This one is a mixed bag. It begins with a who's who list of rappers but the loop on 'Banned From TV' is monotonous. Five minutes of that? No thanks. I'm not surprised it's a Swizz Beatz beat. 'Mathematics' has another weak beat, sounding like a nursery rhyme and is very late '90s. 'Fiesta' is one of the worst here as well, and the love 'Superthug' gets surprises me. Maybe there's some nostalgia associated with it? Again, it's a product of its time with the beat being average in my opinion and the hook just consisting of "what" on repeat. Aside from those though, it's decent-great. Da dark Asian sounding beat of 'Da Story' is fantastic, and one of, if not the best moment here. 'It's Not a Game' features classically sounding east coast menacing boom bap production. It finishes well with 'The Assignment and 'Body in the Trunk' being other strong cuts. There is also some decent pop-rap on offer with 'I Love My Life' and 'The Way We Live'. I often refer to distinctiveness being important for a rapper, and I don't think Noreaga is that. He sounds like a lot of other rappers. Nas' voice is distinctive. Pun's is distinctive. Nore's isn't. I'd struggle to pick him out of a crowd. Overall, as I started with, this is a mixed bag. The rapping is always likeable but doesn't stand out too much, the skits ruin its flow, and there are a handful of poor beats. Not far from a 3.5/5 though based on its strengths. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: It's Not a Game, 40 Island, The Change, Da Story, The Assignment, Body in the Trunk

After the EPMD breakup, Erick went solo. He was always the more important member of the duo, beat making and providing a bit more feel when on the mic. Sermon has always been an under talked about producer. He has played an important role in a number of careers such as with Redman, Keith Murray, and even made Shaq sound good on his debut, contributing a number of tracks there. The beats here are what you expect from E-Double; Some funk influence beats with many samples that never get boring. Lyrically, Sermon is also fun to listen to, with plenty of humour in his bars and a number of name-drops and references. Tracks for track, while it never falls away a lot, it is definitely front-loaded as most of the first seven tunes are stronger than what comes in the second half. Best Tracks: Payback II, Stay Real, Imma Gitz Mine, Hostile, Safe Sex

Z-Ro has said this will be his last. However, he finishes the album with 'He's Not Done' which features lines such as, "They don't really know who they are fucking with / I am Michael Jordan I retire / Come back and retire again for the fuck of it." It's also rap... There have been few rappers who have actually retired when they first say they will. But, if it is his last, he has left us with a brilliant discography. This album follows his last few, probably since 'The Crown' in that there is a lot of singin'/rappin'. As I mentioned in my review of one of his recent albums, I'd prefer a 16 or two of rapid-fire rapping that Z-Ro does as good as anyone but by doing what he does, he creates nice gangster crooning. He sings on 'Lost My Mind' - "Sometimes I'm cool, sometimes I'm not. You might get a handshake or you might get shot." Or on 'Lit Up' - "Now, how can I ball? / How can I ball? / How can I catch my energy and murder them aaaallllll?" He sings these violent lines in such a relaxed and controlled manner. It's brilliant. The benefit of his singing talent also allows him to create some immediately engaging hooks that you'll be singing along with after one listen. "Here's an invitation from the other side / We're just trying to live a better life / I see the suffering in your eyes / I don't know about you but I gotta survive." - He sings on 'From the Other Side'. To compare it to his last few albums where R&B could be a genre, it's probably more consistent. 'Kiwi' is the only cut I'm not feeling a lot, partly because topically it's basically 'Porcupine' from the aforementioned album. However, there's nothing I like as much as 'Women Men' from 'Legendary' or 'Come With Me' from 'Drankin & Drivin'. Best Tracks: From the Other Side, Brang a Stacc, Devil in Me, Play Me, Lit Up, He's Not Done

I gave this a couple of spins and I just couldn't get into it. The beats are too similar, and it just feels like a really long album. Vocally, X hasn't changed since his previous album six years ago. He sounds as strong as ever and leaves an impression on the mic, but the production isn't varied or good enough. Best Tracks: Dos Equise, Forever A G, Stand Tall.

This isn't bad from Snoop and again it is a fairly different album than its predecessor as Snoop has changed it up for the last few albums. I enjoy the first half a fair bit, as Snoop proves he can spit fast on 'Think About It' which he rarely does anymore, and if you rate this album for what's good on it, it should get a fairly good rating. However, there are a handful of songs, largely in the second half of the album, that I will skip past on future listens. 'Psst!' and 'Beat Up on Yo Pads' are weak and I don't love 'Don't Stop' either. The ship steadies though with the more consciously minded final two songs. In saying that, that is still a good ratio for an album with 21 tracks. So like pretty much every Snoop album that has come before, it could have used some more quality control. Still though, this is one of the better albums Snoop has produced with a number of quality tracks to play over and over. 'Get a Light' is hard as nails! Best Tracks: Think About It, Vato, That's That S***, Candy (Drippin' Like Water), Get a Light, Gangbangin' 101, LAX, Round Here, I Wanna F*** You, Imagine