Sole & DJ Pain 1 – Death Drive

Sole’s back motherfuckers! I have to admit before this album I’d never heard of “platinum producer” DJ Pain 1. Despite his terrible name he is a talented producer. Musically this album is a little more commercial sounding than previous Sole releases but it is not a huge shift especially if you consider Sole’s free Nuclear Winter detournement mixtapes (free for download Volume 1 & Volume 2) where he raps over instrumentals taken from popular radio rap songs.

Lyrically it is not as cryptic as Sole’s earlier releases and some songs sound like a direct call to action. This is not a confused teenager or disillusioned twenty something, this is a pissed off ruthless criticism of everything. Don’t listen to this if you want to relax on a Sunday afternoon it’s more like a soundtrack to a revolution. Rap is about having something to say and it that sense Sole is one of the best.