Distrakt

Distrakt is what you would call the complete package: a skilled MC and a brilliant producer who's got his hustle down cold. On his latest effort, the Colorado Springs-based rapper puts all of these talents on full display. On cuts such as the DJ Premier-esque "Don't Get Mad," the off-key, piano-driven "Drugs" and the funk-laden "Fire Escape," Distrakt lays down some of the hottest beats to come out locally in the past year. And on "BIC," an a cappella ode to his pen, the battle-ready "Few Bars" and "Grind," he showcases his lyrical dexterity. But as good as Distraktion gets, it sometimes suffers from subpar recording quality, as well as the multitude of tracks it contains (more than twenty, with only one that's over three minutes long). Distrakt would have been better advised to trim the number of songs while adding to the running time of others. Some of these beats deserve more than 75 seconds of distraction.