The Mello Music Group from Arizona has been well on the go lately. The label that is not only home to Declaime, but also to artists such as Diamond District or Oddisee, just released Apollo Brown’s new album Clouds and has thereby – through the quality of the record – caused quite a stir within the US-Underground. Now, the next MMG-artist is soon to be off the starting blocks: it’s the MC/Producer Has-Lo from Philadelphia. With his debut In Case I Don’t Make It, the young man is getting in line with the new generation of Boom-Bap-representatives by giving us an idea of his mic-skills through 15 different tracks. Almost continuously, his sounds suggest a certain darkness and melancholy, allowing deep insights into the dark corners of his seemingly torn soul. But despite all heaviness, the beats invite the listeners to nod their heads along and underline once more the record’s special atmosphere. This is no Battle-Rap, but instead gloomy storytelling. Has-Lo proves that he’s capable of painting musical pictures that are getting stuck in the listeners’ heads but don’t always help to brighten their moods.