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

Today I rate an album that I've had for a long time, but only really checked out the singles, so when I noticed this album in my collection I thought it was time to listen to the rest of the disc. Apart from the well-known singles, there are some alright tracks here, but 'Me & U' and 'Long Way 2 Go' do stand out. As Cassie's voice is powerless, she is the kind of artist that would have got a record deal because of her looks. With the vocalist lacking depth I guess it's further credit to the producer Ryan Leslie who makes enough of this work with a certain uniqueness that Ryan always had to be an alright R&B album. Best Tracks: Me & U, Long Way 2 Go, Just One Nite, Kiss Me, Call U Out