Prefuse’s 3rd studio album, Surrounded by Silence dropped in early 2005 to positive but indifferent reviews, an unfortunate consequence of the high expectations 2001’s Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives, and 2003’s One Word Extinguisher brought to the table. Not straying too far from the sound of Prefuse’s aforementioned records, the fast cuts and turbulent nature of his formula are solidified here; The track listing is not especially lacking anything in terms of production. However Surrounded by Silence is dragged down by a vehement cabal of guest spots that highlight a supposed lack of direction for the project. In a 2008 interview with Hip Hop Core, Prefuse puts critics on blast for supposed unfair treatment of the album: Yeah regarding like conceptually what I was doing on this record, they just didn’t understand what I was doing in first place, if they had such strong opinion about it… I mean… fuck'em… I enjoy reading that kind of stuff… I don’t know why… it is a part of me… I like ridiculous criticisms… to see how far and how off base people could take a record… Prefuse’s opions on these criticism can also be found in 2006’s Security Screenings, on the track “Illiterate Interlude”.