Rating: NNN
When Joe Budden isn’t scrapping with Slaughterhouse for lyrical supremacy, he’s capable of creating thought-provoking material. Escape Route, an extended-play prelude to 2010’s The Great Escape, finds the rapper musing about Vicodin addictions and self-doubt, familiar themes for 2009.
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On Never Again, Budden offers up bleak lyrics about these themes over a sample of Radiohead’s Street Spirit. In fact, the album’s grim subject matter is a little inescapable, making it less a good-time listen and more a soundtrack for personal reflection. The only real respite comes from the soulful Connect 4, with Young Chris.
Escape Route isn’t for everyone, but those keeping tabs on Budden’s lyrical and personal development won’t be disappointed. It marks another brutally honest chapter in the progression of a man once known for making party records.
Top track: Never Again
