I always find it odd when the first verse you hear on a solo album isn't by the main artist. There may be a reason for it here with Eazy's last bars working well as the closer, but it's odd nonetheless. Overall, it's a fairly well-produced album, predominantly from DJ Yella, with some variety present. If you're a fan of Naughty By Nature, those two beats should be easily recognisable, and they are two of my favourites. If the topics were better, particularly with 'Nutz on Ya Chin', they'd be even better. Speaking of Naughty and the aforementioned song, the first bars even borrow from their song '1,2,3' from their debut album. The best song is the violent (or psychotic) 'Sorry Louie' produced by Bobcat who did a lot of great work in the '90s, including with the likes of Ice Cube. The song begins engagingly by sampling a serial killer talking about his exploits with a Louisville slugger from HBO's 'Apology', and never lets up. Other songs like 'Creep n Crawl' change up the production to a slower tempo providing a more menacing vibe as does the following 'Wut Would You Do'. Unfortunately though, I think these are among the least noteworthy songs. There is more here that I like than his debut though, largely thanks to an improvement in the production. The first ten or so songs are quite strong before it finishes a bit limply. Best Tracks: Sorry Louie, Just tah Let U Know, Hit the Hooker.

When someone puts 22 songs on an album (deluxe edition) you don't expect all to be dope, but you do expect to find a number of songs to go back to. This doesn't have that. Being a huge fan of the musical legend that is R. Kelly, the tribute song, 'Songs on 12 Play', is nice to hear, where Chris blends the titles of many of R. Kelly's classic songs in the lyrics. 'See You Around' is the other song that stood out with its energetic beat, hook and build-up and is the only one I would happily play on repeat. Aside from that, as I played this, it mostly just came and went, despite the star-studded feature list. Best Tracks: Songs on 12 Play, See You Around, Lady in a Glass Dress

I can't remember exactly why I bought this compilation back in the day, but it was probably because of 'Ignition (Remix)' that is one of, if not his biggest song. From there, who knew that R. Kelly would become one of my top few favourite artists? The classics are fairly well chosen. Songs like 'Down Low', 'You Remind Me of Something' and 'She's Got That Vibe' are brilliant songs and offer variety. I have the 2 disc version with remixes, and often with Kelly, his remixes are better than the original. Such an example is the 'Old School Mix' of 'Bump N' Grind' that to me is even better than the original. "My mind's telling me no!!!!" Of the three previously unreleased songs, 'Thoia Thoing' feels a little like part two of the Ignition remix with it's upbeat, almost hip hop feel to it. I love the production change-up into the second verse. 'Touched a Dream' is a dope romantic tune. 'Ghetto Religion' is decent but the worst track on here. A great compilation and a worthwhile starting point for R. Kelly or R&B in general. His alleged non-musical related escapades have sadly overshadowed his rare talent, vastly underrated discography and his influence on R&B for decades. I normally list the best tracks on reviews but it's most of them.

If you are familiar with and adore Mannie Fresh's late '90s beats then you'll enjoy this a lot. It's an easy listen but at the same time it just comes and goes; there is little to nothing memorable here. While I'm not a massive fan, I like Mannie's productions, but it does sound a bit too similar from track to track at times. There are also aspects of songs that remind me of other songs Mannie has produced like Juvenile's 'Ha'. Birdman and Mannie aren't amazing rappers either with the featuring artists often being more noteworthy. 3-2.5/5 Best Tracks: Playboy (Don't Hate Me), Ballin', Suga & Pac Puff & Big, Broads, Try'2 Make a Million, Drivin' Em

In my adolescence, when most people probably begin getting into music more thoroughly, Ja Rule was all over the radio. He was one of the biggest things in hip hop for a while back in the day, however, recent years haven't been as kind to the incarcerated rapper. The key to many of his hits was that while they were pop-rap, his gritty deep voice gave them some bite, and the choruses were catchy thanks to the likes of high profile artists like Ashanti, R. Kelly, and Jennifer Lopez to name a few. While well-known features are nowhere to be seen on this autobiographical concept album, 'PIL2', (that perhaps in itself demonstrates how far Ja has fallen from the heights of the late 90s/early 2000s), the girls on the hooks of the best songs here do the job well. Anita Louise particularly adds to tracks, who sings the hook on the single 'Real Life Fantasy', which led to myself somewhat anticipating this album. However, like every Ja album that came before, it is a mixed bag. Other strong songs follow the same kind of formula with strong hooks and are listed below. While the features aren't as apparent, Ja has hung onto 7 Aurelius who handles all of the production, and who was a big part of Murder Inc in the early 2000s, producing pretty much all of 'Pain Is Love' with its hits including 'Livin' It Up' and 'Always on Time'. Overall, there are some reasonable atmospheric tunes created, but there are a few, particularly 'Black Vodka' that is the first major blip on the radar. The following 'Drown' also fails to float, with the middle of the album being weaker than what came before and comes afterwards. Just when you thought it was dead, Ja hits auto-tune on 'Strange Days', that while being a bit more energetic than the aforementioned tracks, is an average one. 'To the Top' is another small improvement, but then the final three tracks may all be ones you'll want to listen to a few times, with some nice beats and introspective lyrics. All in all, after growing on me after giving this a few spins, while the mid-five tunes fall away, there are a handful of useful tracks that I've been happy to continue to play. Best Tracks: Real Life Fantasy Parachute, Pray 4 the Day, Believe *Written years back.