(February 28, 2013) — A deaf rapper with a strong passion for music could be a refreshing take from the pool of cliché rappers that make up American hip-hop. However, Sean Forbes’ new album, Perfect Imperfection , with its empty lyrics and generic beats, is as cliché as any run-of-the-mill rap album. With his catchy Eminem-style beats plus an electronic mix, and his unmistakable Beastie Boys sound with a heavier vocal twist, he set my expectations high upon first listen. But after listening to all 14 songs, my head was full of bass-heavy beats, unclear lyrics and a yearning for some good old-fashioned hip-hop. The album opens with the song “We Interrupt This Program,” which is highly repetitive and pretty much sets the mood for the rest of the album. With its catchy beats and meaningless lyrics, the album lacks any significant lyrical substance. The loud overkill beats coupled with his unique voice and nonsensical, shallow lyrics make this album not worth listening to. The song titles in the album either reference being deaf, like “I’m Deaf,” or don’t really fit in with the context of the album, like “Bob Dylan (Was The First Rapper).” Again, most of the beats are catchy, but that’s really all he has going for him. Some songs like “Mood swings” feature a cool slow electronic sound and a nice underlying beat. Other songs get really annoying with their second-rate backup singers and the interjection of whisper lyrics. It worked for Justin Timberlake. It’s just not working for Sean Forbes. The two interludes in this album don’t have the same vibe and feel as other interludes. The beats are really generic and have nothing to do with the other songs in the album. Other interludes are poetic and relevant to the songs that come after it, like Kanye West’s “All of the Lights (Interlude),” which is followed by the song “All of the Lights,” or Drake’s “Buried Alive” interlude featuring Kendrick Lamar, but this albums interludes, much like most of its songs, are really out of place. The only song that really captures Forbes’ message is “Don’t let anything hold you back,” which is the first song that has an ounce of lyrical meaning and the second to last song on the album. Overall, this isn’t a very impressive album. The lyrics are shallow and nonsensical, and the beats are basic. The overall musicality of the whole album is just off, and i wouldn’t recommend this to anyone looking to buy a halfway decent hip-hop album.