One Man Against Many

Album Review

It doesn't take long to pick up on the influence Chuck D has on PVT Militant. He sounds like a raspier version of the Public Enemy frontman, has the same in-your-face attitude, and can spit out the knowledge with that same D flair. What he adds is a David Banner-type growl coupled with a poet's heart, an odd combination that's worth considering. Militant is skilled enough to straddle the noise and meditation on One Man Against Many, an album that's street-level rebel music one minute, and open-mic night deepness the next. Scrap the materialism, there'll be none of that on the album. Scrap the clichéd production, too, because Militant has found an idea-filled bunch of beat makers. That's especially surprising considering he's from the not-known-for-its-hip-hop Flint, Michigan. Militant righteously defends the city on the certain "Flint Hop," while the rest of the album displays that credible street music doesn't just come from the coasts. Compared to its fully formed surroundings, the booty/party jam "U Get Me Hot" is the weak link, but rarely do homebrewed debuts offer up so many mixtape-worthy jams. By the end of the album it's easy to forget about the Chuck D influence and root for PVT Militant. Besides being skilled, he's untouched by clichés and unaffected by the south or the coasts, a combination that makes One Man Against Many unique and worth hearing.