Receiving this EP from Jack Cracker, didn't quite have me excited to say the least. The emcee's name alone had me cringing and not looking forward to playing his material repeatedly to review it. Thankfully though, the name doesn't reflect upon the skill of this emcee.
Jack reminds me of a mixture of El-P in his rhyme cadence, and the Last Emperor in his voice. He has a very pleasing mic presence, not overly enthusiastic, but delving into further vocal depth when necessary - a trait which more emcees need to look into acquiring.
The EP, 'Hats Off' is a fairly entertaining showcase of Jack Cracker's skills with a couple of guests thrown into the mix. The variety and smooth flow that Jack displays when rhyming manage to shed a nice amount of light on his talents. The only track which I really felt was out of place was the title track. There are few elements that it possesses that I actually can commend.
Though the EP is well done, it doesn't really appeal to me in regards to having replay value. Every now and again when played and explored I find myself drawn to the material, but continuous repetition makes the material lose it's draw considerably. Not a brilliant EP, but a definitely nice exhibition of Jack's potential.
