The first album from what some might call a super group of slept-on emcees, The Show brings Masta Ace, Punchline, Wordsworth, and Stricklin together to form eMC. The Show follows a similar format to Masta Ace’s most recent solo efforts, Disposable Arts and Long Hot Summer, with many skits that help push a story being told. This time around the narrative centers on the trials, experiences, and quirks of getting ready for a live performance. From getting picked up at the airport to performing the encore, all the details are here in both song and skit.

Artistically, The Show takes the safe route and never really veers far from that path. Luckily, it’s the path taken by listeners who believe that dope beats and dope rhymes can be put together to make a dope Hip Hop album. The Show covers the gambit of situations and issues which artists deal with when traveling to do a Show. Starting on a high note with “Who We Be”, all four emcees run down their careers over a piano and drum heavy track. To the peril of a struggling emcee, trying to do shows and move his career up to the next level while attempting to hold a relationship together, “Don’t Give Up On Us” and the title track sum up The Show.

Easily, the album’s highlight, both lyrically and musically, is “Git Sum”, featuring Sean Price, who has what will be viewed by most as the best verse on the LP. Fighting for the top spot is “eMC (What It Stands For)”, which creatively employs and implies 20 different meanings of the group’s name/acronym. In sharp contrast to these two songs, there are instances throughout when you feel like every other line is a simile utilizing “like” or “as” repeatedly.

If there were ever a time when an album could do without skits, this is it. Out of 24 tracks, there are eight skits very close to one minute or more with track 24 a whopping 3:47 of outtakes from the previous seven skits! The album would flow much better sans the interludes and could quite possibly be a banger; as is, not so much.