I was never a big Wayne fan, and I think a lot of people who once loved his older work are finally seeing it without the rose-coloured glasses. Technically, he raps well on much of this, switching up his flows — even sounding influenced by Lil Dicky on a couple of verses, like on 'Loki’s Theme'. But as usual, it's the lyrics and overall focus that drag the songs down. He rhymes "nigger" with "nigger" on both 'Hip Hop' and 'Written History' — something he’s done before — and it just comes off as lazy writing that weakens the tracks that are otherwise a couple of the better ones on the album. There are a few samples used, but none really land. From 'Island Holiday' to 'Maria', nothing sticks. The flip of LL’s 'Rock the Bells' on 'Bells' doesn’t hit hard enough to really work — maybe it needed a bit more bite in the drums. He mumbles through 'Flex Up', and while the metaphor-heavy 'If I Played Guitar' might work with a strong R&B or pop vocalist, it falls flat with Wayne drowning it in autotune. 'Mula Komin In' is just awful — poor vocals all round. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Welcome to Tha Carter, Hip Hop, Written History

What a waste of intriguing ideas and compelling characters. Despite the strong cinematography, engaging setting, memorable music, and initially interesting cast, it all devolves into yet another dull vampire film that could have been set in any era. The vampire genre is incredibly overdone at this point. While this hasn't affected my rating, it's worth noting: if the racial dynamics were reversed, a film like this wouldn’t get made — yet it's still somehow acceptable to portray things this way.

This album feels like many other decent-but-forgettable No Limit releases—competent, but lacking anything truly remarkable. I’ve given it multiple listens, and while I’ve never found myself thinking, “this is outright bad,” I’ve also never walked away with anything that stuck. One of the more noticeable issues is the lack of contrast between the verses and the hooks. The production remains largely static throughout, with little to no variation in the instrumental backing during the choruses, which makes the songs blur together. Picking standout tracks feels like splitting hairs—none rise above the rest in a meaningful way. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Mobbin' Through My Hood, Fuck Them Hoes, Tru Playaz, Keep It All Good

I've been anticipating this album for ages as I really enjoy his last album, 'Guilty by Affiliation', that I still occasionally spin these days, and I kind of wish I held off and didn't check out the EP that was released prior to this, because it means I'd already heard 25% of this as three of the five EP tracks make the standard release of the album. Early impressions are that this isn't as good as his previous album, as I'm not feeling most of these beats as much. Most feel more like your stock standard hardcore west coast beats, where I feel many on his previous effort had something extra to 'em, and the amount you heard Cube on the previous album almost made it feel like a joint effort. Speaking of Cube, some of this, especially 'You Know Me', reminds me of a few of the beats on Cube's recent album, 'I Am the West', like 'Life In California', and the last track 'Dub C', produced by Trick Trick, feels very much like 'Trick Trick' by, oddly enough, Trick Trick. Also, none of the Japan bonus tracks are worth searching for. Despite not matching his previous and best effort, it's a solid bangin' album, where Dub-C continues to entertain featuring some tracks to go back to. 3.5-3 / 5. Best Tracks: Revenge of the Barracuda, What's Good, That's What I'm Talking About, D Boy 1 Revenge of the Barracuda 76 2 You Know Me 72 3 Reality Show 64 4 What's Good 76 5 Walking in My Taylors 60 6 That's What I'm Talkin About 86 7 Sticking to the Script 74 8 100% Legit 70 9 D Boy 74 10 Hustla 65 11 The Spot 67 12 Dub C 80 Bonus Tracks 13 It's Official - Maylay solo pretty much 14 Frontline 50 15 Dr. Mandingo 65 16 Back to the Basics 65

Xzibit used to have some seriously banging production behind him—but none of that is here. The beats on this album fall flat, and the whole motivational and introspective angle he's going for kind of feels forced. The introduction of the opening track is a prime example—it comes off corny and sounds like something we've all heard a hundred times before. As for other vets on the album, it might be time for Dre to hang up the mic. Whoever’s writing for him keeps recycling the same tired material. Ice Cube—who I still have a lot of love for—drops a verse on 'For the Love' that feels recycled too; about 60% of it sounds like something he's already said elsewhere. 'Everywhere I Go' brings a bit more of that classic, fun Xzibit energy, with a bounce that the rest of the album sorely lacks. Symba's feature on 'American Idols' is a standout—his verse is sharp and confident, and includes a line that seems to defend Ye: “Kanye dropped some Jews and now he too anti-semitic (Shh).” 'Success' switches the vibe a bit with some jazz poetry, which is a refreshing change of pace and works well. Overall, there’s not much here that’s catchy. The hooks are missing, and Xzibit's usually commanding delivery just starts to wear thin. Most of this is just forgettable. Not what you want from a comeback album. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Play This At My Funeral, Everywhere I Go, American Idols, Success