Nothing Bigger Than The Program is the perfect descriptor for this collaboration between two underground heavyweights. Jay Worthy and Roc Marciano join forces for the first time to deliver a crisp take on their own respective sounds. raw, shimmering, and everything in between. this tape is another solid addition to the ever-growing repertoires of these two established veterans.

standout tracks: Underground Legends, Nothing Bigger Than The Program, The Field, Players Only

while this is unquestionably a quality effort from two of the best in the underground right now, something about this collaboration leaves you wishing it had more to it. the repetitiveness of Marci’s beats tend to make Worthy’s flaws in his flow much more obvious on this tape. this album would have worked better with Roc Marciano handling the leadoff role and Worthy playing the #2.

Jay feels overly lazy at times, his lax flow feeling too lax, as if he’s just checking in for another day at the studio. it can be endearing how effortless he makes it seem, but at the same time you still wanna feel like he cares. after all, how impressed are you gonna be at the guy who clocks in, does his job, and clocks out? respectable effort, but nothing to write home about.

this tape has Roc Marciano trying his hand at a bit more west coast funk influence, but the gritty Marci of old is still very much present. this evolution produces an eerie daytime atmosphere that's incredibly interesting and surreal. take the track ‘The Plug’: the haunting vocals with Kokane on the hook chanting like it’s a seance create this vibe that provides the perfect pocket to fit a gem of an Ab-Soul feature, following up his stellar comeback album with another home run swing.

Marci has mastered the art of minimalism in his beats as well. ‘Players Only’ is another stroke of greatness from him, instantly setting a mood like you got dropped into the climactic scene of 80s blaxploitation film. with Worthy on his game again, talking heavy with the flow to back it up, this song is a real hard hitter. he mines another diamond on ‘My Own Two’ too. serving up the best beat on the tape. problem is, the feature choices sour an absolutely golden display from the main-eventers. both A$AP Ant and Bart Oatmeal are dull and flat as hell. their delivery throws a curtain of drab over a sparkling effort from Roc and Jay (smoking on that purple kush, Barney? really??? c’mon man...).

that song is a microcosm of a larger issue with the album as a whole, it’s not all golden on this tape for sure. Marci’s beats have this repetitive sequencing that tends to lull you to sleep. sometimes it’s exactly what you need, but sometimes it zaps the energy, making a track drag on longer than it should. Worthy has also never really been a heavy hitter when it comes to bars, choosing to keep his flows smooth and his subject matter interesting, but here on this he’s pretty clearly outclassed by most of his features. the four track run from the title track to ‘Wake Up’ has him getting beat out by pretty much every other rapper on every verse. not to knock the fire coming from the features at all, you just really want to see more from the headliner of the show.

final verdict: put it in the rotation - if you wanna hear Jay Worthy, this is a damn good representation of who he is as a rapper, for better or worse. add in Marci and that levels this project up to something real sweet.