I went into this album without expecting anything and I have been pleasantly surprised. Black is a good storyteller and has a voice a tad reminiscent of Biggie. While pop rap exists here, most still maintains a 'street' sound that fits close enough with what the harder songs on the album sound like. Given it's a Bad Boy album from the year 2000, the production is stronger than expected and songs where the beat switches up like on the title track rarely ever used to happen in hip hop. What doesn't work? I don't love 'Thug Story' that B.R.'s version of Slick Rick's 'Children's Story'. It uses the exact same instrumentation so it's not as creative as it should be. The single, Espacio', has an unlikable, annoying hook which is a shame as the beat bangs. Other songs like the closer and 'You Don't Know Me', both with Joe Hooker providing the chorus, could use a better hook. And I guess all of the interludes that get in the way. Those aside, while there is no top 500 hip hop song here, it's a consistent body of work. Well worth checking out. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Whoa!, Lookin' at Us, B.R., I Love You Baby

Mystikal kills 'Do You Know?' as does UGK 'Slangin''. 'Walk Like a "G"' reminds me of Juvenile's 'Ha'. 'For the N.O.' is another song with some interesting thumping production. The closer is one of the strongest tunes as well with Fiend getting introspective as he does on a few songs. I've been checking out a few No Limit records of late and this is one of the better ones. It's very consistent with some great moments. As with most No Limit records, it does feel like a collaborative effort with many features. A number of the best moments are when the featuring artists jump on board and offer something more unique than Fiend can provide. Mystikal's verse is a great examples of that. No one sounds like him. It's the same case with Bun B on 'Slangin''. Fiend and many of the No Limit soldiers don't have that original voice to stand out from the crowd. I've thought about giving this a 4/5 but some of the songs probably just needed something extra for me to do that. 3.5-4/5. Best Tracks: Take My Pain, Do You Know?, The Baddest, All in a Week, Slangin', Walk Like a "G", For the N.O., Live Me Long

This is basically as 3.5/5 as it gets. It's consistently good with a few highlights, but the highlights aren't good enough to earn this a 4. As I've said with previous No Limit records, the production, while a little original, isn't amazing, and the rapping/voice, etc of the rapper isn't amongst the best of the best. 'How Ya Do That' is the most famous song from this, but 'Better Than the Last Time' is my pick. Best Track: Mo Money, Pull If Off, Times So Hard, Better Than the Last Time, Lil Poppa Got a Brand New Bag

Based on a true story as told in the book of the same name by Richard Gambino. This tells the story of a group of Italians who were trialed over the murder of a police officer in New Orleans. It's a decent tale in the first half but comes into its own in the third act once they get into the court room and (not to spoil it) the following events unfold.

While I have a lot to get around to listening to, I am still yet to hear to a great No Limit album. They were releasing so much music from 98-99 that perhaps that was part of the problem. This is one of the rare R&B and female albums from No Limit. It's decent with some highlights and consistency, but again, like most past No Limit records I've tried, the production never reaches any great heights, and the vocals don't match the best in the genre either. Mystical is one of the rare examples of a soldier who did have great vocals and who provides a noteworthy featuring verse on 'Hush'. There is a 'Bonnie & Clyde' themed song that we have heard so much in hip hop. There are way too many skits that would've been a pain in the backside back in the day. The skits include Mercedes talking a guy through giving her pleasure and her telling a "broke ho" to stop playing on her phone. 'Can Tell' would be listed below amongst the best tracks but the male vocalist is a very average singer in my opinion. The skits make this drag on and there are some poor songs, but there are enough decent songs. If you enjoy the No Limit sound, their rap roster (as there are lots of features) and R&B, you'll get something out of this. Best Tracks: Hit 'Em, Do You Wanna Ride, Pony Ride, Hush, Free Game, I Need a Thug, You're the Only One