Production squad The Batkave laces Styles with a couple of midnight dark backdrops on the album’s opening efforts “So On And So On” and “Ta Dis”. Not that it’s anything new but Jada shows up alongside SP on the scathing 50 Cent response record “Shots Fired”. The Tracklords come with a west coast certified burner on the vintage gangsta rap feeling Scarface assisted “Go Hard”. SP and Jadakiss lift Outkast’s hit “Ms. Jackson” to send a hundred more shots at 50. West coast mainstays Clyde Carson and B-Legit show up alongside SP and Jada on the left side drenched “On The Block For Life”. An appreciated but unnecessary “Sifer” makes Independence definitely round out as more of a mixtape than an actual album. Pushing the mixtape notion even further is the inclusion of the two year old “Problem Child” where SP and Jada send there deadliest bars at Curtis.

Panero comes with a more mixtape tailored effort than anything. Using mostly west coast beats and a number of pre-released dis efforts P manages to put it down in satisfactory fashion. As always Styles comes hard with nearly every bar he drops, the multiple occasions in which Jadakiss shows up to help is nothing but a blessing for the play out of the album. In the end Independence proves to be another much appreciated warm up lap for The LOX wingman in his pursuit of solo significance.

VERDICT – 12/ 20
LYRICS: 4
PRODUCTION: 3
DELIVERY: 3
CONSISTENCY: 2