Few mainstream hip-hop duos have ever come close to joining the list of legendary hardcore hip-hop tag-teams like Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga and UGK – until two Virginia-born brothers who go by the names of Pusha T and Malice (collectively known as Clipse) burst onto the scene with their debut LP Lord Willin' of which the lead-single - "Grindin" - became an instant classic for its infectious hook and flawless emceeing – not to mention one of the most ferocious beats the Neptunes ever produced.

Fast forward to the present and Clipse seem to be on a hiatus, while one-half of the ‘brothers thornton,’ Pusha T has been picked up by Kanye West’s G.O.O.D music label as a solo artist. With no official LP out yet, Pusha T has quickly gained momentum and become an ever-growing name in the commercial realm of hip-hop – with verses on hits like West’s “Runaway,” forcing the masses to pay attention.

That’s when Fear of God II: Let Us Pray comes in, Pusha T’s second EP for G.O.O.D music, an EP which has been the most talked about American Hip-Hop non-LP of the year.

Rico Beats has given Pusha T a winning beat for the (barely) Diddy-featuring intro “Changing of the Guards,” we already knew Pusha T has more potential than most to be one of the star emcees in rap, but he’s just putting a wake-up call out there, just in case.

Kanye West and Young Jeezy bring star-power to the relentless “Amen” while Tyler, The Creator and Neptunes assist the lead-single “Trouble on My Mind” (top 10 of 2011 material).

After three very strong tracks, the fourth – “What Dreams Are Made Of” – is much more average considering what Pusha is capable of. The Ric Flair samples are entertaining though. The middle-of-the-road quality continues with “Body Work,” sounding like a lazy attempt at a hype southern hip-hop track.

“Everything That Glitters” is the second track featuring French Montana – who provides a lacklustre hook while Pusha T, again, doesn’t quite match up to his reputation.

One producer I always trust to give us a hot beat is Bangladesh (check his earlier work with 8Ball & MJG on their 2004 LP Living Legends – or to a lesser extent Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli”) – but somehow, he fails me here, fortunately Pusha T breezes over the beat, improving the overall sound with his slick rhymes and making up for the previous few tracks.

As the EP draws to a close, tracks range from boring (“Raid” and “I Still Wanna”) to great ( “Alone in Vegas”). However, the highlight of the average second half of the EP is without-a-doubt “My God,” which has Pusha T at his strongest over jazzy horns and an effective drum pattern.

While the first half of the EP set the tone for what could have been the EP of the year, the middle-to-end tracks let Pusha and his fans down – while the infamous ‘coke rapper’ never falls below average, Pusha T can do much better than the majority of this package – if you don’t believe me, listen to any of Clipse’s three albums. Here’s to hoping that Pusha T’s debut solo LP will re-produce more of the high quality tracks on this EP and move away from the lacking ones.

Review Score: 7/10