This kicks off fairly well. 'the enTRAPreneur' builds up well with the beat kicking in halfway through. 'Look Like' is hard as nails and my pick from the album. The following 'Better Tell 'Em' is another favourite. 'MLK BLVD' and the lead single, '1 Time' are fairly hard as well. On the contrary, 'White Keys' is weak. I don't like the chorus and the chorus on 'Mr. Pyrex' is also average. 'The Real MVP' is your usual sappy John Legend featured affair. Aside from that, it's all decent. In terms of quality, it feels somewhat like Rick Ross' recent 'Port of Miami 2', however, this has some better high moments. 'The Recession' aside, where I rate nearly every song, this is basically the level of consistency Jeezy has given us throughout this 20 odd years in the industry.
Best Tracks: the enTRAPreneur, Look Like, Better Tell 'Em
Starts quite slowly, with the first three songs lacking anything memorable in the beats at all, then heats up around the banging 'Holy Ghost' and the catchy 'Me OK' before finishing solidly until it completes. In the mix, The Snowman goes missing on 'Beautiful' which we hear more of Game than Jeezy - of late it has been Game who has been accused of being outshined by guests-and 'Beez Like' is ruined by a childish hook, which isn't something I'd expect to hear from Jeezy. Overall, this is similar to most of Jeezy's other albums for me. A couple of standouts to put in a top 10 Jeezy playlist in the whip, but too many ignorable songs otherwise.
Best Tracks: Enough, Holy Ghost, Me OK, Seen It All, Beautiful, No Tears
There are plenty of solid tracks on Jeezy's third Thug Motivation album, but after enjoying 'The Recession' immensely, almost from front to back, less grabs me on this album. There just aren't as many bangas, which has always been Jeezy's largest strength. I also don't understand some of the love 'i Do' has received either. It sounds a bit like it's trying to be an 'Int'l Players Anthem' type track, but it doesn't work very well despite the high profile features. It's all alright, but I definitely couldn't rate this higher than a three. Hopefully it'll grow on me like his previous album did.
Best Tracks: What I Do, O.J., Nothing, F.A.M.E., Never Be the Same
"He's not invisible is he?"
A near-perfect combination of heartfelt drama between two close friends and comedy. Ray is hilarious in this, which is more impressive as this was mostly improvised. There was very little he said or did that didn't make me laugh. An example of a simple premise being implemented really well.
I don't feel this is the type of album to really blow you away, it's just really really solid. Havoc and Prodigy both ride these dark gritty east coast beats flawlessly, and while I could understand finding this boring, mainly due to the comparable beats, there is enough to enjoy. The weakest part of this is the middle of the album where there is nothing extraordinary for a few tracks, but we all know track 15 is worth waiting for. I can imagine people who owned the cassette of this wearing the tape out rewinding to the beginning of 'Shook Ones'.
Best Tracks: Survival of the Fittest, Right Back at You, Drink Away the Pain, Shook Ones Pt. II