Forget about Hammer's rapping or the production itself, one of the biggest problems with this is the similarity in that everything has an almost gospel-like chorus making the songs sound too similar. Then there is 'Do Not Pass Me By' that is very 'Too Legit to Quit'-ish in its rhythm. 'This Is the Way We Roll' and the title track are decent uptempo pop jams. The emotion in the singing, particularly on the end of 'Brothers Hang On' is over the top. 'Living in a World Like This' is some conscious rap where the first few seconds sound like the intro from MJ's 'Heal the World'. The song has some anti-drug messages among others. 'Tell Me' follows the same theme before switching up the pace with 'Releasing Some Pressure'. 'Good to Go' is a decent slow vibey tune but it's ruined a bit with the "Cha-Cha-Cha" rubbish at the end. On 'Street Soldiers' Hammer just speaks over a beat like a PSA pushing an anti-gang/violence message. The idea is there but in the end it's boring. 'Do Not Pass Me By' again feels like something you see in movies when there is singing in a black church. There is nothing here I want to play again but it's okay. I can listen to most of it without strongly wanting to hit skip. Best Tracks: This Is the Way We Roll, Too Legit to Quit, Good to Go, Gaining Momentum

My second Hammer album in as many days after checking out 'Too Legit to Quit' yesterday. I know what you're wondering, why am I doing this to myself? This one is a bit better largely thanks to the highest moments, 'Pray' and the obvious 'U Can't Touch This' are probably his best songs. They both rely heavily on samples, the former being Prince's 'When Doves Cry' and the latter 'Super Freak' by Rick James. As he did with this follow up album, there's conscious rap present in 'Help the Children', 'Black Is Black' and 'Crime Story' that is something different with Hammer doing some storytelling in each verse. The premise is basically that crime doesn't pay and he is advocating for his listeners to stay away from it. He also appeals to his "brothers in the game" to help keep the kids out of it. I'm not sure if he just means his brothers in general or for his fellow rappers to stop rapping about those topics. The antepenultimate tune, 'Black Is Black', sees Hammer more aggressive on the mic which is a good thing here. He asks black people to be proud of their racial identity and to help the community. Despite its title, 'Let's Go Deeper', it isn't a sexual song, instead it's a motivational one encouraging the listener to push and "elevate... yo mind". 'Dancing Machine', the weakest song here, is placed smack-bang in the middle of the album so you may forget it which is a good thing as it has no redeeming qualities. It doesn't even get me tapping along to the beat. I don't find Hammer to be the complete laugh and horrendous artist that many do. His lyrics are simple and there are some corny tunes but I don't find much of this boring. However, at the same time, there isn't much to save for a rainy day. Best Tracks: U Can't Touch This, Help the Children, Pray, Crime Story

Day three of my Hammerthon brings me to his second album. I checked out his third and fourth album during the previous days as I complete looking through his discography, and while they are very similar, here Hammer sounds quite different. The energy and almost anger in the vocals is more reminiscent of other '80s rap staples like Run DMC and the Beastie Boys with even some similar bars present. 'They Put Me in the Mix' is a DJ track/instrumental that is also a product of its time. Unsurprisingly, given the year this is from, the pop attempts are more subtle. Songs like 'It's Gone' has a poppy undertone but there is still that '80s hardcore rap at its forefront. It's his most consistent album with the least amount of truly lackluster music and some more interesting aspects found in the production at times. 2.5-3 /5 Best Tracks: Let's Get It Started, It's Gone, They Put Me in the Mix, Son of the King

This album has been in the long awaited and pushed back category for a long time, originally being planed for release in 2006! Having heard a few of this guy's mixtapes and his solid collab album with Mack 10, I've been looking forward to this dropping. He doesn't seem to have anything too special as a rapper, rarely spitting with urgency, but his laid back gangster approach works. He would be the kind of person who would kill you slowly without making a mess. Anyway, what we have is a bit disappointing. On the first listen I was underwhelmed and going forward not too much has changed. Much of the gangster rap doesn't hit home as one would like it to, Glasses sounds a bit more stale than I've found him to be previously, and there is more of a softer sound than I was expecting - I guess this is the downside of albums at times in comparison to mixtapes. Check out 'Dope' and 'Call Me T.I.' for some good gangster rap, but apart from that ,this won't be in the CD player too long. Best Tracks: Certified, Dope, Call Me T.I., Til Da Sun Come Up

All Black Everything' is a favourite, as it actually sounds closer to something from Lupe's older albums, with good lyrics and lacking a pop hook. Speaking of choruses, 'State Run Radio' has a terrible one. There may be the odd extenuating circumstance, but I can't stand punk in rap songs. Similarly with 'Break the Chain' - wack hook which can be said for a few more tracks. And 'I Don't Wanna Care Right Now' is a song that I knew I wasn't going to like one second into the beat. 'Go to Sleep' should have been on here, and the bonus track 'I'm Beaming' is better than most of the twelve tracks on the standard issue and should have been included. I'd say you are most likely to get something out of this album if you are someone who enjoy Lupe's pop rap tunes like 'Superstar' from The Cool. Disappointing, but given the label issues it isn't too surprising. Best Tracks: Words I Never Said, Coming Up, All Black Everything, I'm Beamin