Young North Portland artist, Glenn Waco, drops his album, Northbound, today.  In the world of hip-hop, you never know what you’re going to get. Waco offers a diverse collection of 17 tracks with a variety of producers and a few familiar features to check out. I guarantee there’s a track you’ll like on here.

For my own personal taste, it was kind of hit and miss. Then again, there aren’t many albums you can listen to all the way through without skipping a few tracks. Still after 3 listens from start to finish, I can’t say I’m disappointed.

Waco switches his style up throughout the project. One minute his voice lays over the beat in a very lackadaisical manner. The next you hear it weave in and out perfectly over staccato percussion. He also goes from tenor to baritone and back repeatedly, sometimes sounding similar to Jon Belz. But switching it up isn’t always the best, and at times I found it hard to pick out his voice. In this way he is much different from the very distinct voices of his comrades, Mic Capes and Rasheed Jamal, who are featured several times throughout the album.

A couple of highlights from the album are Dojo and H.O.L., both featuring Capes and Jamal. The former is produced by Neph and the latter by Bryce Lang. But my personal favorite has to be Bad Kids, which is produced by *pause for dramatic effect* Stewart Villain, ladies and gentlemen. Look, if you’re a rapper, you need to go give this man your money. His production his amazing. I dare you to listen to Bad Kids and not feel it. Plus, I gotta love that Waco gives a shout out to Fessenden. #NorthLife

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Similar to what we saw in Mic Capes’ Rise & Grind, Northbound includes several personal anecdotes and real life stories that make the album organic. You get a few quick glimpses into life in North Portland, an area that is often looked at as a completely different world. Strong ties to his friends and community give life to Waco throughout the project. I only wish he branched out more for his features. The cohesiveness he has with his friends results in some dope tracks, but it would have been nice to get a variety instead of hearing the same trio over and over.

 Take a listen for yourself…..