Child of the Ghetto 2001 Album

G. Dep

After hearing so much modern hip hop that lacks energy, like the last album I listened to, 'Goldfish' from Hit-Boy & The Alchemist, it’s refreshing to press play on an album and have the beats and raps get your head bouncing right from the start. Not everything here is great. Some beats sound dated, but G Dep brings enough flow variety and mic presence to make a few average beats hit harder than they should. It starts strong. The first two tracks are bangin. The single, 'Special Delivery', opens with Puff yelling and saying nothing for over a minute. It’s absolutely mental. 'Keep It Gangsta' with Shyne suffers from a weak hook: “We them niggas with big guns and big dicks / Flood ya block, and keep it gangsta / We them niggas with big guns and big dicks / Coke them rocks, and keep it gangsta.” Who is rapping along to that? It’s not just the lyrical content. The flat delivery from Shyne and the lack of any instrumental change make the track fall flat. Like his Bad Boy label mate Black Rob did with 'Thug Story', G Dep reworks another classic with 'Doe Fiend', which is his take on Eric B. & Rakim’s 'Microphone Fiend'. Other tracks of note include 'Smash on the First Night' that has some nice bounce despite being another predictable sex track. 'I Am' features legends Rakim and Kool G Rap, though, maybe it's just me, but Rakim’s voice sounds higher-pitched than usual. As he often did, Carl Thomas helps deliver one of the album’s best moments with 'It’s All Over'. It could have been tighter if it cut a few interludes and some of Diddy’s unnecessary yelling, but overall this is a solid and underrated album. I’d still rank Black Rob’s Bad Boy projects higher, but this one deserves more credit than it gets. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Everyday, Child of the Ghetto, I Am, It's All Over