You can’t properly discuss the complicated and key realm of West Coast hip-hop without an exploration of Polyester. No matter which of the dozen or so names you know him by, he has been powerfully representing and directing the flow of the geographical style for nearly a decade. His smooth, foxy delivery is like nothing else out there while still encompassing and standing for the emphatic, proud, and often uniquely vibrant music of his region. With a longstanding tradition of damn good releases and a long list of friendships with some of hip-hop’s most important players, no player better leans on his cane than the Saint himself.  

 

His new album, like the many to come before it, is a celebration of hip-hop styles from far and wide, hosting the likes of Buddy, Problem, Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Worthy, Krondon, Bad Lucc, Larry June, and more. But above all else, it is an exhibition of their cohesive merging with his unapologetically Southern California approach. Explosive synths, LA-specific lyricism, trampoline vocals, and the nostalgic feeling for Gangsta Rap’s best years all bleed from every second of every track of American Muscle 5.0.

 

It is an undeniably strong project, the silkiness of which could only come from the one, the only Polyester the prince.