These past few years have been a drag for real hip-hop. When commercial artists weren't busy getting crunk or snapping their fingers for ringtone money, wimpy, sensitive types began to take over Brooklyn, dressing like the '80s but sounding absolutely nothing like it. And except for a few older gods and staunchly conservative up-and-comers, hardcore Hip-Hop's a thing of the past.

But these hipsters and finger-snappers have reason to be afraid: just when you thought it was safe to rock tight pants and rapper over techno remixes of Lykke Li or only make the trap say "Aye!", the Poet has emerged from the depths of QB and he's out for blood. Blaq Poet's latest LP, Tha Blaqprint, is a hard-hitting and surprisingly well-rounded album that's sure to remind listeners of better days.

Lyrically, Poet gets a lot slack from critics. Many find the emcee unformed and base-level with his decidedly old school flow and simple lyricism. But what the Poet lacks in flashy lyrical elegance, he makes in raw, energetic delivery. With his infamous nasal call-to-war "Huhah!", Blaq Poet hits Premo's production with magnum force. On the hardbody beyond hardbody "Don't Give a Fucc," he pops lyrical shots rapid-fire, saying "Blaq Poet attacks, what the fuck you think was going to happen?/I'm from the days when niggas stood on the corner clapping/Drinking 40's in front of the po-lice/Running around, a straight beast on the streets." Even at his more mellow moments on the touching tribute to Screwball member and cousin K.L. "Never Goodbye," Poet makes you feel without having to say much at all.Granted, he's not the best wordsmith to grace the game. Some of his lines are too basic and just come out a little corny, such as on "U Phucc'd Up" when he refers to the Poconos as "the Cokeanos." But for the most part, such problems occur on an individual basis and do very little to hurt the overall quality of the album.

Tha Blaqprint is a surpisingly deep and insightful album. It's a decidedly street album, but don't expect it to be all guns, drugs and the hood. He sums up his mentality on the opening track "I-Gititin," saying "Ain't nothing wrong with that kiddie shit, but this what been missing/Premo on the beats and me on the rhyme/That means it's heat on the streets, it's about that time." He talks about all things hardcore: the hood ("Ain't Nuttin Changed" and "Hood Crazy"), the crime life ("U Phucc'd Up"), police round-ups ("S.O.S."), guns ("Let the Guns Blow"). He even carves out some time to get back to his Hip-Hop roots on the Shabeeno of NYGz and Lil' Fame-assisted "Rap Addiction." Yet Poet doesn't stop there. From concept tracks like "Voices," in which he speaks to 2pac and Biggie questioning the state of the game, or "Sichuwayshunz," on which he breaks down the stories of a theif, a mobster and a homeless person. Poet shows his emapthetic side on the latter of the two, saying on the hook "If you living in the masnsion or the fuckin' basement, everybody got they own situation." The album takes and even more personal turn as he pays tribute to his late cousin K.L. on the highly emotional "Never Goodbye."

The album's production is utterly fantastic. Primarily handled by DJ Premier, Tha Blaqprint is the perfect soundtrack to Queensbridge. From Premo's jaunty "Ain't Nuttin' Changed" to the paranoid-sounding "S.O.S.," Premo does some of his best work on this album. He explores different types of sounds, from the minimalist acoustic guitar on the N.O.R.E.-featured "Hate" to the funky distorted bass on "Stretch Marks and Cigarette Burns." Joining him on the prodduction are Easy Mo Bee ("U Phucc'd Up") and the up-and-coming Gemcrates ("Sichuwayshunz"), who also bring heat. At the risk of this section of the review appearing more or less anemic, there's not much else that one could say about the high quality production brought to the table.

Tha Blaqprint is one of the most well made ablums so far this year. Granted, while those who don't enjoy hardcore Hip-Hop may be at a lost, but those who do will surely will most definitely enjoy this modern Hip-Hop classic.

94/100