Blunts and Roses is a Canadian hip-hop duo consisting of vocalist iLLvibe and producer Absent Minded, who incorporate classic rock sampling in their beats to produce a unique blend of sound. Metallica, Queen and Ozzy Osbourne are among many of the popular bands that they sample from, and in general, the group does a good job of matching lyrics to instruments, which is the usual problem with mash-up music attempts.

The opportunity to review homegrown talent is always a welcome experience. The self-titled album Blunts and Roses is a modest composition of 11 tracks that should appeal to rap fans, rock fans and connoisseurs of both.

"F.B.G." uses Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls." The lyrics are creative and on point, but the song is spoiled by a beat that is too conventional and a pretty boring sample. On top of that, the chorus is completely unlistenable — I mean that in its literal meaning; the chorus features a low, drowned-out voice that is incredibly difficult to understand. The listener gets the impression of a half-assed, incomplete song that was thrown in for "why the heck not" intentions. There wasn't much polish on this one.

"Knocking on Heaven's Door" includes what has to be the most incredibly overplayed and overused sample of all time — you guessed it, "Knocking on Heaven's Door" by Guns N' Roses, which itself was a cover of the original song by Bob Dylan. It's a good thing the song is good. Like all compositions of the song, the track has a profound meaning that the listener would be hard-pressed not to appreciate. The track features guest artist Twizzy and once again the lyrics are very well done; every line is rapped to perfection. It may not be a creative version, but the song is nonetheless a great listen that most will overlook the repetitive instrumentals and enjoy.

"Momma Told Me" featuring Q Shinobi is the clear-cut best track on the record. The song features Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man," and the lyrics are exceptionally written and delivered by all three artists. The talent on deck actually never ceased to impress me. Q Shinobi's verse is an absolute treat and a featured artist that the group should definitely take full advantage of more in the future. The song is complemented by a positive connotation of making it in a hard-knock life with the help of Mom. The track features exemplary raw lyrical talent, and is a perfect showcase of how good Canadian hip-hop can be.

Honorable mentions include "I Wanna Be" featuring Devilz Speciez and "Swallowed" with Jus Frais.

As a usual listener of pure hiphop, Blunts and Roses was a pleasant surprise, and a record that traditional rap fans should definitely give a try. For the most part, the samples are carefully chosen, the lyrics are skillfully weaved and its sound is genuine, however the record is unbalanced by several tracks that weren't very compelling.

Canadian hip-hop continues to prove how underrated it is. There is so much talent to be discovered within our country's borders. At this point, the only thing the industry is missing is time by its listeners to appreciate.

You can download Blunts and Roses completely free at bluntsandroses.com.