Put quite simply, this disc is another disc in the Christian hip hop realm that is astonishing. manCHILD and Dust absolutely bring it on this disc. The lyrics are excellent, the beats are hot, and there is not a single track that lets up on the disc's intense pace. On Dog Ear Page, Ill puts their mission right at the forefront: (Our) goal is to educate and entertain you/Make your head nod but still give you brain food. And that is exactly what these guys have managed to do on every single track.
Tracks like Effortless and Saturday Night Special enlist the help of various other hip hop artists to join the party. X:144 joins Ill on Effortless and puts a mark on one of the most solid tracks on the disc. Ishues and D.R.E.S. The Beatnik come in on Saturday Night Special and offer a track that will make you bob your head and could easily become "The Saturday night anthem" for a lot of people.
But Mars Ill is not a group that needs to feature other artists to get their job done. On the playfully sarcastic I Is, Ill put together a song that takes a well-deserved shot at the way the typical Christian hip hop artist writes a song, and does so quite impressively while still managing to deliver a meaningful message. Tracks like When Heaven Scrapes The Pavement offer a more empty sound that ends up fitting perfectly with the lyrics Time and time again, Mars Ill delivers with track after track of excellent music.
Overall, after hearing Pro Pain, it should come as no surprise that manCHILD and Dust are both members of Deepspace 5, the band that released arguably the best disc of 2005 in Unique, Just Like Everyone Else. And maybe this disc doesn't reach taht same level...maybe. At the same time, Pro Pain offers not only solid tracks, but solid tracks could arguably have a larger impact on Christian hip hop because of a definite mainstream appeal. Whatever the case, one thing is clear: if this disc is never released nationally, it will be a travesty in the greatest sense of the word. No one should be kept from hearing this disc, especially not by a record that's scared of things that might by possible. This isn't even a matter of something that has definitely happened. it's a matter of the maybe. And the maybe cannot keep this music out of people's ears. it simply would not be right to deprive people of truly great music and continue to let them live in the mediocre.