One of the originators of hip-hop, Grand Puba, has just come out with a new album: Retroactive. Puba had one of the most unique flows and voices of the early 90’s. He was a founding member of the group Brand Nubian. Like he said on Reel to Reel, he “usually makes records about hittin’ skins.” That is what the fans expect and want to hear from him. It seems like he may have grown out of that during his 8 year hiatus from hip-hop. On this record new record he mostly tries to educate black youth to work harder and follow their dreams. It is an entirely positive record. Aside from a few old-school sounding songs like: This Joint Right Here, Go Hard, Same old Drama, and Good To Go; this album was a disappointment to me. The flow that used to separate him from the pack has now faded into mediocrity. His verses used to outshine anyone that he was on tracks with, but it seems like his drive has died over time. There were weak hooks, poor beat selections, and mediocre collaborations. I can’t remember the last time I heard a decent new age album from an old school legend. I felt the same way about Retrospective as I did about Kool G Rap’s Half A Klip from last year. I was really looking forward to this release. Maybe my expectations were too high. I give this a 3/5.
01. I See Dead People Feat. Rell And Lord Jamar 04:27 
02. Hunny 04:05
03. It Is What It Is Feat. Tiffini Davis 05:04
04. Get That Money 03:23
05. How Long? 03:53
06. Good To Go Feat. Q-Tip 02:22
07. Same Old Drama Feat. Large Professor 01:30
08. This Joint Right Here Feat. Kid Capri 03:18
09. Go Hard Feat. Talee 03:35
10. Reality Check Feat. Sarah Martinez 03:09
11. Cold Cold World Feat. Khadija Mohammad 04:32
12. Smile Feat. Big Phil (Outro) 01:56
13. This Joint Right Here Remix Feat. Kid Capri, Sadat X & Lord Jamar 03:24
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