Pac Div are finally free. The LA based trio (Mibbs, Like, Be Young), went from being one of the hottest new MCs on the block to see their buzz fizzle while they were stuck in major record label purgatory. Now free of their deal with Universal Motown—and their original, would be debut, Grown Kids Syndrome, on the shelf—the heralded young gunners drop The Div on indie RBC Records. Tried and true fans will be satisfied, but many will still inevitably wonder what could have been if the politricks of the industry hadn’t stalled their progress.
Record label half-stepping didn’t stop Pac Div from dropping a gang of mixtapes (Church League Champions 
, Don’t Mention It , Mania ) and they sounds as sharp as ever on the album’s opener, “The Greatness.” Over lush keys and drums from producer No ID, the crew lyrically pontificates on their steadfast dedication to dropping fresh music, no matter the obstacles. “I will prevail when I got cousins in jail, the IRS sending me mail but how the fuck can I fail when this is greatness/the label pushing for sales, enough to drag a nigga through hell, but you can tell this is greatness,” spits Be Young. The we’re going to make it no matter what theme permeates the album on cuts like spry “High Five.”
Pac Div do hit a range of topics (fast times, girls, liquor and weed, etc.) and are even good when they delve into emo rap territory like the moody “Move One”—on which they thankfully avoid sounding like heartbroken simps— or the melancholy “Number 1.” But they’re just way better when they keep the energy high on tracks like the amped, Swiff D produced “Life Is Good” or the high charged, Like and Dahi produced “Posted.” Guests on the album are minimal with Casey Veggies and Skeme assisting on the burner “Top Down.”
One stumble is “Useless,” featuring Asher Roth (why?), whose minimalist instrumental from Blended Babies doesn’t give it much punch despite potent rhymes. Another version of “Useless” is one of three remixes (along with “Number 1” and “Posted”) sheepishly tagged onto the end of the album. While you can’t help but wonder what kind of the gems are trapped in the Universal Motown vault, The Div proves that no matter the circumstance, Pac Div is dedicated to making music too dope to be held back by industry fuckery.
it’s a classic when every song could be a single
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Ill
The only real words for it
Great rhymes with decent diversity in the style if the songs I disagree with the review and say that Useless was one of the better tracks.
Stripping the song and allowing better focus on the lyrics made it extremely apparent that they haven’t lost any lyrical ability great album
My only wish is that it was longer
I thought Useless was dope and the reason they had Asher on it because he is down with Pac Div. They toured together a few years back and made that song Hellafaded.
Listen to Useless, Asher kills it, like he showed a lot of hunger on it. Usually Asher does that lazy flow, but I think he had some dopeness on it.
Solid, but 4/5 seems generous in comparison to Drake and J. Cole. VERY.
Classic.
Classic shit
dope
Waiting forever for this to drop, 5/5
Posted is one of the sickest beats of 2011
Definitive awesomeness
been a fan since, dont mention it.
dope
Awesome album. Every song is a banger.
Just got on to Pac Div and I must say, I’m hugely impressed.
The Div album is very good and well put together. Tight Bars and bangin beats… “She” is my fav cut so far
very solid album. ‘useless’ is a decent track; asher roth gets a bad rap but he can spit, and he’s spittin’ good shit on this song.
one correction, though: in the 2nd paragraph, it’s actually Mibbs that says those lines, not BeYoung.
One of the best this year!
Lost in the in-crowd.
Sick Album
Very good album.
The Greatness is a monster opening and Posted contains one of the sickest beat of the year.
Almost every track are good.
4 out of 5.
THE DIV
This album and the Cool Kids album are show n provin that hip hop is still alive and kicking
This is the first I’ve heard of Pac Div and I’m blown away! ‘Posted’ is hypnotic, I can’t get enough of it.
5/5 from me
never heard of these folks and I try to follow real hip hop…Posted is HELLA hard. I wish homie on the second verse would have brought the same flow. First MC hit hardest. Vid funny as hell.
completely agree ith this review with one exception, i thought asher killed it on Useless
I’m surprised so many people haven’t heard of pac div…
I’m very mixed about Pac Div’s music. I LOVE tracks like “Taste”, “The Mirror”, and even “The Greatness” off of the new album…but I thought that “Useless” was horrible, and I didn’t like “Life Is Good” at all. I wish that they would make more songs like “The Mirror”…that was one of the best songs to come out this year (2011).
Damn, y’all readers/raters are trippin’.
Hi Five
If you are new check out mania, church league champs, & dont mention it
Does anyone know where to find this album?