This is pretty standard boom bap. These producer albums are rarely as good as the artists’ solo projects. They come, perform their verse, most of which are decent here, but then the job’s done. There are the light standouts like, ‘Out for the Cash’ (Common, Al’ Tariq, Fat Joe, The Beatnuts) and the funky ‘What It Look Like' (Def Jef) that are elevated by some top verses. Sonically, the album leans into thick drums, dusty loops, and turntable cuts that were a hallmarks of the era and the production is tight, but rarely surprising or anything fans of the genre haven’t heard before. It plays things safe, staying squarely in the gritty East Coast arena, albeit by a Japanese producer, without sounding like anything too fresh. It's still worth checking out for the amount of talent on the songs, even if there are a couple of artists like Naybahood Watch and Volume 10 who most have probably not heard of. It's worth mentioning too that the versions of this are very different. The Japanese version, that I'm reviewing here, has a number of different songs compared to the US release.
Beats: ★★★☆
Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆
Hooks: ★★☆
Best Tracks: Game of Death (Erick Sermon), What It Look Like (Def Jef), Out for the Cash (Common, Al’ Tariq, Fat Joe, The Beatnuts)
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