J-Live has always been an emcee’s emcee. His dedication to his craft – to educate through it and to deliver consistent dope material – has allowed him to amass a cult like following. On S.P.T.A. he proves that he can be a deejays deejay and a producer’s producer as well. He builds on a strong catalogue with the help of producers Diamond D, RJD2, Nicolay, and Marco Polo. It’s a scary good line up of beat makers, and J-Live demonstrates that his own skills behind the boards are just as potent.
J-Live lives up to the expectations and from track 1 to 13 it’s about as pure and organic as an album can get. “The Authentic” 
is clearly a stand out that features Marco Polo production and J-Live spitting some of his best lyrics. He’s clever enough to rework every crack simile by spitting, “Yo your shit is crack/ in so much as that I never fucked with it and never will/ Never used, Never deal/ Never chopped, never cooked/ and I really don’t feel the appeal/ How he get a record deal, for real?” He’s one of the few emcees that can create a back and forth with nobody else on the track and have it sound natural. It’s always smart and witty, but throughout S.P.T.A. it’s incredibly dope too.
Just as the cover art depicts, J-Live wears three hats throughout the project. He’s Hip-Hop’s rare triple threat (DJ, Producer, and Emcee). Throughout S.P.T.A. he does each craft at a high level. The way he scratches up a hook (See “From Scratch”) is as skilled as the way he manipulates the English language to rhyme in the manner he does (See “Poetry In Ertia”). On the J-Live produced “Life Comes in Threes,” he proves that his production can carry a track without an emcee. Like previous J-Live projects, the album is filled with positivity. He’s able to spit about Doc Holladay, the ills of drugs, and education without alienating his base. What it does lack is the intensity of “Stir of the Echoes” or the sincere depth that “The 4th Third” brought to All of the Above. S.P.T.A. has moments of its own, but they aren’t diverse enough to catapult the album into the next stratosphere.
The beauty of S.P.T.A. is J-Lives’ ability to deliver a relevant throwback album. It has an early ’90s feel with modern lyricism. Fully equipped with cut up hooks, soulful samples flipped creatively and conscience lyrics, it has the feeling of what ’90s Hip-Hop looks like when it’s all grown up. J-Live avoids the guest filled “who’s who” album and instead keeps the audience guessing what exactly he is going to bring to the table next. By the end, he proves that he is a Master of the Ceremony in every regard.
You’re review reads as if it’s a 4.5 star album….why only 3.5?
*Your…fuck
Another cookie cutter review…when you dub some MASTER OF CEREMONY…it shud be a 4.0 to 4.5….then again…cunninlyguists oneirology got the same grade…lol
go figure.
i think this is really great and i like it. its beautifl
nice
How you gonna pretty much call an album perfect then give it a 3.5?!
Come on, DX. I don’t mind a lot of 3.5 star reviews because the sad truth is most shit out is just average, you need to reserve those 4-5 star reviews for the real thing. But what I don’t understand is how a review can be totally fucking positive and still rate an album the same as all those average ones. I am thoroughly confused.
Because sites like this are bought and sold. You can pay for great ratings but they won’t give great ratings freely. If you get your HIPHOP facts from a site like this you are LOST. Just look at the front page- they only talk about the same 3 rappers over and over and over with the occasional token indie rapper thrown in. But there are hundreds of great albums released every year but amazingly talented artists that constantly get ignored. Why? Because sites like this A. Like to get paid off. B. Refuse to dig or support the underground that doesn’t sell ad space. They are all about ad revenue and if it doesn’t make them money they don’t care. But finally- the fans don’t support. They only want to read the b.s. and the 1 millionth rick ross article. The so called fans are just as much to blame because they don’t buy or support other artists.
FUCKING TRUTH! Yeah homie!
Well said @TRUTH
FRE$CO!!
One of the most underrated MC’s of all time. Long live J-Live.
very nice album j-live does it again
Way to underrated and its truly a damn shame.
Way too underrated
Another bullshit rating from hhdx.
A very good album but it doesn;t measure up to other J-live projects.
the review doesn’t match the rating given.
agreed
HipHopDX Once again with the shity review. The review does not match the rating at all..
Best projects of 2011
1. Evidence – Cats and Dogs
2. J-Live – S.P.T.A
3. Saigon – Greatest story Never Told
4. Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R.
5. Random Axe
6. Rasheed Chappell – Future Before Nostalgia
7. Reks – R.E.K.S.
8. Kendrick Lamar-Section 80
9. Elzhi – Elmatic
10. Curren$y – Covert Coup
11. Big Krit- Return of 4eva
12. J cole – COle world
13. Phonte – Charity Starts at home
pretty close
Half of those suck. Especially cats and dogs.
Actually they are all dope…whats ur list puto?
yep drop cole world currensy and big krit random axe wasnt that good to be that high
where is Cunninlynguists Oneirology album on that list? that album is amazing. and j. cole’s album just aint that good sorry. Evidences was tight, but not the best. close but not quite.
Indeed, Oneirology is a goddamn masterpiece
yall are bugging.
go to youtube and search BLACKLAWREBELMUSIC and give them feedback please they my folk tryin to come up in game.
Yeah seriously, this album should be reviewed again – if only because the review does read a lot higher than 3.5.
Truth… said it best!!
FFU!!
Definitely a 4-star album for real hip-hop!!! Now, what rank it falls is a different topic, which, i don’t think fans of real hi-hop should be discussing!!!
dislike
Very nice. I did feel like the EP was the better part of the LP but its J-Live. Lyrics are on point every song, beats are good. The concept of you talking to yourself the whole LP, showing your depth coulda kept it but I understand the three part metaphore. Overall 4 stars. Keep doing your thing J.
FIYAH
With this group of producers, J-Live could never fail.
I guess J-Live didn’t have enough money to pay for a higher rating.
Great album. Easily 4.0
Yet again, all anyone does is complain that it didn’t get a 4. The review is generally positive but it does give some critique: “S.P.T.A. has moments of its own, but they arent diverse enough to catapult the album into the next stratosphere.” I’m not saying that I don’t think it deserves a 4. I just think that you should stop complaining so much about scores. This album getting a 3.5 isn’t going to change the fact that when its all said and done J-Live will probably deserve a spot in the top 25 emcee’s of all time….
I still can’t believe that “Nineteen Ninety Now” is one of the 4 albums to receive a 4.5 in the last year.
Solid. Not as good as I thought it’d be.
Great effort from one of the best of all time…..
Dope as hell