This is not what I expected. If you've heard Chyna Whyte on songs like 'Wild Muthafuckas' from Naughty By Nature's 'Icons' album, then you'd be expecting some hard hitting explicit gangsta and sex raps, but instead we have something more tame. While the beats seem like they were made for something harder, the lyrics largely have a Christian hip hop theme. Lyrically it gets a bit monotonous and the beats aren't amazing.

I seem to have said this often in reviews recently, but Paris is one of the artists that got me really interested in hip hop. I'd heard the brilliant 'Break the Grip of Shame' while playing psx, and once I was able to I knew I had to find more from this guy. Although this is ofted cited as his best, something else I say often, I'm not a huge fan of '80s hip hop beats so I like his later work more, but this is still a very good album, and I like the beats more than a lot of other hip hop from this era. I mean, how amazin' is the beginning of 'Wretched' when the beat blends into the American anthem. The production is in the vain of Public Enemy I guess, and much more raw, with plenty of scratches and less funky than his 'Guerrilla Funk' album for example, and much of his later work. And of course, lyrically Paris is all about improving his fellow brothers' life with racism being a strong focus. He doesn't have the flow of some, but his voice always works and is the perfect pitch for the type of stuff he spits. Highly recommended, from in my opinion one of the most consistent discographies in rap. Best Tracks: Scarface Groove, Break the Grip of Shame/Remix, Ebony, The Devil Made Me Do It/Remix, Mellow Madness, Wretched.

Paris gets angrier and more anti-white/establishment on this album, just listen to the start of 'Bush Killa' where the president gets taken out, and then you've got the "Cops Ain't Shit" chorus in the subtlety named 'Coffee, Donuts & Death'. For me though, the beats, like Guerilla Funk that comes after this album, mean I like this more than Paris' debut, that gives this an almost perfect rating - The beat change two minutes into 'Bush Killa' = Perfection. It's worth noting also that 'Guerrillas in the Mist' uses pretty much the same beat as the brilliant 'break the Grip of Shame from his debut. I love the beats this guy produces and if you enjoy Paris' debut you should enjoy this, unless some of the lyrics are too much. Beats: ★★★★☆ Bars: ★★★★☆ Best Tracks: Bush Killa, Thinka 'Bout It, Guerrillas in the Mist, The Days of Old, Assata's Song, Bush Killa (Hellraiser Remix).

Some crazy, intense tracks are present here with an original, distinctive, crazy rapper who disses everyone from the west-except Ice Cube. There is a good half a dozen of great gritty hardcore hip hop songs here that tempt me to rank this album even higher, but it drops off a touch with the last handful of tracks, and after the uncompromising 'Dog's Gonna Getcha', it never matches that passion. Nevertheless, for the best this offers it is well worth checking out if you like the descriptions above. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Low Down Nigga, Fuck Compton, Step to Me, I'll Wax Anybody, Dog's Gonna Getcha

A lot won't blow you away here, but it is an extremely consistent solid album. The rapping is good with Rhino's voice reminding me a bit of E-40 at times and the beats are that mobb music type of toe-tapping stuff. 'How Da West Was Won' is my pick from the album. Here Black Rhino tells a story about a robbery and a shootout in the Wild West that blends seamlessly into the following 'High Noon'. Best Tracks: After Dark, So Called Homies, How Da West Was Won, High Noon, Da Coast Is Clear