Killer Mike I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II CD

There's perhaps no single song here as defining as the title track to ALLEGIANCE II's predecessor, I, but that's no reason for Killer Mike to stand in the shadows of his more successful Southern peers. Part gruff MC, part playful big guy, and part political preacher, Mike utilizes his multifaceted talents throughout PLEDGE, carefully choosing guest rappers and production particulars to complement a given song's mood and tone (e.g., Ice Cube's entrance on the haunted-house-piano scales during the take-me-or-leave-me anthem, "Pressure"). But Mike is at his best when being most forceful, whether it's the socially aware tangents of "Pressure" or the ego-brandishing of "Bang!" Equally influenced by his Atlanta upbringing and his knowledge of the West-and-East Coast canon, he will hopefully soon accrue his own devoted ALLEGIANCE.

Recording information: Ghet-O Sound, Atlanta, GA; Hood Noize Studios.

Personnel: Rochelle Fox, Danah Lewis, S.L. Jones (vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Frye.

URB (Magazine) (p.85) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Killer Mike's rhetoric is really something fierce. His fire and brimstone isn't just smoke and mirrors either, as Mike's bars pack an intellectually angry punch reminiscent of Ice Cube in his prime."