Soul Position

Much like the Unlimited EP and 8 Million Stories album that preceded it three years ago, RJD2 and Blueprint's latest is a true superstar collaboration. Each of the 13 songs on Things Go Better With RJ & Al draws from the two members' strengths, namely RJD2's quality hip-hop beats and...

By Mosi Reeves

March 16, 2006

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Much like the Unlimited EP and 8 Million Stories album that preceded it three years ago, RJD2 and Blueprint's latest is a true superstar collaboration. Each of the 13 songs on Things Go Better With RJ & Al draws from the two members' strengths, namely RJD2's quality hip-hop beats and Blueprint's superior narrative skills. The latter rhymes about shooting Jägermeister and "waking up with a girl that look like David Letterman" ("Blame It on the Jäger"); and warning his 8-year-old niece about boys ("The Cool Thing to Do"). Some of his lyrics are pretty funny, but others may be offended when he raps on "Drugs, Sex, Alcohol, Rock-n-Roll" about a church girl who is molested by her father, and "She never quite recovered/So when she has sex now it's with a woman." Nevertheless, Blueprint's lucid views help make Things Go Better With RJ & Al a solid banger from start to finish.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.