Al Great has released The Take, the follow-up to last year’s The Heist. This effort is another solid one from this very talented and prolific Baltimore MC. There are a bunch of guests on here, and they all fit the flow of the project nicely. There’s something Nas-and-AZ-ish in the lyrical back and forth Of “Give and Go”, with Duce Wayne. Another standout is “Is It Really Me”, which samples one of my favorite groups, Love Unlimited Orchestra. Daysia Starr does a wonderful job singing over the hook. (As with other songs I’ve heard her on, she does not over-sing–which is kind of rare and very appreciated these days.)

Production on The Take is shared by Heist and E. Hill, whose styles of production are somewhat similar. One beat that really stood out to me was “Blinders”. The song features Suffolk, VA’s Jet Noise Cardi, who does a fine job with it, but it’s Al’s flow on this one that made me rewind–the aggressive flow isn’t one I’ve heard much from Al, but he does it well.

Click the cover (with artwork by @raggsman) below for a free download of The Take.