Hailing from New York City, Iron Solomon is best known as a freestyle battle rapper, paying dues through performing coast to coast in various competitions and catching a zillion views on YouTube. On his debut album he looks to prove that he's a fully formed emcee and avoid the pitfalls of other battle-tested wordsmiths who failed to make the transition (see: Juice, Supernatural, Jin, Skillz, etc.). Following up his well-received collabo single with DMC ("Sucker MCs"), Monster finds him in autobiographical mode, with a strong collection of joints centering on his NYC upbringing, his struggle toward success in the flooded music industry, young love, lyrical gifts, and more. Produced by Solomon and his in-house camp, the album features beats that are a solid mix of hard-knocking boom-bap and freaky synths, with nods to the old school ("The Empire") and more modern sonic accents ("Classic Girl"). For the most part, it's a high-quality release from a young emcee on the rise, with features from Paul Wall, Talib Kweli, and Jean Grae, among others. Don't miss "Get on My Level" and "I'll Be Back."