A. Levy is an incredible rapper. He has mic control, breath control, a tight, rapid-fire flow, and his voice simply sounds great on tape. His name is mentioned a lot in and around the monthly Soundclash Beat Battle series, in connection with Levy’s The Hut studios, meaning Levy rolls with the better, smarter local rappers.
Sometimes though, he doesn’t have a lot to say, and the songs on his debut album Commercial Break become unfortunately pocked with hip-hop catch phrases in the place of thoughtful words. The album possesses moments where Levy’s voice and flow coincide with some great content, such as on the a cappella “Spit Something,” which you could imagine commanding the radio.
Despite some great beats, the production on Commercial Break is also a bit spotty, but that’s to be expected when seven local producers chip in for Levy’s 13 songs. “Kick Game” (a catchphrase that peaked in popularity a year or two ago) discusses tennis shoe fetishism over drum fills from the Cash Money era. The song should be better considering guest appearances by Lyrikill and K. Gates, who bust clever-enough verses, but do we need a(nother) shoe song?
“Pushing Keys” is a shining moment that Levy dedicates to “my fellow hustlers,” before spinning an elaborate metaphor for musicians as dealers of a particular drug: “The music is crack / this a city for the addicts / who am I to not supply to meet their habits?” If A. Levy can push himself to write lyrics that are as deep as his flow is sweet, then he could easily become the rich and famous rapper he’s currently pretending to be.
