Revisiting '23 Review: I revisited Cassidy's other three official studio albums and finish off here. After the first listen, it was clear that this was better than I remembered. While I was coming off his better second and third album with my original review, with this listen I was coming off C.A.S.H., his fourth and worst album, so maybe that had something to do with my original opinion. 1. My Interpretation (produced by Felli Fel) 70/100 The beat is just okay but Cassidy just spits for three minutes straight and uses the same ending sound for each bar which is not the easiest thing to do. 2. Hotel (Swizz Beatz) 90 Cassidy's one true pop hit. R. Kelly kills the feature as he always did adding some of his best Michael Jackson-esque adlibs. The instrumentation sounds like something R. Kelly could have produced that makes it work perfectly with him as the feature. 3. Lipstick (Swizz Beatz) 60 A decent pop rap song that has a different feel for the hook compared to the verses making it stand out. 4. Get No Better (Swizz Beatz) 66 Like the previous song, this toes the line nicely between pop rap and still sounding street. Catchy hook. 5. Make U Scream (Swizz Beatz) 70 More poppy but the contrast between the verses and sampled 'What's a Telephone Bill?' by Bootsy's Rubber Band works well. 6. Tha Problem (Skit) 7. Tha Problem (Swizz Beatz) 64 Samples 'Terminator X to the Edge of Panic' by Public Enemy for an ol' school feel. It needs a beat change or a hook that is more varied to be a next level song from my perspective. 8. Pop That Cannon (Swizz Beatz) 60 The hardest song so far but it's nothing great. Beat is meh... 9. Blood Pressure (J. Brown) 80 The hardest song on the album. Cassidy raps gangster rap bars and the beat thumps. 10. Can I Talk to You (V. Flowers) 76 Franco Micalizzi's 'Affanno' sample is the track and it works really well. Another hard track. The beat change up from the end of the chorus to the verses is dope. 11. Real Talk (Skit) 12. Real Talk (Nottz) 67 The one soulful tune. 13. Husslin' (Swizz Beatz) 70 High energy tune. A grower. 14. I'm Hungry (Rockwilder) 60 This is another that took a listen to grow on me. Decent. Again, the hook could be more creative. 15. Around Tha World (Neo da Matrix) 62 The production is decent here, but the hook could be better. 16. Hotel (Vacation Remix) (Swizz Beatz) 85 Kind of a stripped-back version of the original with Trina and more great Kelly vocals. Overall, I underrated this. There aren't many skips and bad moments. Cassidy raps like he is hungry and the production is enjoyable for the most part. I think Swizz has had many more misses than hits over his career, often producing the worst songs on albums, but he handles 6 of the 14 songs here and does a decent job. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: My Interpretation, Hotel, Make U Scream, Blood Pressure, Can I Talk to You, Hotel (Vacation Remix) -------------- Original Review: I'm reviewing this after listening to Cassidy's second and third album and this is far worse than them in my opinion. His second album features some really good tracks and is a solid album and his third ain't bad but doesn't feature the better songs of I'm a Hustla. On this album, the main problem I have is with the beats which are mainly done by Swizz Beatz. I've never been a massive fan of his work but a fair few of these tracks are just boring, and this is despite my positive feelings toward Cassidy on the mic which he shows over some better production on his next album. Overall, nothing leaves me with any great joy. Best Tracks: My Interpretation, Hotel, Make U Scream, Blood Pressure, Husslin', Hotel (Vacation Remix)

I feel like Cassidy was starting to drop off from being in your general hip hop fans' eye-line with his fourth album. The lines are blurred more so now than ever, but this is considered his last official album to this day. The producer list isn't bad, with Cassidy retaining some producers from his previous projects, like Bink! and Neo da Matrix, but a staple of his previous albums was his mentor Swizz Beatz, who isn't involved here. Cassidy adds more titles to his producer CV, co-producing a number of songs and producing the final track, as he did on his previous album. It begins with Cassidy just listing people he'd like to see rap battle on 'Face 2 Face (Intro)'. Any hip hop head will get something out of it listening to the rappers he names, but it's not one to put on repeat. The following 'Paper Up' samples 'Quick Fast, in a Hurry' by New York City making for some decent production with a catchy enough hook. 'Hate Me or Love Me' has enjoyable verses, but the hook is weak. 'I'm a G Boy' is the one song I've gone back to since first hearing this album. The production is thumping and Cassidy spits some noteworthy bars. 'Peace' is one of the rare moments that isn't just gangster rap or pop rap. Overall, the production isn't great, sounding cheap in parts, and is a sizeable drop-off from the best he had on his second and third album. Even the self-produced final song isn't as good as what he created on his last album, 'B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story'. With Cassidy's second and third album there seemed to be development as an artist, with more maturity and content in his bars, but there isn't much here at all. It shows devolution as an artist. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Paper Up, I'm a G Boy, Peace

Yayo isn't the greatest rapper and there are some cringe moments like a man approaching 50 saying "lit", but the production is mostly above average with a number of songs having an engaging dark feeling to them. It's an easy listen at only 23 minutes in duration but you won't be saving anything much for later. Best Tracks: New Bodies, Hold This L, Scam Likely

"Don't get me wrong I put songs that was conscious out / But I'll still grab the Thompson and blow your conscious out" Cassidy was involved in a murder case between recording his previous album, 'I'm a Hustla', and this project which plays a large part in the topics on hand. Where the previous two albums featured a lot of brag rap, battle rap like punchline bars, and some tracks for the ladies, here there are many more introspective, religious, and conscious moments. He would've been stupid not to use what he'd experienced throughout the trial and behind bars as lyrics for the album and the variety of songs means he isn't just making the same album again. 1. Intro (B.A.R.S. Vs. Da Hustla) 64/100 Cassidy starts this album in a similar way to his previous one, battling an alter ego that includes some self-deprecating bars. The production isn't as bangin' but it works okay. 2. My Drink N My 2 Step 31 Swizz Beatz is back to his worst here. There is nothing good about this one. 3. Where My Niggaz At 44 Again, the production isn't very likeable on this attempt at a hard, gritty gangsta rap type of track. 4. I Will Never Tell (Uh Uh) 62 One of the many anti-snitching songs within the hip hop genre. The change up from the bridge to the chorus is likeable. 5. I Pray 60 Another decent song, this time about the power of prayer, but it doesn't go beyond decent. The production just needs something else. 6. Innocent 89 After building through some okay moments, this is the first song that hits. Cassidy raps about his murder case: "They showed up to the crib that my mother was at / My son, my baby mother, and my brother was at / And they was strapped, actin tough and start bustin the gat / To protect my family I started bustin it back." 'Innocent Man' by Mark Morrison is sampled and it all comes together nicely with the interesting lyrics. Swizz Beatz redeems himself from 'My Drink N My 2 Step'. 7. Cash Rulez 43 More repetitive production that doesn't work well enough. 8. Leanin' on the Lord 80 Cass is back on the gospel tip and Swizz again provides a beat that works. Lyrically, this feels a little like R. Kelly's 'Pray Changes', where Cassidy begins each verse with "Here's a story" and tells a different tale about the subject turning to God, including the third verse that is autobiographical. 9. Damn I Miss the Game 93 Catchy hook, dope production and relatable lyrics about missing what hip hop used to be. 10. Done 4 Me 83 More enjoyable jazz rap/soul production backed by lyrics about Cassidy being thankful for what he has and what God has done for him. 11. I Get My Paper 53 I don't love the chorus of this one 12. Take a Trip 52 On 'I'm a Hustla', Swizz was 1 from 4, producing most of the worst songs, and here I'd give him 2/4. This is the one love/girl track from the album. 13. Celebrate 74 "Get the obituary ready, get the Reverend / My old style died, and went to punchline Heaven / You cats know that that's my flow, I'm a legend" This one is thematically similar to 'Done 4 Me'. 14. All By Myself 80 As the title suggests, Cassidy created this song all by himself. More introspection, being thankful for God, and a lack of trust in others are the themes. "I wanna thank my fans, good looking for the mail / Cause I was going through it when they put me in the jail / They put me in the cell, just me and the rats / And my relationship with God is what kept me relaxed." I don't know how much else Cassidy self-produced, but if he actually did produce this all by himself, he should've kept going. The production is really nice. There are some strong moments, but the production isn't good enough on too many songs to make this album stand out from the crowd. With some of the content, where he was, coming out of such a life changing moment, it's a shame the production isn't to a more consistent high standard. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Innocent, Leanin' on the Lord. Damn I Miss the Game, Done 4 Me

Maybe this is slightly overrated in some circles, but I can't give this any less than a high 4/5 myself. Big L is so likeable on the mic, and while the dark, raw, horrorcore influenced beats do fall short at times (e.g. '8 Iz Enuff'), they are good enough on the whole. Big L may not have the content of some other legendary rappers of the mid '90s, as he is more of a punch-line rapper, but he does it flawlessly. The best tracks are classics, and while I don't feel a few of these enough to give the album a higher rating, I'd still recommend this very quickly for the best it offers. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★★☆ Best Tracks: Put It On, MVP, No Endz No Skinz, All Black, I Don't Understand It, Fed Up Wit the Bullshit, Let 'Em Have It "L"