Produced by the King of R&B, R. Kelly, (tracks: 2-4, 6-10, 13, 14), and Jerry Duplessis/Wyclef Jean, (tracks: 1, 5, 11, 12, 15), with some other co-producers in the mix, this is a consistent collection of tracks. Jerry and Wyclef largely handle the tracks with more of a hip hop feel and overall they have a lower success rate than Kelly's songs. The weakest song is 'Every Which Way', co-produced by R. Kelly and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, that sounds more like Jerkin's sound than Kelly's. Kelly Price's vocals on the gospel themed 'It's Gonna Rain' is a highlight. A soundtrack that is worth checking out. Best Tracks: It's Like Everyday, It's Gonna Rain, Fortunate, Life

I checked this out after hearing Reek's impressive verse on Busta Rhymes' 'Year of the Dragon' album but nothing on this is as engaging. Some of the songs are Reek over existing beats. For example, 'Keep Going Reek' has the instrumentation from Reflection Eternal's 'In This World', 'Close the Door' by Teddy Pendergrass on 'Close the Door', that has been used on lots of hip hop songs, and 'Promise Land' borrows one as well. There may be others. The best tracks listed below are decent but not hitting any high notes and their are a number of weak moments. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Keep Going Reek, Larry Davis, Close the Door, Fire Hydrant, Promise Land, The Mechanics Remix

This is all decent gangsta rap with some consciousness around the edges, including an anti-abortion message, but Crazy is a complete Tupac rip off. That Tupac laugh, the way he gets angry, the talking outros (check out 'Feeling Lost'), etc, etc, it's all Pac. I'd give this a higher rating without the plagiarism. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Please Don't Kill Me, You Thugs, Breathers in the Sky, Ruff Era Niggas Bust, Going to Make It

I rarely hand out the rating of perfection, but these songs make for some extremely emotive music. AOTY, and last year, and probably quite a few years before that as well. It currently holds top spot based on the average song ratings out of all the albums I've rated.

There is nothing unlikeable here. The production is all decent or better and there are some decent features, but lyrically, there are a lot of cliched bars and topics that is its biggest downfall. There's nothing noteworthy. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: I'll Be Hood, Black Sheep