Most of these songs sound fairly modern and with some of the political references to Bush, Clinton and Obama they seem to be from between 'Icons' and 'Anthem Inc' and not anything from their heyday. A couple have been released before though. 'Respect' was on 'Naughty by Nature Featuring Garden State Greats Mixtape', and 'Wifey Material', is from 2000, and was also on a recently release unofficial release. I love NBN, they are my favourite group, but nothing here touches their best work and you won't be wondering why these didn't make any of their albums. 'Cold World' sounds a bit...unstructured, for want of a better word. Treach yelling over the hook doesn't fit. 'What Now' continues with more conscious rap. Anthony Hamilton blesses the hook. Again, I don't enjoy Treach as much as I usually do. The delivery of the verse is a bit underwhelming. 'The Projects' sounds more '90s, but also low quality. Maybe the mixing wasn't done... 'Respect' is the hardest song and one of my favourites. Vinnie and the others speak on their love and respect for hip hop. 'Hard Times' continues with more of a hardcore hip hop feel and is another strong song. Naughty and Treach were great at making pop rap, and 'Breezy' is another example of that. The chill beat suits Treach more here and he flows more naturally over his three verses. As mentioned, 'Wifey Material' is one I've heard before. It's decent pop rap. Best Track: Respect, Hard Times, Breezy

I like Silverchair from the Freak Show and particularly the Neon Ballroom days but I'm not liking this much. It's a little too soft compared to their older work. Some songs are okay but I'm not digging anything too much.

I like Redman on the mic and love Erick Sermon as a producer, but I can't get into this album a huge amount. It's an album that despite being just over 50 minutes has always felt longer to me. In saying that, what I like I generally love with 'Time 4 Sum Aksion' being one of, if not Redman's greatest song. It's a good album, but I don't rank it up there with the best of them, as for some reason on the whole it's never grabbed me enough. Best Tracks: Time 4 Sum Aksion, So Ruff, Blow Your Mind, Redman Meets Reggie Noble, How to Roll a Blunt.

I've never quite felt the huge admiration many have for Common, he is great on certain tracks but for me has never really held it down for a whole album. Overall this album mirrors those thoughts. 'The People' and 'The Game' particularly, which I heard before I heard the whole album, were sudden favourites and I expected more because I do like those songs so much. There is some other solid stuff mentioned below, but the albums kind of peters out. Still though, two fantastic tracks, a few good ones and a number of solid ones earn this a solid rating. Best Tracks: The People, The Game, Start the Show, U, Black Maybe

I played this through a few times and never really felt like I needed to hit skip or that it dragged on which is a positive. However, little stands out apart from the Eminem featured track and 'Glenwood Freestyle!', that I love. I've heard the production before, years ago, but I can't put my finger on the title of the song. The closer goes hard too. GRIP gives off a strong Kendrick Lamar vibe at times with the way he raps and his inflection. I can see what Em sees in him. Given the feelings I have about the project though, perhaps more variety in the production was needed. Best Tracks: Walkthrough!, Glenwood Freestyle!, Pennies...Exit Stage Left!?