Some artists will spend months and months making a five track EP with no bigger project behind it. This is easily one of the more frustrating things listeners can go through, especially if that listern is a big fan and supporter of said artist. Thankfully, the emcee from Philly, Gone Wallace, realizes this frustration as he releases Monks EP, a three track precursor to his upcoming full-length album titled Passion Project.
Gone Wallace has one of the sickest names in hip-hop, and he makes pretty good music as well. He is a versatile emcee that can approach a track from many angles, however, on this EP he chose to focus on a smooth and jazzy feel, which looks to be the style of the full-length album that succeeds it. In terms of the production, there were three different producers for three different songs. Often times that can cause a bit of a scrambled sound, though GW did a good job at selecting beats that fit well together, and had a pretty cohesive sound.
As stated previously, this is a jazz infused project, and the end result is a sound similar to Ray's Cafe' by Ray West and OC. This should be taken as a compliment, as Ray's Cafe' is a project that stands out in it's smooth and smoky sound, and the three songs on Monks emulate those same characteristics.
Gone Wallace has pretty solid flow, and some educated and playful lyrics. Like the beats, he chose to focus on a mellow style of lyrics and flow, though on the intro track he speeds it up on what I believe to be the EP's best track, "10fold." Gone stated that Monks is a symbolic escape from his problems, but the only problem I see is good music, and if that's one's biggest problem, then life isn't too bad.
That being said, listeners should be ready for a calm and slow style of hip-hop. Those who are fans of that jazzy sound will really enjoy this EP as I have. Those who are looking for music to blast in the car or at a party, well this is just simply not for you. This should also excite people for Passion Project, especially if the end result is an album as silky-smooth as this three track EP. Give Monks a listen and comment your thoughts below!
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