Usually on an M.O.P. album, you get the following: The Brooklyn duo of Lil\u2019 Fame and Billy Danze clutching mics, rapping hardcore rhymes and themes with emotional intensity, and gritty east coast production. The crew who gave us classics like \u201cAnte Up\u201d and \u201cBlood, Sweat, & Tears\u201d have continued to release their mosh pit-style of raps since their 1996 debut without missing a beat. But this isn\u2019t about M.O.P., it\u2019s Billy Danze who\u2019s taking center stage. Reuniting with Swiss producer TooBusy, \u201cThe Answer\u201d is both Billy\u2019s second solo album and second to be entirely produced by TooBusy. Largely consisting of cameos and guest appearances, Billy leads only two solo tracks of the sixteen total. An awfully pensive album, \u201cThe Answer\u201d stands in sharp contrast to high energy Danze usually radiates.<\/p>\n
After a short intro, the title-track begins the album. Lady Lee lends her vocals to the hook and Danze\u2019s verses are comprised of \u201cgrown man raps\u201d\u2014bars with introspection and experience from hindsight, lessons essentially. \u201cGot Time\u201d, Danze lampshades his change of tone here when he raps \u201cNormally I advocate for the streets, but I ain\u2019t here to give you what you want.\u201d It also features a guest verse from Jadakiss who drops his own brand of knowledge. Up next is \u201cBrooklyn Confidential\u201d, the first Danze solo track with TooBusy lacing some musing piano keys with 808 snares and atmospheric vocals throughout. Lyrically, Danze is talking to the current generation of rappers and how G.O.A.T. statuses are given out like candy. At this point, it\u2019s clear that the album is one of substance, not one of wilding out for no reason. But that doesn\u2019t stop Danze from engaging in braggadocious rhymes, like on \u201cLet It Be\u201d which features Cypress Hill\u2019s B-Real on the hook. \u201cGotham Part 2\u201d features Ghostface Killah and TooBusy provides the kind of vintage urban soul that\u2019s right up Tony Starks\u2019 alley:<\/p>\n
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\u201cBeginnings\u201d is \u201cbrought to you by\u2026some niggas you prefer to be\u201d such as Danze and Busta Rhymes, who begins his verse by mentioning how they\u2019re giving the gospel, a nod to TooBusy\u2019s church-influenced production. This is taken further on \u201cBlessings and Prayers\u201d, as Danze stresses to listeners to believe in themselves despite setbacks and naysayers. \u201cFor You\u201d is a soulful cut with boom-bap drum programming featuring both Styles P. & Pharoahe Monch. The only gripe I have about this track is that Monch is relegated to singing the hook, he would\u2019ve tore this track up if allowed a verse. Evidence (Mr. Slow-Flow) makes an appearance on \u201cHope\u201d, joining Danze in dispelling the often-touted notion that hip-hop is dead. Conway the Machine joins Danze on \u201cWhat If\u201d, a reflection on hindsight. Though Danze raps \u201cthere\u2019s nothing more lame than saying we ain\u2019t got regrets\u201d, it\u2019s Conway\u2019s verse which is more poignant:<\/p>\n
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\u201cMaverick\u201d starts with a haunting vocal sample of \u201cWhere Did You Sleep Last Night?\u201d and features Inspectah Deck. An ode to the independent minded, the Rebel INS and Danze spit verses praising their ability to think outside of the box. On \u201cThe Fix\u201d, Danze says he\u2019s no leader, but he\u2019s the one who\u2019s willing and able to step up. His partner-in-rhyme Lil\u2019 Fame appears on \u201cIn Case You Forgot\u201d, joining Danze in reminding competition that M.O.P. is still here. Redman appears on \u201cWin or Lose\u201d with his trademark pop culture-references and outlandish boasts. On the album closer, \u201cNo Losses\u201d, Danze describes a betrayal before concluding \u201cThere\u2019s no love lost \u2018cause it was never none there.\u201d TooBusy\u2019s production for the second half of the album is like Jay-Z\u2019s Blueprint period with its soul-sampling backdrops. Overall, \u201cThe Answer\u201d is a superior outing to Danze\u2019s 2020 debut, \u201cThe Listening Sessions\u201d. The production is better and Danze shows a stronger pen game, proving he doesn\u2019t need to yell at the mic to get his point across.<\/p>\n
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