When it comes to paying dues, there are scant few in this Hip Hop thing above and below ground, that can say that they have done as much as Poison Pen. He has worked radio, the battling circuit, and put together Stronghold. The BK rhyme slayer has got enough background to at least guarantee a listen from anyone who keeps their ear to the streets.

His latest, The Money Shot, comes to the streets in what has been a slow summer in the underground. The lane is clear for someone to take a piece of the pie and smash the game enough to keep their LP in the year end talks. Who better than a veteran to bring it home and bring some shine back. The only problem is The Money Shot shoots as many blanks as anything else.

When it comes to some of the more rugged political talk on the album, The Money Shot is on target. “The Second Amendment” features Pen and Immortal Technique [click to read] waxing poetic on the rights that are granted by our very own law. The beat comes off as raw as the lyrics, as a drooping piano and powerful horns smack the listener and forces anyone with a pulse to pay attention. As the two stand and trade verses, its hard to not run this one back.

The other guest appearances satisfy on this album. Silkk Da Shocker steals the show with “Shut Up”. taking advantage of the beat with his stop-go flow. M.O.P. does its thing on “Magnifique” and mashes out on the production. “Goons R Us” shows Gillie Da Kid [click to read] in his element, with the dark music matching the street that both Pen and Gillie push between the drops.

Without the guest appearances, the album becomes much more generic.  “My Dude” is the definition of filler. It sounds more like the result of a drunken freestyle instead of a Brooklyn anthem it tries to be.  Even though it is full of energy it just doesn’t work with the rest of the album. “WTP” fit’s the very same MO. As a stripper anthem it falls on it’s face and reminds the listener that some people need to just stay in their lane.

“One Drink , Two Drink” falls into the very same vein. It features Poison Pen out of his element, with more of a R&B backdrop that would be more suited for Ludacris. It is a shot at comedy that just doesn’t fit. That’s the problem with many of the songs on the album. Instead of a cohesive sound that shows Pen at his best, The Money Shot has experimentation at random intervals that really takes away from the product as a whole.

The end result is an album that grinds, and not in a good way. The production isn’t fresh and the while Poison Pen has a staggering mic presence, his flow on many of theses songs create times where you simply want to the next track. In an environment where there are many imitators, Poison Pen can always say he was one of the first on the ground. However, when it comes to making his latest charge to the game, The Money Shot just doesn’t pay off.