siLty shit over beautifuL music, run out and get a peek inside The Mind of Mannie Fresh. - Wally
T.t. URBAN LEGEND ATLANTIC
Sparks, djwallysparks@yahoo.com
This album was supposed to be the one; the atbum that woutd shoot T.l, into
the
ffff
BIRMINGHA.II STILL A STAR
mainstream's con-
KOTTAGE BOY ENTER-
sciousness. The atbum that would have a song to touch everyone across the board: the dope boyz
in the trap, the hoes
J
TAINMENT
Other than Bun B, there are no major guest appearances or even pro" ducers featured on this
in
the shake, the radio PD's with no ear to the street,
atbum, but Birmingham
and the suits in corner offices in the major tabel skyscrapers. The teaked street single "U Don't Know Me" was atready settjng the streets on fire before the album dropped, and the officiat
tittLe hetp from fet-
sjngle
- the
Swizz Beatz powered "Bring Em
J hotds
a
it
down soto with
low Atabama artists tike Venus and Mr. Ha.
lf
you
haven't heard the tead singte "Me...lJmma Pimp" I suggest you run to
Out" - had the rest of the country with their your locat mom and pop and pick it up before "hands in the air now!" Then, the actuat atbum dropped. No ctassic album taLk. No enormous sates numbers. This was just another high-pow-
ered record dropping during a crowded winter
of The Dynasty from Jay-z, when Jigga tried to
retease schedule. Urbon Legend reminds me
touch each coast with his ptatinum touch. Songs tike "Cet Loose, " featuring Netty, and "Freak Though" featuring Pharretl sound like they don't betong in the same set as straight hood records
like "Motivation" and'ASAP" However, that's the reason this atbum wilt work. The songs that sound out of ptace are surefire hits. This atbum is Like aurat purgatory The songs that T.l.'s core fans witt probabty think are buttshit wilt most tikety be the bjggest hits off this atbum. At press time, this atbum has sotd 300k, but by the time spring hits, I'm witting to bet it might be around 3 mittion. I guess this is the one, huh? - Wally Sparks, djwallysparks@yahoo.com MANNIE FRESH
THE A,iIND OF
MANNIE
FRESH
CASH MONEY/UNIVERSAL
Let's get this
straight
right now: lr'\annje Fresh is not an MC. However,
he might be one of the
ffff
greatest rappers ever for the simpte fact that this foot can make you laugh out toud white listening to him. That's a long-tost and underap-
preciated art in hip-hop that hasn't been heard since Bizmarkie. One thing Mannie js great at, though. is making music. Not beals, but music. This record is a sonic joyride. The crazy thjng i5 that the best beat on the whoLe atbum is one that Mannie Fresh didn't produce. David Banner comes through again stiLt ridin' those "Rubberband Man" chords on the joint "Go with Me," which atso features Mannie's Big Tymers cohort Baby a,k.a. The Birdman. I couLd go on and on about how dope the beats are, but this is Mannie Fresh, so it's expected. You've got to buy this atbum simpty because of the intertudes. I need to find out what voicemail service Mannie is using so I can fend off the pLethora of whack rappers who calt my phone trying to get on mixtapes. The intertudes are a fuckin' riot. Like, fuckin' De La SouL funny. The best are the ones where Li[ Wayne sneaks into the studio to spit some gangsta shit to break up Mannie Fresh's love fest. Start to finish, this atbum ]s straightup entertaining, lf you have a high toterance for
it in rotation
and kitts it. With the machismo of a Latin man and the drawt of your favorite southern rapper, Birmingham J turns Lil Ftip's memorable Line on "Like a Pimp" into his hook, "Me, l'mma pimp, I ain't payin'for no sex / I'd rather buy a car or a new Rotex." His attitude can be summed up in three words, which are written in his tiner notes: "FUCK BEING LOVED!" On "Weed Smoke," Eirmingham J recites the thoughts of the average pot smoker. radio puts
White the hook on "Hustlas and Cap Petlas" isn't anything speciat, the verses are a prime example of Southern tyricism. On the flipside,
at best. The cotlaboration with Bun B is tight, "Sip & Lean," but just Like peanut butter without the jelty, Pjmp C is missed. Most of the production on the aLbum is handLed by Metlocapone, so it does start to get repetitive. Other producers add a littte flavor at times. Atthough J means wetl, the production on "Dreams" sounds more tike a game show in. tro than a taLe of struggte. Some of Birmingham J's Atabama crew Mr. Ha, Venus, and Lyrisis come through with support throughout the at" bum, but their combined effort "Magic City" is weak. The first hatf of the atbum is smooth and captivating, but near the end, the tracks tend to lose focus. OveratL, a sotid project with a few forgettabte cuts. - ADG, adg@tmail.com "BouLevard" is lukewarm
HAYSTAK
PORTRAIT OF
A
WHITE
BOY
This atbum is the first of a CD triLogy. lt starts off with amovie ctip about
and making for the cause,
sotidarity
moves an adequate intro for
Haystak
considering
the reception he's had by some entities in the game. Some have Labeted him a cutture thief simpty because of his skin cotor, Tracks tike "Dadgummit" make the atbum titte make sense; Haystak spits, "l made a tittte money, peopte think I'm made of money / Sometimes I wish God woutd
locked her Mercedes up / Like I'm gonna jump out my truck and try to stick that tady up, tady
fuck / lf I was ptotting a robbery please betieve ya otd btind ass woutdn't have spotted me." "Stak's Wortd" is an uptempo fitter track at best, which tacks his heartfett rhymes. Most of the production is handted by Sonny P, and the monotony hampers the atbum. Towards the end Stak reaffirms his thought process with "First White Boy, " stating that he was a white boy before a white boy was a white boy. l'm not sure if that song was intended tor the pubtic or for Stak. Since he's qiven us a comptete atbum virtuaLty soto you've got the respect the effort, but at the same time, Stak coutd benefit from better production and less experimentation with song ideas and content. This atbum won't change the face of hip-hop, but it's sotid. - ADG, adg@tmail.com BIG TUCK PURPLE HULK
Texas' Dirty South
Rydaz
present us with a CD and DVD combo: Big Tuck's Purpte Hutk. The DVD is some
material from DRS Live and promo for Street Heat. The CD is eighteen tracks
a
deep, with appearances by B.G., Chamitlionaire,
PLay-N-Skittz, Z-RO, 50/50,
and others. The atbum starts off reatly stow with an eight-minute extended version of "Southside Da Reatist." I know things tend to be a tittle more Laidback in lexas, but a song that {ong is a bit too taid back to kick off the atbum. The track itsetf is very etementary derived from the metody of Pac's "Ambjtionz Az a Ridah." That sampte has been used by numerous artists, and each time the result is the same: we take the CD out and go Lislen lo AII Eyez on Me! But, the album gets better with "Swing High, Swing Low, " and "U Need lt," where B"Gizzte and 50/50 Twin appear, 50/50 and Tuck both come hard, white B.G. spits his gangsta gunpLay tatk. At first tisten, "Tussle" is just a "Tear Da Ctub Up" rip-off, but after a coupte tistens it grows on you. "These Niggas Ain't ReaL," featuring Z.RO & Trae, js a ctassic case of Lame Hook Disease. Overatt, the best tracks on the album are the ones produced by Play-N-5kittz. lf you're into tastetess lyrics, check out "She's Peeping Me" and "lt's Our Tjme," both featuring C-Mo on the hook. Ihe standout track on the atbum are "U Niggaz Can't Do" and the dark "Wuz up, Wuz
Up," featuring Chamituonaire. Considering the stagnant start, the atbum is a good effort. - ADG, adg@tmail.com NERO
SOUTH STATE OF MIND Some of you might associ-
ate the word "Nero" with
the
poputar CD burning program, white others might think of the Roman
emperor who burnt down his empire white ptayinq the just take it from me / 5o lcoutd see who's fiddte. Those of you famitiarwith the South Ftorida around here because of the money." The first hip-hop scene witt think of Nero the rapper. This hatf of the atbum is hit or miss, but with the mixtape consists of 26 songs, some original tracks second hatf, the money is wett spent. "My and some poputar instrumentats. Most of the orjgiFirst Day" chronictes a drug addicts'sobering nal tracks are produced by Miami's D]az Brothers. journey through withdrawaL. On "Make Money," Nero has no probtem keeping up with the boy wonStak brings up a vatid point about peopte that der by jacking the track for LLoyd Banks' "5o Fty. " clutch their betongings and lock their car when Lr'stening to Nero is tike listening to a group of artthey feet uncomfortabte: "Bitch at the red tight ists because he can switch his flow and cadence. OZONE MAGAZINE DEC/JAN
2(n5 2'