This album served as a strong lead-up to T-Rock’s excellent double album 'I Grind, I Hustle'. It includes some standout tracks that would later appear on that release, along with about half of fresh material. 'Numbers' is a prime example of Rock at his most explosive, high-energy and hard-hitting. 'Dat Comeback' stands out for its smooth, slow-burn string arrangement, laying the foundation for one of his best sex-oriented tracks. Originally, this release had 11 tracks, then it was trimmed to 10, and now the streaming version only includes 6. This era marked a creative high point for T-Rock, where he consistently delivered timeless songs and rock-solid projects. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★★ Best Tracks: I Grind I Hustle, Numbers, Burn 1, Dat Comeback, As Long As, Thug It Out

I listened to the No DJ version and that’s always the way it should be. This is a solid tape with more than a few standout moments. If you’re a fan of anything August Alsina has done, it’s definitely worth a spin. 'NOLA' kicks things off with a bang-hard-hitting and confident, it sets the tone well. 'Drank in My Cup' cleverly flips the instrumental from Kirko Bangz’s track of the same name, but August makes it his own. From there, the tape only gets better. 'Party & Bullshit' borrows lines from Biggie’s classic for a hook that sticks, blending nostalgia with modern R&B flavour. 'Ode to My Project Chicks' shifts the energy, delivering raw emotion and raunchy honesty in equal measure. With lines like, "This is for the ones who wobbling and they putting they mouth on it / And they suck everything out of it and they catch it and swallow it," August leans fully into explicit storytelling. Overall, this tape showcases a young August Alsina coming into his own balancing street anthems with vulnerable reflections, and making both feel authentic. Not every track is a knockout, but there’s enough quality here and songs with replay value to make it well worth checking out. Best Tracks: NOLA, Ode to My Project Chicks, Illest Bitch, Heavy, She Werkin', Young Love 1 NOLA 72 2 Product Endorsement 1 [Skit] 3 I'm Gone 64 4 Drank in My Cup 60 5 Party & Bullshit 70 6 Ode to My Project Chicks 74 7 Product Endorsement 2 [Skit] 8 HNFR [Hell Naw Fuckin' Right] 62 9 Sucka 70 10 Bad Muthafucka 64 11 Hands on the Wheel 56 12 Illest Bitch 80 13 Heavy 90 14 DJ Scream Outro 15 She Werkin' 80 16 Young Love 76

Square One were a German hip-hop group, and according to Discogs, 'Walk of Life' stands as their only full-length album. The group disbanded in 2002 due to artistic and financial disputes. The project’s stronger moments tend to be the more soulful tracks, while the upbeat ones rarely rise above being serviceable. 'Loose Cannons' being a notable exception. Lyrically, the group aims higher than most, often trying to break out of generic subject matter, which is one of the album’s key strengths. Musically, though, little truly sticks. The production leans heavily into classic boom bap territory and it's solid and respectful of the tradition, but rarely exceptional. The hooks are lacking, with the instrumentation doing little to create contrast or elevate them above the verses. Scattered vocal samples from legends like Big L, Common, and KRS add some texture, but overall, the album doesn’t quite leave a lasting impression. If you're a diehard boom bap fan, this is worth a listen, but don’t expect it to surpass the greats. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Knowledge Is Knowledge, From the Soul, Dreams, Loose Cannons, Cry, Fallen Angels

I'll post a review that isn't just about the album cover. Having checked out over 30 No Limit albums, nothing on here surprises too much at all. The beats are what you'd expect as is the content. I gave this quite a few playthroughs and Soulja doesn't catch my ear often. Like Silkk the Shocker, he isn't the most on-beat rapper, but isn't terrible either. This starts off weak with some generic sounding No Limit songs and takes a while to get better. The first moment that stands out is 'Imagine', which finally offers a more substantial beat with deep keys and a harder, less cheap-sounding bounce. You can really hear the difference in quality between Mac and Soulja Slim here. Mac delivers the more refined verse with a smoother, more engaging flow. 'What's Up, What's Happening' has a call-and-response type chorus and more bounce in the beat to make that a standout. 'Getting Real' is hard with another decent hook. 'You Got It (II)' has some enjoyable bounce to the instrumentation too. As for features, the Killer Mike vocal doppelganger, 'Big Ed', on Head Buster' is a highlight though the production lets him down. An honourable mention goes to Trenitty on 'Pray For Your Baby' who isn't someone I’ve heard much from, but offers a solid contribution. On 'You Got It (II)' Mia X effortlessly switches from rapping to singing back to rapping in her verse. Mystikal, who is often the best thing on these No Limit albums when he has a verse, doesn't say anything interesting even though he comes with his signature energy. Snoop had some boring phone-it-in features while he was on No Limit. He really had his lazy flow going too often as is the case here. All in all, the highs don’t hit hard enough, and much of the album sits firmly in mid-tier territory that I will forget about within a week. That said, the stronger second half and tail does help redeem it somewhat, offering a few solid tracks. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Songs: Imagine, What's Up What's Happening, Getting Real

Space Lounge may be brief (just three tracks), but it leaves a lasting impression. This compact journey feels like a dream set in orbit: smooth, immersive, and emotionally rich. Each track brings its own flavour while maintaining a cohesive, weightless vibe. It's meditative and dreamy. If there's one flaw, it's only that it ends too soon. But maybe that’s the point. Space Lounge doesn’t try to overwhelm. It invites you to drift, reflect, and return.