It's good to have Freeway back. He's been through a lot as he talks about throughout the album including his kidney disease and tragically losing two children. He's been an underrated rapper over his career, but I do find Stimulus Package 1 overrated, so let's see what this is like. It begins okay. 'Time' is decent, then 'Philly' is better. The high-pitched sample in 'My Own' is overpowering and annoyingly repetitive and it makes it the worst song by far. Aren't we past producers just looping four bars worth of instrumental repeatedly throughout a song? 'Keep Winning' is good, but again, the looping could do something else. It hardly changes for the duration of the song. A lot of the loops Jake One has created aren't anything special. Freeway's best songs in my opinion are ones like 'All My Life', 'It's Over', 'Microphone Killa', 'Jungle' and 'Around the World' with their thumping energy and a catchy hook. There's not enough of that on this project. In saying that, the song that best does these things, with a memorable hook, that has different musical elements to the verses and more energy is the closer, 'Family Tree'. 'Crystals and Keys' has a Rick Ross type hook with strong instrumentation making it one of the best. 'Freezer' has more bounce and a memorable hook. I don't like the single, 'RIngin', much. "Phone keep ringin' ringin' ringin' ringin'". The hook is weak. 'Heartbreaker' has an odd poppy hook for a Freeway song. On initial listens, this didn't do much for me, and while it has grown on me, there's nothing here I'm loving with a few skips. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Philly, Keep Winning, Freezer, Family Tree Time (feat. Conway the Machine) 63 Philly (feat. Peedi Crack) 70 My Own (feat. Sauce Walka) 30 Keep Winning (feat. Black Thought) 66 Price of Fame 54 Lord Forgive Me 60 Freezer 74 RIngin (feat. Jadakiss) 50 Heartbreaker 50 Nothin They Can Do 60 Crystals and Keys (feat. Scholito) 70 Bearded Legend 66 Surgery (feat. Symba) 68 Family Tree 80

This one is a well produced fun album. I love Rodney O's 'U Don't Hear Me Tho' that's used in 'Workout', so it was nice to hear that reworked. The sample, ('Fred Wesley's 'Up For The Downstroke') used in probably my favourite Pac song, 'Heartz of Men', is reused by Quik in 'Eazy Call'. Unfortunately the song ain't coming close to Pac's. There are some other very familiar samples that I usually have mixed feelings about, but I think it's done in a way that just isn't over doing it. Best Tracks: Dern & Spruce, Workout, Chupa's Groove, Ayo

This is the only '98 No Limit album without a feature from Master P which maybe suggests it wasn't given the love of other releases. After a number of spins, there isn't one song that has stood out to me. Snoop really wasn't trying on some of his No Limit features and we hear it again here with an underwhelming verse on 'Gangsta Shit'. A lot of it sounds really similar, has similar themes, being just another No Limit gangsta rap album. 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind', with a softer sung hook, is basically the only song that changes it up. The choruses aren't memorable partly due to the instrumentation not changing up enough as don't the vocals. At this point in my journey through No Limit's discography, it's the worst one. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★ Hooks: ★☆ Best Tracks: Quickest Way to Die, I'm Gonna Hustle, Out of Sight Out of Mind

I mainly listen to hip hop and R&B but I like to venture into other genres. I heard 'A Certain Slant of Light' on a compilation many moons ago and it has always stayed with me. The way the verses transition to the bridge and then the chorus is all memorable and the same can be said for Best Tracks: A Certain Slant of Light, Save Me, In This Time, The Majestic Song The River 80 Midsummer Day 80 A Certain Slant of Light 97 Winter Solstice 84 Save Me 90 Sun Going Down 70 In This Time 90 Dreams of Reason 80 Raven Skies Haze on the Hills The Majestic Song

With more quality-control than Magic's debut, this is easier to get through and the consistency is maybe a touch higher. He sounds a little harder, sounding closer to Mystikal than he did on the 'Sky's the Limit' album, and you seem to hear him more here, with fewer features. All in all, it doesn't sound too different from other No Limit albums but Magic is a likeable and engaging rapper and there are lots of good songs. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: That's Me, Thank You Lord For My Life, We Gon Ride, Wanna Get Away, Thugs 1 Beginning 2 That's Me 84 3 Ice On My Wrist 50 4 Party Time 5 Wobble, Wobble 66 6 Soldier 70 7 9th Ward 54 8 Premeditation 9 Good Lookin Out 60 10 Do You Really Want Peace 72 11 Club Thang 44 12 Puff Puff 70 13 Thank You Lord For My Life 80 14 Keep It Gangsta 64 15 Freaky 50 16 We Gon Ride 76 17 Wanna Get Away 78 18 Thugs 80 19 Ending