Coming out of Nebraska, where “all we got is beef,” Omaha rapper Mars Black has a credibility gap before he even opens his mouth. Dropping his debut on Team Love-a label co-owned by emo wunderkind Conor Oberst-doesn‘t help. But Mars doesn‘t deny his hometown has more cornhuskers than cornrows as he drops witty lines about the Midwest while rapping about universal themes. Occasionally, Mars gets muddled in backpacker clichés or stuck on DJ/producer E. Babbs‘ stale beats, and things sound as flat as a cornfield. But his skills make this a respectable first effort, not just some cuts from the country.