"Be Now, Be Ill, Be Down, Be Real" Even if this is stacked with features, and kind of feels like a producer album, isn't it great to have the greatest to do it back? When I first heard the lead single, 'Be Ill', I loved it immediately. It's classic boom bap. I don't love the way Kurupt flows on it, and Rakim is easily the best verse, but it's still dope overall. As each further song dropped, my anticipation waned as they don't match the aforementioned track, but there is still some worthwhile music here. Some may be surprised at seeing Rakim as the producer, but he did produce a lot of the Rakim & Eric B music, so he's always been doing it, and the beats are on point. The features are mostly nice, but some of their content doesn't fit with Rakim's usual message in hip hop. 'International' has an amazing hook that uses previous Rakim's lines that is a large reason why it's one of the best songs. This album/EP is so easy to just play on a loop. It's only 7 songs, but it's the most consistently enjoyable 2024 project I've heard so far. Here's to a new Rakim solo album where we hear more from him. Minus one point for having Lenard Larry McKelvey on the album. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Be Ill, Now Is the Time, International 1. Be Ill 94 2. Now Is the Time 80 3. Love Is the Message 72 4. God's Playground 62 5. Pendulum Swing 70 6. International 90 7. Sign of Se7en 74

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