While
Easy Mo Bee's accomplishments have been largely overlooked, he is very similar to fellow producer zealot
Prince Paul, as he has endured the storm of changing rap trends and persevered to become one of hip-hop's most durable beat technicians. Yet,
Now Or Never is not the defining project that will propel
Mo Bee from the ranks of slept-on into those of celebrated; nor will it do for him what Prince Among Thieves did for
Prince Paul. In other words, it won't deliver long overdue accolades. Renowned for his talent with diverse sonic arrangements,
Mo Bee displays that attribute only sporadically here, as his tracks lean toward being formulaic and even a tad outdated. His guest roster boasts the essential heavyweights (Raekwon, Busta, Snoop, Prodigy), but it also includes a bevy of mismatched collaborations, and besides
Rah Digga's "Talkin' Bout You" and
Kool G Rap's "NYC," there is little that stands out.