“Forget the fact that Mode 9 was born in the UK and now reps Nigeria—whatever else you know or think about dude, know that he is PASSIONATE. In the effort he applies to honing his craft of emceeing, in his desire to keep Nigerian Hip Hop quality, as well as in his blatant disrespect for those that opt to perform and support lazy commercial rap. It's the passion of an assured veteran, the kind that speaks through actions. It's appropriately then that Mode 9's newest project, a 21-song mixtape that rivals anyone else's most carefully polished and sequenced major label release, is a supremely dope slice of Hip Hop. In the best sense, this boom bap flavor is timeless, skillful and universal. Seriously, if it weren't for Mode's slight French-inflected accent and his occasional references to his city of Lagos, I'da sworn this was released alongside "Hard to Earn," "Illmatic" and "Liquid Swords." And though it's not quite as classic as those albums, it does have the same flavor and swagger.”