This go-round, instead of leaning into their more comedic instincts, Dillon & Paten Locke are dead serious. A militaristic sense of duty is pervasive throughout the LP, a nod to Paten’s given moniker, The General. You can feel the earnestness in Dillon’s raps as he both celebrates the victories in the trenches and laments the loss of his comrade, Paten. With a consistent tone throughout the songs, we gain a deeper sense of grown man raps in dire times. The project itself embodies the very definition of Rations: a fixed amount of a commodity during a shortage as in wartime.
The aptly named Rations is indeed the final offering from Dillon & Paten, so you’ll have to make it last. But the duo isn’t on the front lines alone, they’ve called for reinforcements including longtime collaborators & Hip hop luminaries: Large Professor, Diamond D, Masta Ace, Wordsworth, Cool Calm Pete, Akroabtik, as well as their in-house roster of Atlanta, GA and Jacksonville, FL based ‘FULL PLATE FAM’ – Willie Evans Jr., Day Tripper, Yamin Semali and Jay Myztroh of Stono Echo. Garnishing the dish with extra flavor are multi-instrumentalist & producer extraordinaire, DJ Harrison, lending his talents on the Fender Rhodes, as well as beloved indy rap villain turned in-demand drummer, Jay Mumford (fka J-Zone). Paten himself makes a few appearances throughout the album in the form of rare interviews and a long lost acapella. Coming from the beyond, the words of The General hold weight – with one last serving of Rations for your plate. Dillon and Paten Locke offer up this final chapter of nourishment for hip hop survival.
Track listing:
1 – Pots & Pans
2 – One Man Army ft. Akrobatik & Masta Ace
3 – We Got It ft. Yamin Semali & Day Tripper
4 – No Bluffin’ ft. Large Professor & J Scienide
5 – Cruel Mistress
6 – Bump ft. Wordsworth & Black Sheep Dres
7 – Pallbearers ft. Willie Evans Jr. & Cool Calm Pete
8 – Whatever You Need
9 – Always Never
10 – Down with the Kings ft. Diamond D
11 – Illusive Futures ft. Jay Myztroh of Stono Echo
12 – City of Light
13 – Gunsmoke Starring Dillon
14 – Ponte Vedra
15 – Drinking Solution
16 – Burning in the Ashtray
17 – I Need Therapy
18 – Found in a Crate (Paten Locke Cover)
