By Marc W. Polite
Better late than never, I suppose. Hardcore hip hop fans from the early 2000s will recall the much-hyped rap coupling of Canibus, Ras Kass, Kurupt, and Killa Priest making noise for true admirers of lyricism. They came together as a lyrical supergroup called HRSMN. The name is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the book of Revelations. This group was a perfect balance with 2 emcees from the West Coast, and the other 2 being “Beasts from The East”. Given that we have all experienced, and are still enduring an ongoing pandemic that has taken 4 million lives globally, this project is eerily timed. This is a time of pestilence. But these emcees are still spitting. Because this group had so many false starts but never produced a project during the time of anticipation, others came along and stole their thunder. Real rap heads know that the other rap supergroup Slaughterhouse (Joe Budden, Royce 5’9, Crooked I, and Joel Ortiz) was basically the same concept of bar warriors banding together like the HRSMN. The difference was, they managed to get their projects off the ground. (Yeah I said it, fight me in the comments)
Standout tracks are “Champion” in terms of the newer tracks. It’s good to hear Chino XL still ripping it, as many heads would consider him the fifth HRSMN. “This Shit Right Here” still goes hard even though many of us have heard it through online leaks. “Love and War” is a good joint too, as is “Believer” and “Impossible”. Some of the other tracks are middling, and the production is a tad dated. The Last Ride is fan service for the old heads like me, but is not really geared towards newer fans. There is a certain amount of synchronicity in the fact that this review of a new album is being posted on Thursday, a day where people choose to listen to throwback songs.
This album is billed as a “debut finale”, which is an interesting way to put forth the grand opening, grand closing nature of this record. As a fan, I am glad to hear something new from these rappers. However, I have to be honest about this album. I know other reviewers have said this, but I also agree that this project would have had a much deeper impact if it were released 20 years ago. The HRSMN is a dope quartet of emcees, but their heyday has passed. I give The Last Ride 3 out of 5 stars.