cdreviews
T.I. KING Grand Hustle/Atlantic
B.G. THE HEART OF THA STREETZ VOL. 2 Koch
CADENCE SONGS OF VICE & VIRTUE Paperweight Records
After receiving criticized acclaim for 2004’s Urban Legend, T.I. still found himself trying to prove to people that he was indeed “The King of the South.” However, whether you believe he earned the crown or just created it for himself, KING. is definitely an hour and ten minutes of a man rapping from a throne.
B.G. is not an artist known for surprises. Perhaps that’s how he’s managed to keep a consistent following throughout his nearly 15-year career; his people know exactly what to expect from him. With his latest effort The Heart of the Streetz Vol. 2, B.G. fans are sure to be satisfied by his tried-and-true formula of unadulterated street shit.
Up until Young Buck screamed “Cashville, Ten-A-Key,” Hip Hop heads saw Nashville, Tennessee as breeding ground for Caucasians, county music and little else. Well, Memphis-born Nashville-bred rapper Cadence is obviously white and has toured with country music artists. But his album Songs of Vice & Virtue is far from Honky Tonk Hip Hop. This is not some Cowboy Troy shit, this album is down right dope.
To set the mood for the rest of the album T.I. opens with the Just Blaze-produced “King Back.” With trumpets blaring T.I. is at his shit-talking best when he boasts that he “takes orders from no one but God.” But to just to show that he still has respect for his elders he turns his ego down a couple notches on “Front Back, ”his Mannie Fresh-tweaked remake of UGK’s “Front, Back, Side to Side” where Pimp C and Bun B willingly let their student act a fool in class. The humbleness takes a twist as he swiftly gets back into bad-ass mode on “I’m Talking To You,” a clever finger-pointing that has him dissing people by process of elimination. Lines like “I ain’t talking to Jeezy ‘cause that’s my brother, I ain’t talking to ‘Face ‘cause that’s my father/I ain’t talking to Bun ‘cause that’s my uncle, I ain’t talking to ‘Kast ‘cause them niggas my partners/I ain’t talking to Jigga ‘cause he the real President Carter” and a third verse that names a who’s who of Southern Hip Hop narrows it down to a few, but he lets the listeners figure it out themselves. T.I. also keeps the formula of his previous album by supplying at least one sentimental song. This time its “Live The Sky” featuring Jamie Foxx where T.I.P. shows a seldom seen vulnerable side speaking on everything from losing loved ones to the embarrassment of being in jail with a hit record. While its nice to see T.I. broaden his horizons with songs like “Why You Wanna” and the Pharrell and Common assisted “Goodlife” its songs like “Bankhead” and “Told You So” that capture the Rubberband Man in his true element. In addition to saying he saw Kriss Kross get jumped in school, and helped the new wave of Houston artists get on, he goes on to spit “if only L.A. [Reid] would know how wrong he’d be.”
As with his previous releases, the lead single stands out since it’s the only song that’s specifically made for the radio. “Move Around” reunites B. Gizzle with his former Cash Money cohort Mannie Fresh and gives a glimpse of what could happen if they were ever to work together exclusively again. The remainder of the album has B.G. slipping into his comfort zone, giving listeners a smooth ride with very few bumps or landmarks to remember. On songs like “Real Nigga” and “Living Right” he continues to flirt with fact that he’s been able to survive a career without CMR. “Kill or Be Killed” has him spitting his oftheard narratives about street life (think “Clean Up Man part 3). “Whateva U Like” plays the role of the standard “sexy” joint with the usual female sing-songy hook routine. At moments, B.G. does manage to get out of cruise control and give some ear stimulation. “What I Need” featuring Conrad has Gizzle spitting over crisp synth production, juxtaposing his gangster methodology with lines like “my plans and dreams get bigger everyday, so every night I gotta get on my knees and pray.” He also shines on “Bout Mine,” where he sinks even deeper into his gangster element with quips like: “I see them looking at me like they the police, I know they ain’t the police because the police work for me.” This album also has B.G. stepping out his shell to collaborate with artists outside of his click. VL and especially Webbie give leave a mark on “Ain’t No Bitch,” with Mr. “Gimme That” bringing his unique brand of enjoyable vulgarity. However, “Dueces Up” with Paul Wall and Yung Redd sounds too gritty for its own good.
“Comin’ Back” opens the album with a resounding smack as rolling piano riffs and hard drums play a good backdrop for his playfully boastful rhymes. The energy, confidence and creativity rises another notch on “Squeaky Clean” where he raps about washing up for a rendezvous, using a squeaky voice effect to sing the hook. But Cadence’s cleverness reaches its pinnacle on “So Original,” a sarcastic criticism of the content and behavior of popular rap music. Cadence also shows a more serious side to his music with tracks like the open letter “Falling Apart” and “All Fall Down.” On the latter he puts himself in the shoes of a person who drinks their problems away, hops behind the wheel and meets the ultimate consequence. The albums most potent cut “Untitled 7/15/05” has Cadence furiously expressing his religious views without being blasphemous. From start to finish, Songs of Vice & Virtue is a solid hip-hop album verbally and musically. But the funny thing is that the best song on it is actually a jazz/R&B record. “So Alone” to this album is what “Quik’s Groove III” was to DJ Quik’s Safe and Sound. Cadence’s coffee house crooning flows perfectly over the live instrumentation and he does it again on the comical Blues ditty “Find Me Some.”
The only thing KING. may suffer from at times is a sense of T.I. just rapping to pass the time. Then again, this king’s worst is still better than a lot of other joker’s best.
Not as refreshing as Life After Cash Money and not as strong as the first Heart of the Streetz, this album shows that B.G. is talented enough to rap in his sleep. Unfortunately at times, it sounds like he’s doing just that.
It’s completely wrong to lump Cadence in a category with Eminem and Bubba Sparxxx. He sounds like neither, but sometimes sounds like he’s mimicking Kanye West. Regardless, Songs of Vice & Virtue is a preview to a bubbling trendsetter.
- Maurice G. Garland
- Maurice G. Garland
- Maurice G. Garland
108 OZONE