is an emotional album, imbued with recent experiences in ' personal life, particularly his bout with and the unfortunate death of his mother, . These experiences had challenged the self-reappointed King of New York, attacking both his street status and his heart, and he in turn looked within, embracing both his craft and his spirit. Brazenly declaring himself God's Son, in tribute partly to his mother's legacy as well as his own increasingly Jesus-like one, emerged from his experiences wiser, stronger, and holier than ever, less engaged by the material world than the inner one, less interested in flossing than teaching, and less obsessed with his riches than his soul. And his soul he bares nakedly; profusely personal, ' lyrical divulgence is sometimes even startling: name-drops , , and other '90s-era rappers; reflects on recent failed relationships with women; is an ode to his mother; and questions spirituality. As usual, there's a street-rallying leadoff single here, that announces ' periodic return with fury and bombast. produces the -fashioned track and lays down similarly inventive beats on four others. He's joined by many of the other producers who had worked on a year earlier: , and , all of whom deliver harsh tracks without gimmickry. In addition, includes three noteworthy collaborations: and trade gentle verses on contributes the production and hook to produces Throughout it all, plays like an album. The playing time is reasonable, clocking in at under an hour; the song selection is diverse, no two tracks resembling one another; and the themes are interwoven, giving the album a narrative sense. isn't quite the masterpiece it could be -- mostly because is so self-involved, sometimes seemingly intoxicated by his kingliness -- but it's surely one of the more remarkable albums of the Queensbridge rapper's highlight-filled career. ~ Jason Birchmeier