Tag: California

audio review : The Gift Of Gab ( album ) … E-40

audio review : The Gift Of Gab ( album ) ... E-40

E-40 does have, as the idiom goes, the gift of gab. He had it better in his younger days. Go back and listen to how he changed his delivery and flow from song to song on The Element Of Surprise, Charlie Hustle and Loyalty/Betrayal albums. Even today the rapper usually has something interesting to say. It’s his lack of skill when it comes to overall song-making that’s been his aesthetic downfall.

This album, reportedly the first in yet another set; this one having to do with defining the title of each entry with a mock dictionary site or app cover picture; is about as weak as his last several. That includes the B-Legit and Too Short collaboration albums. These Days, featuring Yhung TO, is a minor highlight, but most of the beats and especially the lazy (ass) hooks are notably inferior to the verses.

my rating : 2 of 5

2018

audio review : Destination ( EP ) … Ruck P

audio review : Destination ( EP ) ... Ruck P

Going by the cover photo, the Destination is Silver Lake; a neighborhood in LA. Ruck P is the driver, the windows are down and what a breezy affair it is. This is summer evening groove music, a fusion of Chillhop jazz souled over elements of rhythm and blues.

The glaring flaw is that there’s a vocal song on this EP, which, aside from a few samples mixed in for fun during the second half, is otherwise vocalless. It’s a pleasant song; they all are; but its inclusion, especially at a seemingly random number two, doesn’t sit right with me.

I would’ve limited the playlist to Destination, Le Voyage Du Coeur and 3UO, probably in that order, consequently making the set even more succinct than it already is. But I’m a nitpicker when it comes to reviews. The average passenger should be able to just enjoy the ride.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018

audio review : We Come Strapped ( album ) … MC Eiht

audio review : We Come Strapped ( album ) ... MC Eiht

MC Eiht and his CMW boys Come Strapped with guns because they’re murderous criminals, but you don’t have to be the local police to figure that out. You need only listen to the album’s introduction; Niggaz That Kill. First victim? Local rival DJ Quik, who finds himself the target of a third Def Wish diss.

The crew isn’t too thuggish for pretty orchestral synths though, which is where the beats come into play. This is ghetto gangsta music, produced mostly by DJ Slip, with a touch of classical elegance. That gives the set a laid-back jazz kind of feel, even as you play it to drive-by shoot people to.

my rating : 4 of 5

1994