease then it’d be nothing to lift your scrawny ass up & toss you outside of the game where you belong. Kevin McGee even gets a little vulnerable about his weight loss journey & it’s nice to hear him accept his figure & speak on that body positivity as a male but don’t get it twisted, it’s just all the more reason to keep applying that pressure on you. This record really drives home the 24/7 tenacity it takes to be a true heavyweight, I mean, why you think SET looks at himself like the rap game “Tank” Davis on the following interlude? Just further emphasizing the fact that he’s a force to be reckoned with! What’s insane is that, this is just an interlude but it just might be his best lyrical performance on the record. The entire verse rhymes, there’s nothing in it that doesn’t & it’s the same scheme throughout! The blows have not stopped up to this point like fuck SET, let me get back up & at least get one punch in!

Remember what I said about everything being intentional? Look at this 3 song run in the middle of the record! It’s all heavyweight esque & we can’t talk heavyweights without including the almighty Mike Brunch who takes us back to the early WWE days with his performance on “Harder Shit”. As soon as you enter this song, to quote a famous movie quote, “it was at this moment that he knew he fucked up.” & that the poor soul did when he entered the ring with these two. Talk about leaving the competition & the beat pulverized, sheesh! Of course, once the battle is won, it’s only right to let out a war cry with “Con mi Flo”, the second collab between SET & 7Kaos, that picks right back up where they left off with “WHATADAY”. It may take you a minute to get used to that hook, it took a minute for it to grow on me but once it does, you gonna be chanting it after every battle. It’s beautiful to see Latinos continue to be represented in Hip Hop & even if you have that language barrier, there’s still a lot to appreciate about what people like 7Kaos bring to the table. I’d say we’re about due for a collab album or EP between the two, don’t you? The chemistry is more than felt!

Keep in mind that, SET produced all of these records & as much of a slouch he isn’t lyrically, these beats of his are not to be slept on. As soon as we get into “Type of Time”, that warped & zany production just pulls you into the masterclass on flow & rhyme that’s still being taught! If you haven’t had your finger on the pulse of what’s going on & who’s who in the music scene then I don’t think you understand how serious it is to get more Supreme Innovation/UNLBLD collabs, especially still being relatively fresh off their last collab “Good Life”, which this record blows completely out the water! Manny almost instantly demands your attention with how smooth his voice slices through the beat. With him, it’s not crazy wordplay or anything like that, which makes it easier for him to get his points across about who he is & why it’d be nothing for him to put you in your place, which is the perfect set up for SET to come through & kick the doors right off their hinges like if you won’t let us in.

It’s a “Red Dot” for anybody who dares to deny not only his skills but his ears & eyes for scouting talent as two names you may not be familiar with in Bunta! & Little Giant take the opportunity to spar with a great! Young legends in the making I tell you, who damn near stole the show on this record! One of the many things I respect most about SET is how generous he is with his platform. He has no issue shining light on those who he respects & even them outshining him. Why else would he call on these specific MC’s if he didn’t think they could deliver & then some? If you’re a fan of true Hip Hop then “Don’t Wait” to get into SETTHETONE-T’s discography. “Don’t Speak on My Dad” is the perfect place to start. Literally a flawless masterpiece & I didn’t even spend any time breaking down all that’s going on lyrically cause that’d be a whole other hundred so paragraphs plus would take out all the fun of you studying it for yourself, as this is a record strictly intended for the real writers & real thinkers. It’s records like this that ensure that, no matter how much they try to discredit the lyricists because people don’t like to use their brains to try to understand something, lyricism is very much alive & well & is here to stay as long as we got hands like his & all those involved, to hold it. It couldn’t have come at a better time either & that’s coming from someone who hasn’t had much faith in the genre as of a late so it’s very refreshing to hear from someone who doesn’t complain about the state of things but is rather actively being the change they wish to see & remember, if you’re gonna speak on my dad, make sure to keep it nice. The last thing you’d want is to be subject to an onslaught.