This is an easy 3.5/5 and better than AJ's and Televangel's other collaboration, 'Metatron’s Cube'. Why Televangel/Blue Sky Black Death has never worked with mainstream, tier-A rappers has baffled me for a long time. His efforts on the boards here increase that baffled mindstate. There are lots of different styles here and AJ comes with a variety of flows with some noteworthy bars. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: First Day, All That Jazz, Too Filthy, No Fly Zone, Goodbye

'Crunk Juice', released 6 years before this, has some great songs and was easily the most consistent project of Lil Jon/Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz. It sold well too and he continued to create hit after hit for years to be one of the biggest producers in hip hop history. Unfortunately, this album takes a different lane, as the intro indicates, with Lil Jon mainly catering for the club with more of a mainstream/pop feel here. This album was first slated for 2006 and I remember it being delayed and pushed backed a number of times and the eventual album was a let down and after revisiting it to write this review my opinion hasn't altered. Since this release, he continued to branch out and a proper hip hop/crunk follow up to 'Crunk Juice' has never eventuated. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars/Vocals: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Throw It Up (Part 2) (Remix), On De Grind, Pop Dat Pussy, Killas, Ms Chocolate 1. Crunk Rock (Intro) 2. Throw It Up (Part 2) (Remix) 72 A decent crunk hardcore banger 3. Fall Out 62 As above but less catchy 4. G Walk 60 As above but less catchy 5. On De Grind 67 This feels like maybe the most normal hip hop/pop rap song here. The hook sounds like something Akon would've been first pick for in 2010, but instead we have the Marleys. It's not bad though but it feels like it's lacking something to take it to the next level. 6. What Is Crunk Rock (Interlude) 7. Killas 89 This one features the rock group, Whole White Bread, and I've always liked it. There are enjoyable verses from The Game and Cube with Elephant Man on the hook to go with the thumping energy of the instrumentation. This is comfortably the best song. 8. Get In Get Out 30 A Lil Jon solo, this one has a repetitive melody and Jon can't carry it. 9. Pop Dat Pussy 66 There's a contagious and varied hook on this one that carries it. 10. Outta Your Mind 24 11. Ride Da D 40 Given how great a producer Lil Jon was, it's surprising that some of the songs more in line with the crunk he created for most of this career, such as this one, aren't better. 12. Ms Chocolate 70 R. Kelly has a great collab with Lil Jon on 'Crunk Juice' with 'In Da Club', but this one isn't as good. It's still one of the best few songs here though. 13. Like a Stripper 53 A catchy enough hook. Not terrible. 14. Moist 51 Oobie had a more than decent song on 'Crunk Juice' with 'One Night Stand' and this goes for a similar sultry feel, but it's not put together quite as well. 15. Every Freakin Night 60 There's no Lil Jon here. A lot of the song is, "Every freakin night/Every freakin day" repeated. Kind of catchy. I like this more than a lot of the other club.dance tracks. 16. What a Night 50 The energetic tempo dropping off for the chorus works well. Another song for the club. 17. Shots 24 18. Work It Out 44 A little better than some of the other songs for the club. 19. Machuka 20 20. Hey 24

This sounds similar to some other Televangel/late Blue Sky Black Death stuff with similar VSTs being used, but that's not a bad thing. The let down here is the final song that has unlikeable vocals with poor lyrics. The other songs have more sporadic vocals that I don't love either but they don't ruin the instrumentation at all. Still, all of this would be better as an instrumental project. Best Tracks: I Don't Wanna Die 2 Young, Slow Motion, Ride

Did they create any bad hip hop in '94? Here we have Earthquake, from Washington, who seems to only have this album which is a shame. From what I've read that seems to be due to moving into other music business ventures and a stint in prison in '97. This is just hard boom bap from front to back (well, after a two-minute uninteresting skit to start the album) in the same vein as an artist like Onyx. And vocally, Earthquake sounds closest to Akinyele without so much inflection. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Unfadable, Go and Gettcha Gat, Watcha Step, Unfadable (Remix)

This isn't good. Claudette Ortiz isn't a good singer and there is nothing about Robby Pardlo or Ryan Toby that stands out either. The beats are very average east coast boom bap influenced. Lyrically it's not just generic love or sex tracks which is a positive, but too much of it is one paced. A fairly boring album. Best Tracks: Why, What Would You Do?, City High Anthem