With one of the best flows in hip hop, Tondeff puts out a well-rounded debut.

July 08, 2005 – It’s a testament to the loyalty of an artist’s fan base when a debut – years in the making – can still generate a good deal of hype. Granted, Tonedeff had his hand in numerous other projects along the way (both inside and outside of his QN5 label) including guest roles on Cunninlynguists material and work with the politically volatile Immortal Technique. After prolonged anticipation swirling around the first full-length from the Queens-based emcee, 2005 finally saw Tone unveil his musical blueprint – his Archetype.

But if he really wants to be a prototype for the hip hop world to build on, I’m afraid other emcees have a lot of work cut out for them. Tone’s versatility has few parallels, from “Let’s Go” to an sullenly revealing look into his love/hate relationship for hip hop on “Masochist.”

Besides Tone himself, a select few other producers offer beats with varying degrees of success, the best of which coming from fellow QN5 mate Kno on “Loyal.” Tone delves into the hurt of friendships betrayed over a slow progression of tones and drum kicks, complete with a helium-laced chorus like those heard all over Kno’s work with Cunninlynguists.

But the true pinnacle of Tone’s debut comes on the beautifully mellow “Porcelain,” a look into unrequited young love spit with pinpoint precision: “7 years of frustration then hit her ears with abrasion/ As I laced her with my tale of lust, tears and anticipation, her reaction was a face of fakeness.”

Archetype is an engaging trip from start to finish, but don’t get too comfortable or else Tone’s rapid-fire style makes it easy to miss out on his high-caliber lyricism. His flow is truly one of a kind, though, covering up for the occasional musical misstep.