Album review of "Root For The Underdog" from Tom P.

Album review of “Root For The Underdog” from Tom P.

July 22, 2010 2 Comments

The right amount of boastfulness; the right amount of weed smoke; the right amount of ATL & Decatur, the right amount of humor…and yes Tom P, not that you need us to confirm…but the right amount of swagger. I fucking dig Tom P…he fits my style and he’ll probably fit yours too. I think a good rapper is a master of language and words; a master of vocabulary, both intellectual and street. I think an even better rapper is a master not only of words and language, but of syllables and alliteration. Tom P has all of those things. His flow is hard to match and unique, switching between really fast, syllable focused alliteration and an old school flow with a concentration on rhyming words. His demeanor is flawless. In the tradition of Bone Thugs he spits rapid rhymes but always manages to bring it back to what only he can describe best…”old school, new school cross-pollination…”

Tom P. is clever enough to have his self promotion take a back, but just prominent enough seat to his particular take on rhyming. That’s something that I can respect and get behind. He stays true to his roots throughout the album and never strays far from his message of self introspection and promotion of his good times, bad times lifestyle, filled with all the rapper glory of drinking, smoking and fucking a lot…and all the rapper adversities of paranoia, danger and regret. Don’t let that take away from his originality, however. He has a clever take on rap and I think Tom P is headed places. His subjects are sharp and full of wit as he touches on topics such as lost love, picking friends before girlfriends and my favorite….the complexity and dual identity of being in pursuit of a dream (in his case, being a famous rapper) and having to get there by waiting tables or working the dreaded “day job.”

Don’t miss the awesome guest spots by Aleon Craft.

1. Intro
2. Root For The Underdog
3. Time Flies ft. Playboy Tre and Aleon Craft
4. Last Call
5. Wake Up ft. Julie Grass
6. Gone
7. Ain t Have None (Uh Huh)
8. Play The Game ft. Gripplyaz and Aleon Craft
9. Friends
Bonus Tracks
***10. Spotlight
***11. Life Of The Party
***12. Impossible
***13. Wicked

BUY the album at ATLTomP.com