Posted on 12/15/2008
The protégé of an already established emcee always seems to fall under a curse with their debut album. They face the dilemma of remaining pigeon holed as a mere shadow of their mentor, and this is a weight that few can shake. For those who don’t know, Ruste Juxx has been around for a bit longer than you may think. He was featured on Heltah Skeltah’s second album Magnum Force on the underrated posse cut “Gang’s All Here” and was a contestant on 106 and Park’s Freestyle Friday (which I still believe he should’ve won). He resurfaced with an impressive guest appearance on Sean Price’s debut solo release, Monkey Bars. I must admit that after hearing his verse I was a bit impressed; however, I still saw him as the mere protégé who couldn’t carry my attention for a full album. It looks like Ruste Juxx finally decided to take that challenge with his debut album, Indestructible. The question remains, will he fall under the “weed carrier who can drop a few clever punch lines here and there” category or will he actually be able to keep my attention for 15 tracks?

The answer: for the most part, yes. Although Juxx’s style has a bit of Sean P’s “hardbody” method, he is still definitely able to differentiate himself from his mentor. Indestructible is filled with “tough-talk, original gun clappa’ rhymes that can be a bit repetitive; however, when he brings a certain tone of energy to his rhymes (check his razor-sharp double-time rhyming on “Morgue Track” and the hard-thumping “Duckdown”) you can’t help but nod your head and develop the urge to stomp someone out. Also, while his mentor tends to be more comedic, Juxx takes himself a bit more seriously, while at the same time, doesn’t take the fun out of the finished product.

He also shines best at concepts. “Let Me In” and “Pimpin’ Ya Wife” would seriously BANG in clubs if he had the machine behind him. The beats are neck-breaking as Juxx has a bit of fun on these songs (he even sings a bit on the hooks). He brings things back into a serious light on “Blaze My Fire” (a dedication to his late sister) and “Love Is Worth Waiting For” (a song about his relationship and adoration for his wife). He wonderfully closes the album on a lighter note with “Optimistic” as he drops a few words of hope over a very familiar David Axelrod sample. Its familiarity takes nothing away from the track; if anything, his intensity and his lyrics mesh well with it making it one of the better highlights of the album.

Despite the shortcomings of his album, Juxx has plenty of potential and if he concentrates a bit harder and eases up on the filler, he could be the next to add another classic to the BCC catalogue. Besides, if it has a Sean P. stamp of approval, it’s worth checking out, right?

- James Smith