This starts off fairly well with most tracks from two to eight being good and a few being close to excellent. However, after that, while you will still find some enjoyment the beats become less thrilling and not much stands out after that. It ain't just because they ain't brilliant though I feel too many tracks have the same sort of sound and it all sort of blends in together. Another thing about the second half of the album is that there are too many featuring artists. Most of the featuring verses are pretty good and raw particularly on 'Post Traumatic Warlab Stress' and 'Ripperland' (some aren't too good though) but if I'm listening to a new Canibus album I wanna hear Canibus most of the time and he goes missing in the last half a dozen or so songs. As another user has mentioned lyrically it is dumbed down a bit from what we have seen in the past which is good and bad. Even if I could never understand what the hell he was rapping about I could still enjoy the track and it made Canibus stand out even more from other artists. He is still lyrical though just not at the vocabulary level we have seen in the past. Overall, if you're a fan of Bis check it out as you should find something but I wouldn't rank it near his best - 'Rip The Jacker'. Best Tracks: Kriminal Kindness, Hip-Hop Black Ops, The Dragon of Judah

I like Bis and don't think his beat selection is as bad as people claim it to be when you look at his whole career, but that criticism can definitely be used here. Average repetitive beats with too many long excerpts from speeches and the like woven in. They're even used in some of the hooks. There is a lot in the lyrics, like with Lupe these days, but crafting catchy songs is the issue here, often like Lupe as well. Hopefully, he is saving his best for the long-awaited 'Rip the Jacker II'. Best Tracks: Pay Me in Gold

Despite this not having much to separate it from lots and lots of other southern sounding rap albums, it is listenable with a couple of nice tracks like 'Ball Out' and 'Bobbin My Head' that will get your head banging. It features production from the likes of Don Cannon, Shawty Red and DJ Toomp, who provides an almost identical beat to what he has provided T.I. with on 'How It Goes'. Best Tracks: Bobbin My Head, Ride & Swerve, Ball Out ($500)

The boys don't seem to yell as much as they do on their previous albums, so this is actually bearable to listen to, although the distorted effect they seem to have over their voices on a lot of the tracks probably helps with that. The beats are quite original and experimental I guess, offering many different styles throughout the album; rock, electro and dub to name a few. In saying that though, I don't love any of this, and there are some I can't stand, but then again I'm far from a fan of these guys. Based on what I've heard from the group I think you'll get some enjoyment out of this if you are a fan, but particularly vocally, I've always been perplexed at the fanfare associated with the Beastie Boys. Best Tracks: Make Some Noise, OK, Too Many Rappers, Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament, Here's a Little Something for Ya

I've never thought a lot of this album. Eminem raps in more interesting ways on future albums, and the production becomes more interesting as well. On tracks such as 'Brain Damage' and 'If I Had' for example, I think that the production could be better and then you've got tunes like 'My Fault' and 'My Name Is' that are basically comedy rap and Em doesn't rap with a flow that is anything too special either. 'Guilty Conscience' also suffers slightly from being broken up with the narration, which a number of songs do with talking. There is a similar theme on a lot of the songs as well. The better cuts are songs like '97' Bonnie & Clyde' which is, of course, a different take on 2pac's classic song and picks it up in the production, has great storytelling and is my pick from the first half a dozen tracks. It feels a bit like 'Stan'. The following 'Role Model' is also a strong tune with the production being more to my liking as is 'Just Don't Give A' with one of the more catchy hooks. All in all, the beats aren't great, that come mainly from Mark & Jeff Bass, and the comedic/horrorcore themed lyrics from Eminem begin to get tedious. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: '97 Bonnie & Clyde, Role Model, Rock Bottom, Just Don't Give A, Still Don't Give A