People Under The Stairs – “Sincerely, the P” (Album Review)

The People Under the Stairs are a legendary hip hop duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of Thes One & Double K. They dropped a handful of great albums over the past 20 years like Question in the Form of the Answer, O.S.T., …Or Stay Tuned & their previous album 12 Step Program back in 2014. However, Thes One announced his retirement from music just a few months ago & now the 2 are now giving fans their 10th full-length album before officially disbanding.

Things kick off with “Encore”, which really sets the tone over some crowd cheering. The next track “Reach Out” is an emotional look-back at their career while the song “Let the Record Show” is a funky relaxation anthem. The track “Hard” talks about how they’re doper than ever with a perfect scratch-hook & a decent drum-beat while “The Effects of Climate Change on Densely Populated Areas” intellectually touches down on just that over a smooth beat. “The Red Onion Wrap” is a funky party anthem that goes over pretty well while the song “Redeemer” is charismatic crowd mover.

The track “Streetsweeper” gets on the battle tip over a sinister beat while the song “We Get Around” is about how they’ve always done what they did for their fans over a mellow beat. The track “Stars in the House” talks about their impact over a fittingly spacious beat while “Here, for a Good Time” is a predictable party banger. The track “Letter to My Son” is a Thes One solo cut that’s easily one of the most endearing moments on the album while the song “Family Ties” sees the 2 recalling memories with their families over a summery beat. The penultimate track “Dream Sequence ‘88” sees the 2 trading bars back & forth over a guitar while “The Sound of Memory” ends things fantastically with a soulful boom bap beat.

All & all, this was a great way for the duo to go out. There are a few cuts that I can personally do without because I feel like they’re either too predictable or blandly produced, but it really sounds like Thes & Double K took their time with it as it’s a mostly reflective & consistent final bow.

Score: 8/10