This is E-40’s first EP in over 20 years and that’s a bit of a relief. He’s been putting out a ridiculous amount of songs lately. His newest sets; Revenue Retrievin, The Block Brochure and Sharp On All 4 Corners, the latter of which is to be continued, include 202 full-length songs between them; not counting two albums with Too Short and all the aforementioned bonus tracks. So Poverty And Prosperity, featuring a mere seven songs, is, at least, an easy listen. Less isn’t more; that phrase never really made sense to me; but when it comes to sets of songs, it is often better.

Unfortunately for long-time fans like myself, E-40 is still stuck in what, at this point, seems like a never-ending rut. Forget the hackneyed hooks. Mr Flamboyant, The Mail Man, has gotten a lot less so with age. Compare this EP to the other two. When’s the last time E-40’s went off on a Hoe? He’s wiser than ever and his nostalgic flashbacks remain charming, yes, but his flashy personality has been humbled to the point of vapidity and his Christian sentiments, which used to come as a tolerable underlining, has become overwhelming. This is essentially gospel rap.

my rating : 3 of 5

2015