The issue that many have with rap of the post millennium variety is the lack of variance there is lyrically. There probably isn’t a hip hop release without a track about money, girls or violence. And of course, any emcee can choose to talk about either the positive or negative aspects of any of those topics, but vary frequently, emcees take the perspective that the more girls, the better. And if there’s gotta be an altercation, there’s just gotta be an altercation.

Any genre suffers from the trappings that define it. But there are only so many acts that are able to transcend clichés and expectations. And while Tha Connection – in terms of production – haven’t chosen to re-write the musicality of hip hop, they have decided to discuss topics that, while present on every other record, aren’t generally examined from their points of view.

And after such a great amount of work being released over a short amount of time, listeners might expect that Tha Connection is running out of material. But, thankfully, that’s not the case. And on Take It Higher, Hus the King Pin and Smoovth still don’t deviate from the accepted norms of the rap world. But the fact that they choose to function within these accepted mores while being able to spit plentiful, amusing and poignant rhymes points to their abilities.

“For you/I drop albums of material/I get high/Write a rhyme/Eat a bowl of cereal”

Those lines aren’t exactly Verlaine, but while acknowledging the fact that getting high might make food more enticing, Tha Connection is able to touch on a rap necessity – speaking of your prowess. Whether it’s releasing albums, making money or ruining woman, rap has a track record of boasting – I suppose all musicians do as much, but rarely in a lighter (higher) frame of mind.

Listeners aren’t yet treated to entire narratives – ala Del waiting for the bus – on this release, but Tha Connection, even without that strategy is more than capable of endearing listeners.

“Word is born/I make my word my bond/My first rhyme started like/Yo! My name is Shawn.”

“Thunderball” discusses the realization of talent and figuring out where it came from. Touching on a topic that not everyone can understand, these emcees reveal personal relationships and explain how they’ve arrived, fully formed and prepared to stake a significant claim to the rap world.

Along with that, the sound that this duo cops doesn’t sit directly in one camp. There’re obvious East Coast influences. But only on “Raw Skills,” crafted by 12bit, does the production specifically recall the Wu. But to compare this duo to that collective would be disrespectful to all those involved.

It does serve to illustrate the point that Tha Connection might lend a bit more thought to their work than their contemporaries. And if you’re a familiar with 36 Chambers at all, you’ll know that Wu was in it so that their kids were able to get some too. And it really sounds like Tha Connection’s in it the same way.