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At Last should finally cast the long-dominant Eternia into the undisputed top spot on the female MC food chain. But the Toronto-bred MC's sex appeal is secondary. What's the real hook? This disc is for hardcore Canadian hip-hop what pre-hardcore Tiger Woods was for black golfers. Nerdy rhyme aficionados were already tuned into the talent pool up North, but Eternia's collaboration with fellow Canadian (and mega-hitting DJ Premier–affiliated producer) Moss is registering loudly on the East Coast rap establishment's collective dome. As much as Eternia draws fair voice and flow comparisons to such roughneck foremothers as MC Lyte and Rah Digga (the latter of whom appears on the slightly disappointing "BBQ" with Rage), her greatest asset is the ability to spit hard while subtly divulging (gulp) feelings — her naked vulnerability on the autobiographical show-and-tell "Pass That" is brilliantly unnerving, and the agonizing "To the Future" is necessarily unsettling. As claimed, Eternia truly is "that grown woman that bitches aspire to be," acing posse cuts aside the prolific likes of Termanology, and wrecking shop with Moss and his toolbox full of tricks throughout. If you're a fan of street-conceptual, femme-Canadian, or duo-driven boom-bap — or any combination of the above — then this is the best that 2010 has to offer.
