Having dropped a long list of solo LPs, group albums and mixtapes since debuting with The L.O.X. in 1998, Styles P has firmly established himself as a top-tier lyricist. While he may not show up on as many “Top 5 Dead or Alive” lists as he may like, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who would deny his skills. Of course, Hip Hop History is full of great rappers who couldn’t convert those skills into a complete album; so even after all this time, Styles can’t rest on pedigree alone.
Master of Ceremonies starts off a little slow with “How I Fly” but doesn’t take too long to ramp up. The Sheek Louch assisted “Street Shit” 
raises the energy level with a hard break and dark pianos, paving the way for “It’s Okay” with Jadakiss, where the two go back and forth in classic fashion, this time over a loud club track. Styles also reunites with Rick Ross on “Harsh,” (with Busta Rhymes) contrasting the explosive “B.M.F.” with a more relaxed backdrop for their stunts.
Pharrell helps provide an eighties Miami vibe on “Don’t Turn Away,” and while Styles doesn’t go full on “coke rap,” a little Scarface still makes it through. In addition to those already mentioned, Lloyd Banks, Pharoahe Monch, and Sheek (again) also show up, making the 12-track LP a little crowded, even without counting a handful of R&B singers. Each guest handles his duties appropriately, but as a group, they take a lot of time away from the star.
Styles does a good job being introspective on “Keep the Faith” and expressing his thoughts on the state of our youth on “Children,” so it might have been nice if a few more tracks were dedicated to definitive concepts instead of directionless collaborations. Added to production that’s a little flat in spots, the emphasis on guests reduces the longevity of what might have been a much stronger album.
While there’s no telling how much closer this brings us to a new L.O.X. album, Styles is doing his best to represent the collective properly with his latest solo. While it feels like Master of Ceremonies could have been more, it’s a solid effort worth checking out both for fans of Styles specifically and New York rap in general. Admittedly, Styles still hasn’t quite hit the height of his potential, but he’s far from falling off while he continues the pursuit.
offcourse this is a great album, Styles P D block never dissapoints me
Styles P track with Lloyd Banks is fucking hot, fireeeeeeee, shit is too dope, Banks too underrated. D Block/G-Unit the best in the rap game
styles is vary underrated
how long are u underrated b4 u are considered a disspointment or subpar
Haven’t heard anything from him that has made me want to listen to him again (apart from Pharoahe Monch collabs.) He seems like a ok rapper…
^so true
dope
Album is pretty good but it would’ve been better if he included songs NYC, and Brothers from the MOC mixtape. Styles P is a beast though. Best songs are the ones with Lloyd Banks and Uh Oh.
had to add that NYC myself after paying for the download no bootleg
So good!
a very fair review. i share similar sentiments with the reviewer. still a good album but i was expecting a lot more since styles has really evolved as an MC
R.E.K.S. >>>
Great review decent could have been better
so … Juices 4 life is a fruit drink cafe for the hood? ……
styles p is the man!
I gave it a 5. This album is a damn near classic to me and I do NOT throw that word around often. 12 tracks, no filler. I can listen the whole way through, and Styles P goes hard. One of the hardest out amongst all the skinny jean/Women pant wearing rappers talkin bout some soft shit. I’m a big J Cole fan too, and I like Master of Ceremonies better, but I just prefer harder material, cole sounded too mainstream and raps about bitches way too much.
Bottom line, this shit is for real hip hop heads. Styles keeps it lyrical, and just keeps it real throughout the whole record. I’d like to give HHDX a big Fuck You, they give this a 3.5 and give Big Sean a 4. But, I never take their reviews serious, the people’s votes speak for themselves, and with that said, this album is at least a 4.
This album & big sean’s are on the same level, u want commercial & focused, or hard & sloppy. both are 3.5 to me. J. Cole’s CD was better than both those guys disc(both don’t crack my top 10)
I’m a big lox fan anyone else think time has passed them up, it’s been more of a decade since their last group, This CD is subpar & so was the last styles album, Jadakiss & Sheek have gotten progressively worst. I still love them though but the truth is the truth. They pick the worst beats & that plagued this album & has plagued them throughout their careers. 3 stars for me, really 3 1/2, I guess…..
The Ghost put together a no-frills, CRAZY album…NO weak tracks from beginning to end…Should’ve been a 4 at least!!!!
ive been high as hell since i got it..its on heavy rotation,gets better with every listen!!! ghost
This is a solid release. “Children”, the song produced by Pete Rock, and “Harsh” are dope. The rest of the album is solid, but not super-crazy. 3.75/5
I think The Green Ghost Project and Invincible were both better, but this album is still rock solid. You know you’ll get consistency with Styles, and if your a Styles fan, you won’t be disappointed. “I’m a Gee” and “Keep The Faith” go extra hard.
That Ryde on da Regular joint is on repeat.. dope as fuck…album rock solid one of the best of the year
the reviewer said styles cant make a complete album like a gangster and a gentleman aint a classic
the reviewer is a dick!
the reviewer is sensible & unbiased, Styles and the rest of the lox are lazy
that was the most pathetic review I have ever read, waste of time
Zero effort
MC is awesome and is appropriately title
well done Ghost!
Styles albums sound way better in theory than they actually do. This dude is so lazy. I’m sorry, massive disappointment.
always hard shit!
A gangsta and a gentleman. shit! that album was a classic
dissapointment. styles made 1 good album a gangster and a gentle man.
Lox is 13 years in the game with average releases. they just cant bring it.
Nothing speacial about this album, shitt is real boring.
Big Styles P fan but def not his best work. I give it a 3, its nothing special. Beat selection was sub-par not his usual.
People that keep saying G&G was his only good album MUST have never heard of Time is Money. That album knocks from begin-end! 12 Solid tracks.
No question the kid is nice and no doubt he gets busy- I’m not talking about him but Ali Lafayette Rhea. One Love
styles p sucks thats it why people be saying hes 1 of the best ever nigga hell no
fuck outta here. u prolly a wiz khalifa fan. dont kno G music when u hear it
phonte album way better than this shit
yoooo foreal fuck that…. this album is a straight classic im sick of ppl talkin down on real hip hop…ppl dont respect or no whats real no more its sad the era i grew up on i miss it dreadfully i would trade todays blasphemy of hip hop for back then
4.5 Stars. One of the Greatest Albums of the Year (Top 5). No Filler; Many of you Niggas need to get off the High Horse. “I’m a Gee,” “Keep the Faith,” “Uh-Ohh,” “How I Fly,” “We Don’t Play,” and “Don’t Turn Away”!!!!
Styles P: Hardest Rapper Alive, Master of Ceremonies, Mic Controller, Microphone Checker, Music Commentator, and One who Moves the Crowd.
Dude fell off!! Way off!!
u probably a Lil Wayne fan !lol get the fuck out of here Styles still doing his thing ! real MCing !
To me this is a classic Album i dont wanna hear that soft draKe shit
hiphopdx fell off!! Way off!!
Classic
sp the ghost showing these rappers how to mc
Styles is the truth. Listn to that children track esp. I heard 3 or 4. Everything i heard bang. Never did favor interviews, esp. if niggas aint followers, everybody should have their own opinion.
I love real nigga music!
Salute!
Real music, the ghost showing u how to MC! He even flip the wordplay and flow on a Warren G track damn! If u hating on joints like We don’t play, I’m a gee, Ryde on da regular, keep the faith, children, street shit, harsh and UH-OHH. Peep the last verse on UH-OHH and get at me. These are the over head bars!
could have been better . its decent tho
3 stars
All u nigga don’t understand the G styles P u bitch azz nigga is house nigga y’all don’t kno about the streets or the struggle so stop acting like y’all could relate to the Homie 2guns up u fucking faggets SP what up 6ig homie I see you keep doin ya thing my G I fucks wit you no homo since I was 11 now I’m 27 kno dat keep doin ya thing u hatein azz fags kill ya self POWPOW
Do you know how to write an intelligent sentence?
5 star general
it was ok
shit is smooth sp doin his thing
sp the bose ugh
def some hot tracks on there, its a quality release for sure…ill be bumpin this, 9th and Phonte til the new year
Now that I’ve played the entire album five times, I’m skipping over tracks. This is an average collection of songs at best. 3/5
Album is hot. Stop hating……………
‘im from a part of new york thats fouler than pork’
Where the dirty niggas pile into court.”D-block”
I love the truth teller that styles p is. Keep the faith, ride on da regular, children, and Ohh-uhh all bang over n over in da whip n my hears. Miami nigga talking
styles p doin it for real hip hop heads
LOL. Doesn’t change the fact that he has NO skills.
I could never stand Styles P, but dude came with some heat. Not many of the songs are high on repeat value, but at least 3 are – 3 1/2
this album is solid… tracks i really like the most are “Don’t Turn Away” and “Street Shit”… but all songs are good, i say 5/5
Reks ripped this dude a new one. One of the most limited rappers I’ve ever heard. Switch your flow for once, god damn. His lyrics are so fucking simple and repetitve, it’s a fucking disgrace that he can’t flow properly for once with so much nursersy-rhymed shit.
It’s a fucking shame that such a whack project like this receives 3.5 stars. This deserves one for the dumb title.
13 years in the game and he still hasn’t hit the height of his potential?? Sorry, I’m not buying that. This is as famous as you’ll ever be, P.
LMAO.
album is one of the best of the year period…at least my nigga S.P has done everything he ever rhymed about and he doesnt give a fucc about fame he,s just a hood nigga who loves music…yall rather support fake rappers who never lived shit they talked about smh…S.P is one of the only niggas in the game who can do shows in other niggas city with no security and not get tried and thats a fact
what the fucc does doing shows without security have to do with anything? especially if you making songs that’s not beef’n with a city? come on my equal,ain’t no rapper did everything he rap about,get the fucc outta here with that shit. some shit but not all. and it’s nothing wrong with security that shit is smart,who wouldn’t want to be able to pop someone and have an alibi? get that broke mentality outta here,being surrounded by goons is nothing but security without legit qualifications my equals haha. styles p is cool tho much respect to the equal, hope the album sales well so he can continue to feed his fam yell
If you a real nigga it means a lot…rap is entertainment but at the end of the day practice what you preach, you may not be one but real niggas will always take that shit to the grave whether its in music or real life point blank period
Y’all haters Hate too hard,this Nigga got all kinds of music out if you don’t like his sh#t why even click on it?.. Oh so you can say you don’t like?.. sound like a hater to me. Styles is tight though I saw him preform in Manhattan with Drag-on,Swiss, and Remy Martin and he was the only one of them I seen drive there and walk in thru the front door thru the crowd by himself and get on stage smoking the same blunt he walked in smoking. I guess you just gotta like gangsta music to feel this nigga
Salute…solid. My favorite out of the Father Son and Holy Ghost of hiphop.
really impressed with this album, styles p out did himself with this one. i didnt think he would be able to top super gangsta and extraordinary gentlemen but he did. definetly an album to have and definetly a classic for hip hop. D-Block!!!!!!
HipHopdx has listened to this album and commented on its most profound cuts.
Styles does a good job being introspective on Keep the Faith and expressing his thoughts on the state of our youth on Children, so it might have been nice if a few more tracks were dedicated to definitive concepts instead of directionless collaborations.”
This statement is sufficient and satisfactory. But what hits the most, is the lack of understanding for the spirit in the album through the verses besides the productions. The production could’ve been more stronger, so it would’ve been more collective and more powerful as an album.
The critic is pointed at the commentators who does not consider or even feel or the touch the lyrics. Styles P delivers original statements about street life, personal affairs, faith and for almost political issues. It’s not that we haven’t heard these topics before, but the deliver is different and real:
Hit the spot for cocaine measurin
Got a Desert Eagle, need a city eagle
Tryin to tell my niggaz the whole city evil
And all I know is murderers and gritty people
But it is what it is – Ryde On Da Regular”
Should statements like this be considered as carelessness? We’ve been hearing this the from the beginning of Hip Hop, from mad artists like 2Pac, who opened the book of thuggin’. 2Pac’s definition of a thug was, that a man had nothing but himself. You can hear the loneliness on “Keep the Faith” track. But let’s rewind to the above. He’s telling, that the city’s evil, filled with criminals and so on. Than he concludes – but it is what it is. See this hits me, when I consider how important the lyrics is for the judgement of a specific city or society, that still haven’t got better.
Harsh” isn’t what a man should consider himself to strive, Styles P paints the picture of how he is raised by the mentality of being strong and harsh, when the city’s evil and the only way to be at the top is to play the boss. In the music video you can see Styles plays the role like Michael Corleone. This not only paint an image of him being a gangster or whatever, but the harshness that it is a necessity to keep yourself at the top of being a boss, when the politicians do the same, and do not provide the good, but the regular. Which is suppression and the balance as we up till now have seen.
I could go on interpreting the album, what a review a different thing, so I’ll keep it short.
One
styles p is the hardest right…what’s hard about stabbing someone in the ass??? that’s what he went to jail for – stabbing someone in the ass.
album is as soft as a teddy bear…the “P” in Styles P must mean pop
word up beats scream pop music
Holy shit! “it’s Ok” beat is fuxkin disgusting!! That whole track is bananas! Sick shit how styles and Jada trade lines back and forth, the beat sounds like some old swizzy shit when he was fire!
Super letdown. Last album in ’07 was good. This shit sucks.
Mixtape P > Album P
although there were some heat on this I feel like it fit together right,
some of the worst hooks i ever heard in my life.
This album got some joints u can ride to and listen too on your way to work. We dont play wit banks and harsh are my favorites, and what he spit on children was real. Its a good album it reminded me alot of the green ghost project. I still like gangsta and a gentleman and time is money significantly better, but thats just my opinion
Average album, but I still love you ghost! 3,5/5
ruthless
Dude can’t make a decent song for shit. Terrible album.
how many bad albums are we gonna get from this fucking guy. fuck off already wannabe gangster, go back to putting pampers around ur baby.
Exactly. One of the worst ever. Pure garbage.
styles is raw!!! BUT YO!!THIS ALBUM WAS TRASH!!
3/5
you little niggaz dont no about real music album is hot
Good Albums, We don’t Play my favourite
S P! PUTS IT DOWN. KEEP ON FLIPPIN MY BROTHA!
This shit was perfect NY shit….My favourite album of the year!