One of them is a legend and one of them is well on his way. Freestyle Fellowship/Project Blowed luminary Aceyalone has been representing the left coasts alternative movement (read: not gangsta rap), for over 15 years now. After teaming up with Def Jux production phenom Rjd2 on Love & Hate for mind blowing tracks such as “Moonlit Skies,” the Los Angeles and Columbus natives decided to hook up for a full-length effort. Considering the track records of each artist, the expectations are pretty damn high.

Unfortunately, as least for me, Magnificent City fails to meet those expectations. It isn’t as if this album is wack, but it is just shockingly average. It’s strange, both Acey and Rj seem to be on their games, all their usual elements are there. But for both of them, something I can’t quite put my finger on is missing. Take the song “Disconnected.” Rj laces it with his usual blaring horn sample but where normally a beat like this from him would leave your jaw on the floor this one just leaves me saying “that’s a nice beat.” This happens quite a bit as tracks like “Supahero” or “Cornbread,” “Eddy and Me” all boast his trademark sounds but lack the usual flare that has him considered a premier producer. Don’t get me wrong, he still produces some dope results (“All For U,” “Fire,” “Solomon Jones”), but I just don’t hear his usual brilliance.

As said, Acey is pretty much in the same boat. Sure his story-telling on “Solomon Jones” and “Junior” is everything I’ve come to expect, as is his loving ode to the sticky on “High Lights.” Razor sharp rhymes such as this one are too few and far between; “The legislation wants regulation/they want to interfere with my cultivation/my personal usage for meditation/and medication to help the patients/cancer, asthma, emphysema/migraines, back pains, grass is greener/glaucoma, arthritis, epileptic seizures/medicine man made me a believer.” It just seems as if he doesn’t quite have his usual edge.

Supporting my feelings on this album - at least from the production side - the advance of Rj’s latest collaboration with Blueprint has since come out and he blows the doors down with an LP full of incredible production. It isn’t as if he’s lost his touch, he just doesn’t quite have it here. This is a good album, despite all the criticism here. I just wanted and expected to love it, and I don’t, I like it…it just isn’t as magnificent as its billing.