Artist: MedianTitle: Path to Relief EPRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Jesse Fairfaxfont face=”verdana” size=”2″>
As of the past few years, the Justus League hailing from North Carolina has built a reputation for providing quality music in the underground. With production wizard 9th Wonder on the boards and limitless talent on the mic including Big Pooh and Phonte (Foreign Exchange) of Little Brother the crew has a devoted online following and plenty of material to keep the fans buzzing. Lesser known but equally reputable is Median, first heard on Little Brother’s “Shorty On The Lookout”. He’s been hard at work on his forthcoming solo LP Relief and the Path To Relief EP while no surprise to diehard fans is a great introduction for those not yet in the know.
What separates Median from other MCs is his focus; his writing displays a sense of urgency making every line count while delivering his message in an all too cool and calm fashion. On top of this he rides beats with a variety of suitable flows and never slacks on the rhyme tip. “Visionary” is an instant classic, 9th comes with a beautiful backdrop for Median to describe his gift of rapping in relation to his place in the world at large as well as that of his audience. Another asset in his arsenal is he doesn’t try to be anyone but himself, there’s no fake thug/pimp imagery to be found in his art. “Median Alleviates The Drama” illustrates his work ethic and determination towards attaining his goals. “Comfortable” is a mellow tale backed by a Luther Vandross chop breaking down the intricacies of dating vs. living the everyday single life. “Doing Dances” is another smooth look into his life accompanied by 9th Wonder’s boom bap which is a welcome departure from his familiar snare. Khrysis the second Justus League producer in charge closes things on the outro with one of the standout beats on this project and Median brings things home with a combination of a battle rhyme and love for his crew, a continued representation of himself.
Not lacking on any fronts the Path to Relief EP is a short but riveting journey through the life of a potential Hip-hop savior. Anyone needing a refreshing mix of insightful rhymes over good production should look no further. In the case that new listeners do enjoy this, he as well as the rest of the Justus League have plenty of other music floating around online.
