The second installment in the Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing series, No Wising Up, No Settling Down focuses more on the personal and social aspects of philosophy and class conflict and abandons overtly political songwriting for a more subtle, honest, experimental and poetic approach. Although the album contains pop elements seen in the past few Sole releases, it also harkens back to his classic stream-of-consciousness poetry and noise styles.
No Wising Up, No Settling Down features collaborations with Goldpanda, Sean Bonette of Andrew Jackson Jihad, The Hood Internet & Shapers, Man Mantis, Dosh, Loden, Cars & Trains, Skyrider, Spencertron and Snubluck. A decent chunk of the production is handled by DJ Pain 1, whos produced tracks for Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane and 50 Cent and pushes Soles Nuclear Winter aesthetic into new, exciting and uncharted territory. Coming mere months after the successful release of A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing, this album is a testament to what can be accomplished by truly DIY artists when they own their own time and labor.
“... an artist who has continually—and beautifully—made politics and social issues a part of his music, pushing the boundaries of what hip-hop sounds and looks like.” —Huffington Post
“Itd be easy to assume the former Anticon chief is a man out of time, but thats not the case.” —Spin