Mr. Dudley (a.k.a. Origin) proves to be an impressive emcee with his recent project titled Highly Effective.  As a teacher, Dudley is exposed to many little-known details regarding the public school system and how it functions from the inside.  His position provides a unique and insightful view on our school system and expands the listener’s mind when it comes to comprehending what is going on right around us. His album acts as a colorful, entertaining way to get his message out.

The overall message of the album is respectable and quite uncommon. Dudley shows his audience how passionate he is about making the learning environment better for his students, and how important it is for people to do less talking and more doing, as demonstrated by songs like “Stop This Madness” and “Grind”. But after all, Dudley is a teacher, so it’s expected that he’d provide great substance in his work.  As a listener, the question became could he convince us with a delivery worth listening to?

The answer is yes. Although the project isn’t perfect from top to bottom, it’s an exceptionally solid effort and a pleasant surprise. It has an old-school undertone, yet it still managed to carry a modern sound which fits his style perfectly. The production was absolutely jaw-dropping, which is especially important as it was handled by local talent.

Tracks such as “Fresh” and “Spread Love” (my personal favorite) are prime examples of the masterful producing found all throughout the album. The featured artists did an outstanding job of bringing their own flair to the songs while blending in smoothly.   At no point do you feel like the guest verses are misplaced.

On occasion, Dudley’s flow gets repetitive, which can cause the listener to skip ahead.  Also, some of the hooks sounded like they were just fillers, while it seems the focus went into making high quality verses. Some vocal features on the hooks would have boosted the sound and made the songs more appealing to a broader demographic.

Dudley made it clear that he channeled his efforts into making a nearly flawless album. Lyrical quality, production, features, length, number of tracks, variety of sound, noteworthy metaphors, everything. He created a compilation of songs that as a whole are worth more than one listen. In fact, I enjoyed the album more the second time around.

As a student, it’s a great feeling knowing there is someone so close, fighting so hard, and exhibiting such dedication to fixing what is wrong with our education system. This album is solid and worth a listen if you’re a student, a fan of hip-hop, or simply someone who appreciates the grind of a local musician.