Building on this existing chemistry, RJD2 takes the musical reigns on Magnificent City and wraps it into one cohesive, steady-flowing narrative. Appropriately, Acey starts at the beginning with the funk-infused "All For You", spitting about coming into the world and his matter of fact hip-hop credo: "I'm Aceyalone, how can I be of service? / What else do you need beside superb wordage?" Shifting tone to singsong and conversational, "Solomon Jones" adds a hip-hop touch to what would otherwise be a campfire story about a Western saloon scene. A more personalized story comes through the funky bass lines of "Junior" - an oddly upbeat jam for a story ending in murder.
Throughout Acey's often-abstract schemes, RJD2 delivers a consistently satisfying musical fusion that applies elements of classic 70s funk and soul with subtle modern jazz. RJD2 flexes his ingenuity most notable on the afterlife tale "Heaven," creating serene dreaminess that floats through Acey's verses only to destroy it with a chorus that explodes with violent synthesized strings. Though it may not reach Acey's past lyrical peak, Magnificent City proves the chemistry was anything but a fluke.
Definitely Download:
1. "Heaven"
2. "All For You"
3. "Solomon Jones"