International Nova---Point of No Return

International Nova-Point of No Return---Monarchy--(2013)

Artist: International Nova

Album: Point of No Return

Label: Monarchy

Producers: PSBeats, Beatbusta Productions, Hallah, DJ Shocka, Trackofficialz, others

The name International Nova sounds very familiar. He is not new to the game as his collection speaks for itself. With having numerous successes with various groups, he decides to go solo and the hits keep coming. One thing about International Nova is he has the skills to prove it. The music from his previous work proves that he has the skills to pay the bills. In addition, his hustle to move out units from his previous work are examples that Nova has no quit in him to get his music out to the masses. Coming from the South Bronx, International Nova puts his penmanship and his lyrical skills to the test. The noticeable charismatic persona of International Nova is the theme to his anticipated debut album Point of No Return.

            The album starts off on the rugged side with International Nova taking charge on the microphone with tracks such as the title track and “My Own Zone”. Going through this album, you will experience different types of emotions. Case in point, the groundbreaking smash hit “Mansions and Audemars” featuring close friend and R&B singer Tony Sunshine paints a mental picture of traveling the world with the misses and spoiling her with everything. There are definitely party joints for the ladies with a grown and sexy twist and a masculine bounce towards it like “Hush”, “Ride”, “Take You Away” and the melodic finger snapping “Photogenic” to the aggressive rough track like “Fuck Up The Party” featuring Fred the Godson and Cristion Dior and uplifting track like “Finally Make It”. The other standout track is the Inphamuz Amadeuz produced “Hollywood Dreaming” featuring Hussein Fatal of the Outlawz and Shorty Mack which has a nicely laid out west coast palm tree feel towards it; having a crazy sick drum pattern over a west coast sample that I can imagine the late 2Pac spitting on this. One thing about International Nova is that he knows how to finesse strong structure. His songwriting skills transformed this album into a listenable experience. For example “We Can Make It” he expresses the struggles of making and the sincerity track dedicated to his mother on the heartfelt track “The Reason”.

Point of No Return is an impressive debut; it has the quality beats that fit International Nova’s charismatic attitude. Each track on the album puts you in a trance like a golden era 90’s hip hop album with a contemporary twist. The impressive parts of the album are International Nova has an infinite amount of subject matter and the tracks invoke different emotions without losing the consistency and theme to the album. This album is well put together with only one slight mishap is the way overabundance of guest appearances even though they do fit with the tracks. In a nutshell, International Nova knows how to pick beats that are compatible with his lyrical cadence; he has the charisma to take control of the microphone and has superior song structure that surpasses many current rappers. This is the perfect album to bump in your rides, the clubs or in your leisure; A HIGHLY RECOMMENED ALBUM!!!!

            Strong Tracks: “In My Zone”, “Mansions and Audemars”, “F**k Up the Party”, “Hush”, “Photogenic”, “The Reason”, “Ride”, “Take You Away”

            Rating:out of