This Might Be the Day

MJG’s second album in as many years suggests that the Memphis rap veteran might be experiencing a middle-age renaissance. Like most MJG albums, This Might Be the Day gets cohesiveness from being produced by a single person (a rarity in hip-hop). In this case that person is T-Mack, an up-and-coming beat-maker from Columbus, Ohio by way of Memphis. Mack’s signature sound is best heard on “Breathe” and “Mack Life,” which bond violins with bass detonations — a meeting of strip club and symphony. As always, MJG comes across like a smack on the jaw. Who else could write a song about wearing sunglasses (“Shades”) and make it sound like a declaration of toughness and pride? As he ages, MJG is making his rhymes more concise, and more minimal. Rather than dumbing his music down, this lyrical technique gives every line the singular force of a brickbat. Of course, MJG’s power would mean nothing if it weren’t backed by the heart of songs like “It’s Been So Long,” the poignant ode to travel that he shares with his longtime companion 8Ball.