egal Hustle, Cormega’s third and most inconsistent solo effort, actually shows even more promise than his first two solo albums. While “The Realness” and “True Meaning” are underground classics to many hip-hop heads, I’ve found them to be rather insular hip-hop recordings, albums that could have been made any time in the past decade without anyone raising an eyebrow. Cormega’s MCing abilities are highly rated for a reason; he is almost always on point lyrically, with insight and a talent for deft prose. His flow is awkward, but endearingly so, and his voice resonates with nostalgia and pathos. Unfortunately, this album’s focus on nostalgia often threatens to veer into some sort of 1990s thug-hop hell, and the proliferation of guest MCs doesn’t help much. Luckily, the album is redeemed by some inspired performances by reliable guest artists and Cormega’s own lyrical abilities.

Virtually everything about this album is in some way a throwback; only the high pitched vocal samples date this album as a post-Kanye release. Sampling ESG is hardly a new concept, and Cormega’s lyrics reflect the mournful recollections of a man who missed his spot in the sun, just as Nas and other similar mid-90s thug-MCs reached the heights of fame. Even the guest spots by Large Professor, Ghostface Killah, and AZ, could have appeared any time during the past decade. Although this reactionary stance puts ‘mega distinctly against the tide of mainstream hip-hop and narrows the musical possibilities, his reflective flow occasionally succeeds; the melancholic piano chords of “Beautiful Mind”, for example, make a perfect backdrop for Cormega’s lispy knowledge. But the best tracks on the album are those in which Cormega either looks forward, as with dancehall king Vybz Kartel on the menacing “Dangerous”, or when he collaborates with equally talented and energetic MCs, as with Ghostface on the burning “Tony/Montana”.

The problems crop up with the production first and foremost; an anemic beat saps the energy from what should have been an impressive M.O.P. collaboration, and throughout the strings and horns and pianos seem hollow when compared to similar beats on albums by Ghostface and Kanye West. Too many guest artists also add to the troubles. Although Doña, one heavily-featured guest MC, has gritty, inspired potential, in the end too many cooks spoil the hustle, and the record seems unfocused as a result. This absence of direction is probably the album’s most fatal flaw.

Apparently Legal Hustle was an attempt to experiment with things ‘Mega hadn’t done on previous albums—to work with friends and show his versatility. While he succeeds admirably at times, his friend’s inconsistencies and the overall lack of focus ends up limiting an album that, at its most impressive moments, shows that Cormega has the potential to release an even more gripping solo album in the future, assuming he drops the unnecessary baggage. Collaborating once again with Vybz Kartel couldn’t hurt either.