The beats on this album are my kind of thing. Funky, bouncy, containing samples, and gangsta. There isn't a beat I don't enjoy throughout these twelve tracks. The first couple particularly have very familiar samples that I could understand being tired of these days - 'Do This' sounds very similar to what was used in The Doc's 'It's Funky Enough'. And then 'MC Rod is Dope' seems to use the sample from the well known Kris Kross' 'Jump'.
There is some conscious stuff thrown in (mainly on 'Life's a Bitch'/'I Come Up Hard'), and you would have heard most of these topics before (which isn't rare for a gangsta rap album), but MC Rod is nice on the microphone and rides these beats well. Another bangin' underheard album, which I think probably improves in the second half of the disc.
Best Tracks: 100% Legit, I Come Up Hard, H.N.I.C., Life's a Bitch
I maintain that Ice Cube has the best run of albums out of any hip hop artist, and maybe from any genre altogether.
Straight Outta Compton
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Death Certificate
Guerillas in tha Mist
The Predator
Lethal Injection
Bow Down
From his arrival with N.W.A, going solo, Da Lynch Mob, (that he is basically a member of), and then this, his success rate is unmatched. This has a fantastic start. The first three songs are fire and it never drops off much until the final three songs that just fall away enough for me to not give this a higher rating. The beats bang with some nice west coast g-funk touches and you can't go wrong with Cube and WC in particular, who are two of the best to come from the west, and Mack 10 does his thing as well. 3.5-4 / 5.
Beats: ★★★★
Rapping/Bars: ★★★★☆
Hooks: ★★★☆
Best Tracks: Bow Down, Gangstas Make the World Go Round, All the Critics in New York, The Gangsta, the Killa and the Dope Dealer
Some of my favourite Z-Ro songs
I've heard most Z-Ro albums and I'm always eagerly anticipating his next when they become announced. He is one of my favourite artists going around and consistently puts out hot stuff. In my opinion though, this is one of his weaker albums. It still contains some excellent tracks, maybe some that are among his best songs. How anyone cannot love 'Made' is beyond me, which has great dark atmospheric music, but overall it probably has the most lukewarm songs on any Ro album I've heard as well.
Too much hit or miss for my liking but the hits are true.
Best Tracks: Made, The Mo City Don, You, 25 Lighters, Paid My Dues.
Another quality consistent LP from Z-Ro, which was apparently recorded in one week. He actually spits fast really well which is great to listen to and the production has a sense of originality throughout, although it may sound a bit raw for some people. Overall it's good, but a drop off in production from his previous releases.
Beats: ★★★☆
Rapping/Bars: ★★★★★
Best Tracks: I'm a Gangsta, My Life, Struggling to Change, Staying Alive, Nigga Like Me, A Lovely Day, Ride All Day
When the most consistent hip hop artist conversation gets started, Z-Ro is never far from my mind. This album is one of those reasons, with it just being 13 solid tracks about the ghetto. The production is maybe a bit too similar, and I'm not sure this album features a top 10 Z-Ro song, but it's just a really solid album.
Best Tracks: I Found Me, Block Bleeder, Friends
