Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty

After releasing the jointly individually album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, it was only a matter of time until the Outkast duo released truly solo albums. Big Boi comfortably beat his partner to the punch with the release of Sir Lucious Left Foot in 2010, despite years of legal wrangles with their label.

In comparison with his earlier solo work Speakerboxxx, Sir Lucious is definitely a more rounded and well constructed album and a more enjoyable listen as a result. Big Boi himself co-produces eight tracks himself alongside regular Dungeon Family cohorts Organized Noise and Salaam Remi, Scott Storch and Lil' Jon. He shows he has a surprisingly good ear for smooth beats as the final five tracks, on which he co-produces all of them, are some of the strongest tracks on the album. The aforementioned closing tracks and the back half of the album in general, from Hustle Blood onwards are surprisingly mellow and laid back efforts compared to what many may consider to be typical Outkast production. Crunk king Lil' Jon even gets in on the laid back vibe by producing one of the albums best tracks, Hustle Blood featuring Jamie Foxxx.

Unable to invite Andre 3000 into the studio because of label drama, Big Boi keeps the number of guest appearances sensible, Too $hort, Yelawolf, T.I. and Gucci Mane crop up, but its usually the hook duty that Big Boi farms out to good effect using George Clinton (Fo Yo Sorrows), and B.o.B (Night Night) among some female vocalists.

Best guest: Jamie Foxxx

Stand-out tracks: Hustle Blood, Fo Yo Sorrows, Be Still

Best bars: (Fo Yo Sorrows)

Just to let you know that everything is straight,
I say stank you very much 'cause we appreciate the hate,
Now go get yourself a handgun, you f***in with a great,
Put it your mouth and squeeze it like your morning toothpaste,
Kill yo'self like Sean Kingston, suicidal for a title,
My recitals are vital and maybe needed for survival,
Like the Bible or any other good book that you read,
Why are 75% of our youth readin magazines?,
'Cause they used to fantasy, and that's what they do to dream,
Call it fiction addiction 'cause the truth is a heavy thing!,

'Member when the levee scream, made the folks evacua-ezz,

Yeah, I'm still speakin about it 'cause New Orleans still ain't clean,
When we shout Dirty South, I don't think that is what we mean,
I mean, it mean the rough, the tough, the dangerous, we reign supreme,
Can slaughter entire teams with the ink that my pen bleeds,
B-I-G, B-O-I ,n****, please!

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E-40 - The Block Brochure: Welcome To The Soil 3

After dropping a pair of albums on the same day in both 2010 and 2011, E-40 goes one better this time around with the release of his Block Brochure trilogy, all of which dropped on the same day. Now 44 years old, 40 Water deserves some serious props, not just for still producing albums, but the fact that he is producing more than ever before. Obviously these props would be dependent on the quality of the 60 songs being turned out across the three albums. Most artists probably select their album tracks from a similar number of recordings so it makes you wonder if 40's cutting floor is simply empty. I think the truth is a combination of an insane work ethic and no more filler than any typical rap album (although three times over).

Anyway, to Welcome To The Soil 3. After flirting with the Atlanta crunk scene in the mid-noughties, E-40 is definitely 100% back to the West Coast and within that his beloved Bay area. Snoop, Dogg Pound and Kendrick Lamar represent L.A. but after that guest spots are divided out to Bay area family B-Legit, Too $hort, Hieroglyphics and son Droop-E. 40 employs a wide range of producers, of eighteen tracks Rick Rock has the most input with four and there are thirteen different producers involved. As a result, the production seems uncohesive and surprisingly, distinctly similar. The best tracks hands down are those with Rick Rock or Droop-E in the studio. Too many of the beats are hard, dark and in places sinister sounding, maybe all the lighter production is found on Vol 1 or 2.

E-40 himself is on form, would you expect anything less, his rhymes and ''slanguages'' are as creative as ever. Album opener Jealous finds 40 reminding his listeners he's been around since 1988 and as with many West Coast artists he didn't ''come up under Dr. Dre, I came up under me''. He closes the track questioning why he has never received any love from the East Coast. What You Smokin' On is a classic West Coast smoking anthem featuring Snoop, Kurupt, Daz and Kokane. Other highlights include the very un-G-Funk Warren G produced What Happened To Them Days, although it is a bit cringing hearing Stevens rhyming Red Dead Redemption with PlayStation in his ode to today's generation and I Ain't Doin' Nothin'. Salute You is a heartfelt E-40 'Keep Ya Head Up' style tribute to the women of the world. 

All in all a reasonable album from E-40 but one that could easily be stripped of half of the weaker tracks and combined with the other Block Brochure volumes for a more rounded and greater album. Although loaded with some strong efforts, listening to Welcome To The Soil 3 certainly wouldn't make me reach for volumes 1 or 2 straight away.   

Best guest: B-Legit

Standout tracks: I Ain't Doin Nothin, What Happened To Them Days, Jealous, What You Smokin' On 

Best bars: (Jealous)
I do this from the heart, 
Vallejo, Calaharmonia is where I got my first start
Giant, Davis & Park
believe me when I say (say)
I didn't come up under Dr Dre, I came up under me
and the C-L-I-C
you could be MVP back in the day (day)
most valuable players way back in 1988 (88)
don't let these haters mislead you
I'm a for real street n***a, n***as be gettin' amnesia
my style is vertical, horizontal
all over the f***in' place (place)
this sh*t ain't for everybody my n***a
it's an acquired taste (taste)...
....E-40 slow it down man you hurtin' 'em
don't waste your time steppin' on these sucka's...
step over 'em

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Kendrick Lamar - Section 80

Part of the Black Hippy group, Kendrick Lamar is seen by many as the West Coast's saviour. Section 80 is Lamar's debut independent album, released digitally.

Lyrically, Lamar is incredibly intelligent and he narrates the tale of being an 80's Compton baby born into the crack epidemic in a truly unique manner. I imagine Lamar produced Section 80 exactly as he wanted to, he seems uncompromising in his subject matter, his story must be told.

Perhaps feeling the pressure, on Ab-Souls Outro Lamar states in spoken word that 'I'm not the next pop star, I'm not the next socially aware rapper, I am a human motherf**king being over dope ass instrumentation'. He may not see himself as a socially aware rapper but his intelligence allows him to narrate stories of the inequality and struggles of Compton residents in a way most other residents haven't been able to. Keisha's Song, a tale of an ill-fated Compton prostitute is the most socially conscious song I have heard since Brenda's Got A Baby. On the other hand, he makes light of being highly regarded in the industry on The Spiteful Chant with the chorus 'I'm going big, s*ck my d*ck'. 

The production is handled by Top Dawg Entertainment unknowns Digi+Phonics and Sounwave and is largely laid back, understated and minimal and although Lamar seems comfortable flowing over it, it's hard to see that he won't benefit from some input from the likes of Dre. It would certainly help to make the album a more attractive listen. J Cole makes a surprise appearance as producer on album closer and one of the highlights, HiiiPower.

A very promising debut album that serves to increase expectation for Lamar's major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city.

Best guest: Ab-Soul

Stand-out track: Ronald Reagan Era, HiiiPower, Keisha's Song (Her Pain)

Best bars: Keisha's Song (Her Pain)
Remember sergeant let her slide
Said if he seen what's between her thighs he'd compromise, to no surprise
she took the ultimatum round the alleyway and gave him
a warm welcome that filled him right below the navel
Though he was wired up like a pair of jumping cables
His eyes was closed shut, prior charges, he had waived 'em
It was a block away from Lueders Park, I seen a squad car parked
and in her heart she hate it there, but in her mind she made it where
nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat
cause Rosa Parks never a factor when she topping off police

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Nas - Life Is Good

I'm going to try and review Nas' latest album without mentioning Illmatic, too late, but really though, Life Is Good needs to be reviewed from a standalone point of view. It isn't 1993 anymore and times, producers and the artist himself have moved on. That said Life Is Good is  certainly the most nostalgic of Nas' post-Stillmatic work and make no mistakes this is most welcome. As well nostalgic, the fact that life is now good post-divorce finds Nas at his most candid and revealing.

Without attempting to play psychologist too much,  it seems that Nas is content at the moment, maybe now that his divorce is finalised he can focus on what he does best and he does that well. That's not to say that he doesn't have Kelis on his mind. The ex-Mrs Jones gets more than a few bars on Bye Baby and No Introduction, mostly mature and warm recollections of their time together without any vitriol.

The aforementioned nostalgia comes in the form of the albums production as well as Nas' lyrics. No I.D. and Saleem Remi share the majority of the duties and cook up nineties and earlier sounding throwback tracks with a modern angle sampling the likes of MC Shan and New Edition. Nas himself gives nods the to old school on Back Then, Queens Story, Locomotive, The Don with tributes to New York and more specifically Queens.

I've never found Nas the easiest MC to listen to, his intelligent rhymes and deserve more than a casual listen whereas his occasionally weak beats don't. Here the balance is more favourable as his lyrics are more grounded, weak beats are few and far in-between, the terrible Summer on Smash being one and there are no concept tracks, Rewind. He flows practically acapella on World is an Addiction and Stay, this works more on the former than the latter, helped by Anthony Hamilton's soulful chorus.

The front end of the album is loaded with the NY and Queens nostalgia told alongside honest recollections of some of his more regrettable juvenile activities. this run changes with Daughters,  a mature testament to parenting tribulations and regrets. Following Daughters is a Mary J. Blige collaboration and it is a welcome surprise that in comparison with their Stillmatic effort Braveheart, this one stays in keeping with the albums retro feel and isn't just an R&B by numbers effort. The back end of Life is Good consists mainly of slower tracks with Nas being supported by female vocalists, including Amy Winehouse posthumously on Cherry Wine, a description of Nas' ideal next partner.

Best guest: Amy Winehouse

Stand-out track: Queens Story, Accident Murderers

Best bars: (Bye Baby)
Bye baby I guess you know why I walked away
When we walked to the altar that was an awesome day
Did counselin', couldn't force me to stay
Somethin happened when you say I do, we go a stray
Why did we mess it up we was friends we had it all
Reasons you don't trust men that was your daddy fault
He in the grave let it go he no longer livin'
Said you caught him cheatin' with mom f***in other women
F*** that gotta do with us here's the keys to the newest truck
Bergen bags, we burnin cash now baby do it up
Now matter who you f***ed, that was before me
Wanted you as my shorty since saw you screamin' "Hate you so much right now!!!"
Should have saw the meanin, angry black women, actions of a demon, I'm leavin'

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Jay Rock - Follow Me Home

Compared with the late nineties very few West coast artists are shifting millions these days as the 'gangsta rap' scene wore itself out. That's not to say that gangsta rap is dead, albums are still being churned out routinely by the old brigade staying true to what they know best. Jay Rock must have grown up during the gangsta rap boom and stays true to what he knows best with his debut album Follow Me Home, even though he must recognise that the rap game has moved on from the top selling days of Ice Cube, Mack 10, MC Eiht and other LA based artists.

In case you were in any doubt as to Rock's locale following the drive-by intro, the bass and keys of Code Red are recognisably West Coast. Rock's gruff flow sounds like a cross between Game and Xzibit as he describes life in Watts, LA over a range of typically West Coast beats (Hood Gone Love It, Elbows and All I Know Is).

The main problem with tales of Rock's upbringing is that they have largely been heard before, for Rock and Watts read Eiht and Compton, C-BO and Sacramento or Mack 10 and Inglewood. Rock is a reasonably proficient rapper but I don't feel he has enough character to make his subject matter distinctive enough to elevate his music above the competition.

Rock is at his best when he isn't glamorising the gangbang lifestyle, which to be fair he rarely does, but when he deals with aftermath of living that way with sincere introspective lyrics on No Joke, Kill or Be Killed or Just Like Me which is only let down by a weak chorus.
At 18 tracks, the album is too long and contains too much filler, Elbows, Boomerang, I'm Thuggin, Bout That or All I Know Is among others and unfortunately the highlights are outnumbered. Street single Hood Gone Love It, No Joke, previous single All My Life and Black Hippy group track Say Wassup are all worth listening to but probably on a separate playlist.

A promising debut from Jay Rock but he and his 2012-updated West Coast by numbers music is unlikely to lead the to a renaissance of LA hip-hop.

Best guest: Kendrick Lamar

Stand-out track: Hood Gone Love It

Best bars: (Just Like Me)

But ignorance is bliss because them fists are soon gon' turn into a bullet

If the index finger pull it cameras coming for the footage

Channel 9, Channel 11, Aiming Nines, Mack 11

Another baby for the reverend, another casket

Take action in a matter of a second

Nothing matters when you reppin for your turf

Hold it down, have heart - Put in work

That's the moral of the story when you're worried and you're wicked

And your mental never get it

It's a sickness when you kill your own kind

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Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don't

First things first, this is the first Rick Ross album I have listened to. Ross has steadily become a big player in the mainstream rap game and was named 'Hottest MC in the game' by MTV in 2012 and this is underlined by the heavyweight guests he has attracted to God Forgives, I Don't.

Ross' rap persona is almost cartoon like as the self-styled Florida drug kingpin, especially when you consider his correctional officer background. Although far from the greatest rapper to ever grace a mic you cannot deny that his husky delivery has a certain style to it that can make for enjoyable listening. Except plenty of references to bricks, keys and triple beams, Pirates and Triple Beam Dream, as Ross depicts the lifestyle of character while enjoying the fruits of his labour, So Sophisticated and 911. Ross, the character, also spends some time looking back at where he came from on Ashamed and Ten Jesus Pieces.

Ross refers to himself as 'the Christopher Wallace of my time', which if meant as comparison of technical ability may well be most delusional line of the year. What he may mean is Biggie's storytelling ability which although inferior to Biggie, Ross is at least in the same ballpark as.

Production is handled by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, Cardiak and Jake One among others and provides some cinematic style landscapes (Triple Beam Dream and Ten Jesus Pieces) along with some typical heavy Southern style tracks (911, So Sophisticated and Hold Me Back) for Ross and his guests to work with. Helped by Ross' stories in places but let down by the tracks, vocally and production-wise, that fall flat God Forgives, I Don't ends up as a mixed bag. The mixtape style 'Maybach Music' voice-overs are a seriously unnecessary annoyance.

The eight minute duet with Andre 3000 Sixteen is definitely worth checking out.  

Best guest: Andre 3000

Stand-out track: Pirates

Best bars: (Rich Forever):
Big face Roley, rose gold cost 40
Platinum 21, it's time to go and spoil shorty
You only live once I'm screamin YOLO in the V.I.
Time flies fast balling with my n**** T.I
Ciroc, no glass, smilin women in my presence
Tall supermodels always fall in my possession
Atlanta housewives takin pictures in my section
But I only got a thing for young bitches with aggression
Show me that affection that a D-boy craves
Rich forever in my D-boy ways
So dope, blue jeans, new J's
Sold dope by any means all day

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GOOD Music - Cruel Summer

Having spent a few years assembling artists to his GOOD Music label, Kanye West chose this summer to release a group album showcasing the talent acquired. Unfortunately, the album is hit and miss, and most of the hits are due to Kanye himself or guests from outside of the GOOD Music roster. Such is his charisma and reference-heavy rhymes, West is more often than not the highlight of the seven tracks he features on, unintentionally overshadowing the roster he tries to promote simply through greater talent.

The album starts with To The World, an R-Kelly song with Kanye verse. I saw this collabo and thought of Jay-Z and R-Kelly's unsuccessful The Best of Both Worlds but the song is a strong start to the album, complete with Kanye referring to himself as 'the God of rap'. Next up are the singles, Clique, with Kanye, Big Sean and Jay-Z and Mercy with Big Sean, Pusha T, Kanye and 2 Chainz. Don't let the name fool you, Mercy is actually a bragging song with heavy references to the famous Lamborghini model. I'm surprised the whole album isn't sponsored by Lamborghini with the absurd number of references to Aventadors, Murcielagos or plain 'Lambos'. New God Flow is the best track on the album, finding Pusha T and Kanye with decent verses but more importantly an appearance from Ghostface Killah. 

All in all the album seems in-cohesive especially when compared to Kanye's solo material, Common gets less than 16 bars in total and one of John Legend's appearances is for about 20 seconds via a talkbox. Most critically though, Kanye is let down by the roster he is trying to promote. Big Sean and 2 Chainz are the album's main beneficiaries with four and three appearances respectively but they don't take the opportunity to stand out. All they do is leave you begging for more Ghostface, Raekwon or Kanye. Part of the problem is their mimicking of Kanye with regards to bragging on cars, clothes and money. Sorry, how many albums, let alone platinum albums have you had each? Also, someone needs to tell Sean to stop referring to himself as B.I.G., that jersey is retired. Pusha T is more miss than hit when compared to his hot verses on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

The album starts well but fades away into mediocrity and by the time you reach the later tracks you have moved so far away from the promising start that you lose interest and the artists at the end, Kid Cudi and John Legend can't reignite the enthusiasm.

Best guest: Ghostface

Stand-out tracks: New God Flow, Clique

Best bars: (New God Flow - Ghostface)

600, Cuban cigar and the big tub
Medallion on, ducks soak on the French cut
With soap suds on the Mac-11
My big lion haven't ate since 12, it's half to 7
We feed the nigga like 40 chickens
His tail wag when I send him a bag with just one victim
Uh-huh! Now let me show you what my closet on
Gems in the display case, call it a rock-a-thon
Ock, I got soccer moms prayin for cock
Asians get it from behind while they cleanin they wok

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DJ Quik - The Book of David

DJ Quik returns with his first solo album since his 2005 effort Trauma. The Compton resident seems to be content enough with his place in the West Coast game. Never a household name in the vein of LA alumni like Dre and Snoop, Quik has always been a distinctive and well respected producer and a decent emcee to boot.
The title of his album suggests a grand and introspective offering and Quik does deal with some issues close to heart, namely the relationship with his family who he goes hard at on Ghetto Rendevous, but that apart its really just typical West Coast subject matter told with Quik's individual and irreverent style.

Quik's production is as refined and well crafted as ever and the album combines disco and G-funk alongside some more contemporary beats. He's gifted at interlacing the production with smatterings of saxophone or xylophone to create a genuine summer feel to tracks. Combined with some of Jon B's crooning, Quik creates some smooth and mature R&B on Real Women and Hydromatic. Only the bass heavy Poppin' doesn't quite gel with amongst the other tracks.

The album does not feel packed with guests although 10 of the 19 tracks feature rappers contributing verses. Personally I don't really feel that too many of the guests add that much value to the album. Bizzy Bone seems out of place, Kurupt isn't on top form, and the "20 years in the making" collabo between Quik and Ice Cube is hugely disappointing, mainly due to Cube's verse. Suga Free is always worth listen, although it's a surprise to hear him straying from his usual pimp related rhyming. BlaKKazz K.K (long associated with Quik through 2nd II None) is the regular guest (on four tracks) and seems a natural accompaniment to both Quik's rhyming and production. Although I personally preferred the regular pairing of Quik and AMG on Under Tha Influence.  

A really solid album from Quik packed with far more standout moments than filler.

Best guest: Suga Free

Stand-out tracks: Killer Dope, So Compton, Nobody

Best bars: (Fire and Brimstone)

I am unique so you can keep your $20 you ain't gotta buy my cd muthafucka not a problem
That's why I'm a recluse, not the one you set loose
Muthafuckas in this game use my name to get juice
Say it, David Blake, a maven, amazing
B-b-brighter than the forest when it's blazing
Asteroid, past the void, keep it pushing, that a boy
Gotta get it hotter than oven cooking, that's a joy
For these last four bars I take it easy
But you still a muthafucka and you're cheesy
Don't trust your memory
Write down what you feel about me
If yo head ain't rocking back and forth then doubt me

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