I thought Ed sounded like Killer Mike on his debut, and it's even more prominent here - or should I say, Killer Mike sounds like him. It's not just the voice though, it's also how he spits and the music he makes. Some of these would've sounded right at home on Killer Mike's 'Monster'. He is off No Limit Records here, but Beats by the Pound handle many of the beats here meaning it doesn't sound like he ventured too far off the famous label. It loses some steam with some of the sex tracks like 'F'ckgest' and 'Watching U', it does overstay its welcome at 73 minutes in duration, and the production isn't great, but there is some pretty good hardcore hip hop here. Ed is a dope rapper who is/was deserving of more attention as well. He also knows where he stands - "I'm not the tightest, that's Mystikal," he spits on the hard as nails opener, 'I Am the Hardest'. He would've been better keeping this below an hour, but it's from the era of CDs being filled. Around a 3 outta 5. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: I Am the Hardest, Battlefield (spelt incorrectly as 'Battelfield' on Spotify), Don't Play With Me, Armageddon

A while a go I was trying to check out more No Limit records and I have returned to that venture with this project. Firstly, this is a long album, running at 79 minutes, and it definitely feels like one. Too many songs sound the same with similar rapping throughout the eighteen songs. They rap with some passion, but there is nothing the Gambino Family do that is something different. Most No Limit albums are packed with features, and maybe this has fewer than most, but it still has a lot for an album with a group made up of four rappers. As is often the case with the No Limit roster, when Mystikal jumps in the booth for a feature, he stands out like a sore thumb. Some of the production gets repetitive too. 'So Much Drama' is the only thing to grab me. Not one of the better albums from The Tank. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: I'm a Baller, Trapped in a Storm, Only Gs Ride, So Much Drama, 2 All My Thug Niggaz

Decent, but there is nothing to take away. It's all pretty safe trap/gangsta/conscious rap. I don't mind it, but his voice won't be for everyone. Best Tracks: Beenie Man, Devil in his Hole

The opener, 'Entourage', is a dope danceable tune. 'Ice Box' is one of my favourite R&B songs. Timbaland and co did their thing when they put that one together. When I first listened to this album I didn't realise how good it was until I came across it again many years later. It's 13th on my most played songs on Last.FM. From there, while Omarion proves he can create upbeat and slow R&B very successfully, you just know, unless he is a musical genius like Michael Jackson, Prince, R. Kelly, etc, that the rest of the album isn't going to live up to that opening, and it doesn't. I enjoy the multi-layered chorus of 'Obsession' ("My heart goes boom, boom, tap") but the verses aren't as engaging. Pretty much everything here is okay with 'Just That Sexy' and 'Been With a Star' being the two next level standouts behind the true standouts that are the opening two songs. Somewhere between a 3-3.5/5. Best Songs: Entourage, Ice Box, Just That Sexy, Been With a Star

The single, S.E.X., aside, this is a fairly boring album. Many of the songs go absolutely nowhere with the production not doing enough. There are warning signs from the jump with the Young Buck featured hip hop themed 'Slow Down' being quite a lackluster way to begin the album. 'Still Here' with Three 6 Mafia and Project Pat is a better rap featured song later on. 'The River' borrows from one of the greatest songs ever, 'A Change Is Gonna Come', so that's more than decent as well and 'Keep Ya Head Up' is a take on Pac's version but doesn't do it for me. Best Tracks: S.E.X., The River, I'll Always Love You