A-Plus’ highly anticipated debut solo album My Last Good Deed  has taken long enough. After many years of touring the country as a member of the Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief, the man has finally laid down his solo LP (not to be confused with A+ The Latch-Key Child). Expectations are often hard to live up to, and after such a long, respectable career, expectations were incredibly high for this solo debut.

The album opens and ends with spoken word poetry, which is an indication of what can be expected on the album. The poetic rhyme pieces by A-Plus on this album give you sincerity throughout the LP as he speaks freely about his life; “No obstacle could stop my pull/ it’s something you gots to know: I’m not for bull,” he raps on Goodtime Charlie. Through his words, the perseverance and honesty he possesses is also evident.

Creativity also helped A-Plus as he maneuvered through My Dub Song with its imaginative dub lines. On other tracks he speaks on everything from love to weed, but keeps it classy throughout; “Dealin’ with hoes and bitches could make you chauvinistic/but I’m from the O, where the game shows you the difference,” he says on the album, adding a sense of hometown pride and emotional openness most rappers shy away from. 

A-Plus isn’t shy about anything, though, not even cops;

“Them shady cops, they wondering what we up to/
Go find out who killed my auntie and uncle/
Till then: Fuck you.”

While some topics aren’t the most imaginative (weed), the album showcases superb flow and lyrical complexities the Hiero and Souls crews were known for. Handling the bulk of the production for the album, A-Plus also shines on the boards. While not every song is all that impressive beat-wise, the album does have some high selling points when it comes to instrumentation. A-Plus and Co. create a sonic backdrop that is as smooth as the early 90’s with It’s a Beautiful Thing, My Last Good Deed and more. Using some diversity, Plus’ production on the LP ranges from Jamaican music to mellowed out Hip-Hop nicely. Diversity being a key point in instrumentals here, one song actually flips into two beats as Del and Pep Love join him for some nostalgia.

Overall, few missteps and some ill wordplay create a positive listening experience. Some may think it’s “too much” on the lyrical tip, but even most beats are nice enough to nod your head to (or at least vibe with). This is not perfect and you don’t have to be a Hiero fan to “get” this album. Still, creative concepts, complex rhyme schemes and more of what is found here add up to why Hiero has had such staying power, and why A-Plus’ album was worth the wait.