1. Dirty Work(B-Legit)

You know naming yourself after a great movie won’t equal a great song and this just proves it. Beat is by Bosko and it’s as basic as it gets, really boring stuff here as B-Legit raps about making money and what not, yawn. Wack

2. Let’s Get High(AllFrumThaI Feat Boo Kapone)

Nice beat here(By Binky Mac), really relaxing. This has a older feel to it and that’s a good thing. Chorus is a little silly but it gets the job done. Good

3. All In Your Face(Marvaless)

Some people don’t like Hollis’ beats and I believe those people smoke crack. Hollis produces a pretty good relaxing beat here, Hollis is one of the bright spots in the Bay/No-Cal scene. Marvaless does a good job here, she’s overlooked, you know people throw around the word “Remy Martin” and “Foxy Brown” around a lot but Marvaless is better than both. Good

4. Murder(Kingpin Skinny Pimp)

Weak track, you know I’m glad Celly is trying to make this compilation different but I cannot stand this Memphis rap, way too boring for me with slow “dark” beats and the word “murder” said a million times. Skip this. Wack

5. Goodfellas(Rich The Factor & Rush N Roulette)

Rich is a pretty good rapper, he had a different style and I dig that. Beat is mobbish and good. Rush also does a good job. Good

6. Thug S**t(SPM, Frost, Jay Tee, Rasheed, LiL One, & Bad Boy)

Yikes talk about a cluster***** ready to happen and it does just that. SPM is one of the worst rappers I have ever heard, seriously how can people like this guy? Not a bad track though, it’s sloppy but I like the beat and some of these guys do a good job. Good

7. Here Come The Stranglaz(Celly Cel Feat The Hillside Stranglaz)

Bouncy beat here, good stuff. Celly Cel does a good job introducing the Stranglaz, whatever happened to these guys? They weren’t that bad, and where is Celly Cel? He’s one of the best Bay Rappers ever, I’d cop a new Celly album. Anyway good track. Good

8. Go To War(Ghetto Mafia)

Beat is pretty good albeit simple. The rapping on this track is sloppy but it actually works. Not that bad of a track, in fact it’s pretty good. Good

9. You Know The Deal(San Quinn, Fully Loaded, The Riddla, & Willie Hen)

Done Deal track here, decent line up of rappers. Not bad of a track though I think San Quinn is heavily overrated. Everyone comes tight. Good

10. How Many B**chez(Richie Rich, Young C Major, & Hogg Boss)

I like the beat, the album title is goofy and the subject matter is stale but it works. Richie Rich actually sounds interested here. Good

11. All I Know(MC Eiht)

Beat is decent, nothing great or anything. MC Eiht hasn’t been good since Section 8 so I’m not feeling him here. Average

12. Biank Zone(Tech N9ne & Don Juan)

DOPE!!! Tech gets things started with a great intro, then Don Juan rips the first verse. I dig the beat, nice mob style beat. Tech takes the second verse and rips it, he doesn’t go crazy on the track, he takes it a little slow here and he still rips it. Chorus is basic but it fits. Don Juan with the third verse and it’s pretty good. Tech with the fourth verse and it’s the best on the song. Track is pretty crazy. DOPE!

13. Connected(Big Pokey & Nino of PKO)

I like the beat by Nino, it has an old school H-Town feel to it, sort of like something Fat Pat would rap on. Pokey is terrible, utterly awful. Nino does a pretty good job on his verse. Good

14. For Da Hood(Celly Cel)

G-Man Stan produced the beat and it’s not that good. Celly Cel tries his best but this track is just not that good and it’s all because of the beat. Average(For Celly’s work)

15. What Would You Do(Luni Coleone, Skee 64, & Mad Dog)

Hollis produces a pretty good beat here. Luni starts it off with a good verse. The chorus is weird but pretty good. Everyone comes tight here. Good

16. Live From The Ghetto(Riderlife)

Decent track, they try and everything but this album should’ve ended after the Luni track. Average

17. Get Em Up(Felony One)

Weak track, really boring, yup this album most def should have ended after the Luni track. Wack

18. Iz Ya Wit Me?(J-Biggz Feat Cool Nutz & Sarkastic)

No I’m not with you, in fact your track isn’t that good. I just don’t care about any of these guys and they make average music to boot, the first guy is really bad talking about parsley and Bob Marley. Don’t care. Wack

 

All in all this gets a Good rating, pretty good concept here as Celly was trying to bring all the sides together, it worked for the most part. Underrated compilation that should’ve atleast gotten some props. This album serves as a pretty good blue print.

1. Step Up

This is a great way to open the album. This song has a real hip-hop feel to it. The beat is on some real hip-hop shit, the lyrics are also on some real hip-hop shit. This track is really good. 8/10

2. Beverly Davis 

On this cut, Swann Notty talks about meeting a girl and all that. He really puts a picture in your mind, which makes you enjoy the track even more. Even though he is talking about a girl, this in no way is a “pop love song”, this still has a good hip-hop feel to it. Real good shit. 8/10

3. The Professional 

This one is not as good as the first 2 songs on this CD, but it is still a good song. The lyrics are on point, delivery is on point, nice track. The chorus on this might remind you of a DJ Premier chorus, cause of how the way it’s parts from different songs mixed together and scratched. 7/10

4. Sunshine Days 

The beat on this is fresh. In a way reminds of a Kanye West beat how it samples and old track and the voice is sped up and put together on the beat. The lyrics on this are about as tight as the lyrics on the other songs. The lyrics on this song mostly reflect the struggle these rappers went through, in a way this is a deep dong. Tight song. 8/10

5. Niggas Don’t Know 

This one is on some soulful hip-hop stuff. Beat is nice, lyrics are nice. This is probably one of the tightest songs from this CD. Definitely worth checking. 8.5/10

6. Who’s Who

This sounds like a jazzy hip-hop song. It’s really nice to relax to, just chill you know. The delivery on this is not as good as the delivery of the other MC’s on this CD, for some reason, it sounds like Soul Supreme goes off beat from time to time. Going off beat doesn’t take away the fact that the lyrics are tight, but if the delivery was more on point, this track would have been better. 6.5/10

7. What Would U Do? 

This song features T-Max, the beat on this is well put together. Nice instruments played on this, well put together. The lyrics on this is kind of like a story type rhyme, T-Max basically talks about a scenario, and at the end of it, he asks you “What Would U Do”. Real tight, something you don’t really hear these days in hip-hop. Great song. 8/10

8. Still Spittin’ (RMX)

This song features the legend himself, KRS-One. KRS-One comes off tight on this. This one also features Akbar, L D Headtoucha, Illin’ P, Supastition and An Ion. I have to say the MC who came off the best is Illin’ P. His verse was really nice. But all the MC’s on this dropped hot stuff. This is definitely one of the best songs on this CD. 9/10

9. Bizzy To The Letter 

This one is different. The beat is not that good really, you can’t really hear the kicks on this. I can’t say I’m feeling this track. The only thing that saves this song is the lyrics, if the beat was better, it would have been way better. 5/10

10. 17 Emcees 

This one is good, it is not the best but it is still good. Not everyone is going to like this one, it really depends on your style. I myself can’t say I love this song but I can listen to it, it is not the wackest song out there, it is not that wack, it just isn’t my style, that’s all. 6.5/10

11. Story Of The Warrior 

This song is really nice. The beat for some reason reminds me some Chinese stuff. The lyrics flow nice, goes well with the beat. This song is definitely one worth checking out. 7.5/10

12. Ghetto Fabulous

This one is really nice. I love the beat on this one, it is slow but it is really nice. The lyrics are tight as hell on this. I really love this one, another one of the best songs on this. 8.5/10

13. Shine It On ‘Em

This track is dope. I’m feeling this one, the beat reminds me of something, I can’t really remember what it reminds me of but I’m sure I heard a beat like this before. The lyrics are nice, really on point. 8/10

14. 9’s Revisited 

I like this one. The beat in a way reminds me of a live jazz song. The piano on this one is kind of wack though, I think if the piano on this was taken off this song would have been great. But the rhymes on this are tight. Real hip-hop in my opinion, dope shit. This song is nice but the piano gets annoying after a while. 7.5/10

15. Ma$$ Rise

This is another nice one. I’m really feeling this one. Beat is nice, rhymes are nice, dope ass shit. One of the songs you definitely need to peep from this CD. 9/10

16. Take Time Out 

This is another one of the different type songs. This is better than the other Ra Degrees song on this CD, I got to say this one is better. Still not the best but better. This is a cool song. 7/10

 

Overall this CD is really nice. This is better than most of the rap CD’s coming out today. This CD contains some really fresh talent, this just shows you some of the best talent is underground. This is a CD definitely worth looking out for. I say this one is worth buying, real good CD.

Final Rating: 3.65/5

The album cover is a drawing of an EC team member throwing a punch on a red carpet entrance, the back cover shows the cat that got clocked. It’s always a good thing if the cover already implies violence, that way I know I won’t have to deal with 16 songs about how some guy can’t get his girl to perform fellatio on him. It’s doper than the Volume 2 cover but not as dope as the one for Vol. 1

booklet: 6 shermheads out of 10 

The booklet is pretty cool: there’s pictures of the artists, a couple of lyrics to verses probably written by Mighty Mi’s mentally challenged little niece going by the spelling errors. You also get all the production credits which is alright I guess, but what’s really lacking is…well the lack of the nekkid *****es, no beaver shots in this booklet.

songs: 8 Rasheed Wallaces out of 10

 

Tame as it ever was – Tame 1

the original Brick City kid does his aggressive rhyming routine over a solid J-Zone beat with a lot of movie and rap samples scratched in the hook. Overall a pretty decent cut, about as good as you’d expect from a Zone and Tame collaboration.

Won’t stop – Copywrite 

Punchlines, punchlines, punchlines…it’s Copy so what did you expect? RJD2 laces him with a keyboard driven backdrop with some Premier like flavor on the chorus. Simplistic but highly effective…”plus your girl looks like a great *****! but that’s only from the face down and the waist up”…vintage shit.

5 left in the clip – Weathermen 

They might just be the most dominant crew in the underground and they showcase why on this track. The beat is centered around a heavy bass drum and a nice little vocal sample. Every member comes off nicely but Breezy Brewin takes the cake with a nice multi-syllable rhyme scheme and lines like “we weather whatever men, y’all wether or not to continue living given you’ll never have sex…with women”

Rumble – High & Mighty 

A standard High & Mighty track, with some strings thrown in the mix giving the track a little operetic feel. All in all it’s a by the numbers track for Mi and Eon. Nothing special bout it

Bart Burnt vs. Sherm Penn – Smut Peddlers 

Mr. Eon once again takes on his Bart Burn persona while Cage plays the part of Sherm Penn. Like the prequal the track deals with how dro can ***** you up. Cage gets props for the “…woke up in Canada stuck eh?” line. If you’re a pothead you’ll probably relate to the track. Above average.

Special Ladies – Cage

The track kicks off with a gully Andrew Dice Clay sample before Cage commences to spitting over a bassline that’s remeniscent of the one on Agent Orange. The song deals with the shady doings of CAgE! and his sexual conquests within the handicapped demographic. The track also reps the once great CageKennylz.com site. Killer track.

Brawl – RA the Ruggedman

Okay, the beat by J-Zone is great albeit predictable and RA comes correct but the problem is RA’s rhymed this white trash jibberish about 20 times already. If you’ve never heard of RA this is as great an introduction as you can possibly get, if you’re aware of his steelo then it’s still enjoyable for the cartoonish zone beat.

Not all there – High & Mighty

High & Mighty fair better their second time out. The track simply bumps and features some witty insights on post 9/11 behaviour alongside some entertaining braggadocia.

Nighthawks – Nighthawks 

The songs starts out with some dialogue from the movie with the same name starring Billy Dee Williams and Sylvester Stallone. Cage and Camu Tao rap about the lifestyle of NYPD’s most infamous over a track that takes you back to the seventies. Why don’t more rappers rhyme about crooked cops in first person? Good shit.

Talk like sex pt. II (original mix) – Smut Peddlers and Kool G Rap

It’s got a more polished production edge to it which makes it less dope than the remix on Porn Again. The lyrics are the same, it’s still a dope cut, not as dope as the remix (which oddly enough was released first) but it’ll do.

Dreamz – Tame 1 

Tame Weezy covers the same turf Big Daddy Kane did on Vol. II, rhyming about how life would be if everything was just perfect. The vocal sample on the hook brings it all together. Great feelgood track, “while you were influenced by the underground I was on the ground under the influence”.

Jeah – Copywrite 

Mighty Mi laces Copy with a nice beat on some melancholic type shit. Copy sticks to the script and spits some more punchlines. The hook is once again on some shades of DJ Premier vibe.

Gut you – Weathermen 

The beat is pretty pedestrian and doesn’t allow the featured weathermen to shine like they should. It’s still a dope track but nowhere near as good as 5 left in the clip. Lots of violent threats though, that’s a good thing.

Ballad of worms – Cage

I don’t say it often but…classic. This joint is a flat-out classic. The strings, the guitar flourishes, the great vocal sample and Cage’s heartfelt ballad. Supposedly this shit was about the state of hip-hop, personally I don’t hear it but regardless it’s an outstanding track.

And 1 – High & Mighty

Eon rhymes about his favorite subject, basketball fanticism. Taking it back to the golden era of the NBA to the current league. The beat has a ‘blaxploitation on speed’ feel to it. Good showing.

Last hit (original mix) – High & Mighty and Eminem 

Again, the version of the song released earlier on Home Field Advantage is better than this one. The lyrics also stay the same but taken on it’s own terms it’s still a dope track. Eminem shows why he was considered one of the underground’s finest back in the day with a great punchline orientated rhyme. A couple of internet references are just icing on the cake.

 

bottom line: If you haven’t copped this joint by now you probably never will but it’s a solid compilation front to back that showcased EC’s championship potential back in the days of old. It might just be the best installment of the series so far and will definitely hold you down during those hour long drives. If this is the first time you’ve heard about the album you already slept on it so wake up dunny

This Death Row compilation was arranged by Keita Rock when Suge Knight was still in prison. Since Snoop made the radio stations ignore Death Row it’s called “Too gangsta for radio”. The album didn’t sell to well but it was highly anticipated by the die hard Death Row fans.

1. Intro
A funny intro about Snoop waking up in the middle of the night, making his girl call the pen to see if Suge is still there.

2. 2pac – Friends
This song was supposed to be on the Makaveli album by Tupac, but they couldn’t make the sound clean. Or atleast that’s what the rumour says. Fact is that this is a very tight track. I’ve heard the original and it’s a lot like that, so Big Hutch didn’t change much when he reproduced this. Big ups to him since this is a dope production. QDIII produced the original.

3. Crooked I feat. Treach & Scarface – Gangsta Rap
Tight track. Crooked I’s first released track on Death Row/Tha Row and he’s doing a good job. Treach is good but Scarface is not exactly doing his best verse ever on this track. It’s ok tho, he’s talking about fakes. They failed to mention in the credits that that’s Kurupt on the hook.

4. C.J. Mac – I ain’t f*****’ wit cha
Tight beat on this one. C.J Mac is dissing the shit outta everyone on Aftermath. Actually this is one of my favourite tracks on the cd. It’s funny. I know that a lot of people don’t like it tho…

5. Above The Law – Everywhere we go
Very tight production. Above The Law is definitely dropping one of the better tracks on this album. The beat is tight and their verses are ok too. Don’t skip this one.

6. Tha Realest – F*** Hollywood
The intro is funny as hell. A mother’s telling her son: “What’s wrong baby?” And the son replies whispering: “I se gay people”. Just like in the 6th sense. The song as a nice, southern inspired production. Tha Realest is calling out pretty much everyone in the Hollywood, name by name, and saying they’re gay or something like that. Funny track to listen to. It’s not a big banger tho.

7. Ja Rule feat. Cadillac Tah, Black Child & Vita – Murda for life
Murder INC diss to the Doggpound. They’ve taken the “Doggpound for life” beat and made it “Murda for life”. Anyway this is an average track. The beat is good, but it’s recycled.

8. Ruff Ryders – In too deep
Worst track of the album. The beat seems to be a 4 seconds loop of some wack shit. The raps are ok, but can’t hold this track. Skip it.

9. Tha Realest, Swoop G, Twist & Lil C Style – F*** Dre
The intro to this is funny as hell. It’s showing how Dre takes care of someone who wants a deal. Tha Realest, Swoop G and Twist are doing one good verse each, and Twist is good at the chorus. But Lil C Style is just wack on this track. I know some who think he’s doing the best verse on this track but definitely not in my opinion. It’s a tight track tho. It’s dissing Snoop, Dre, NWA, Eminem, Hittman etc.

10. 2pac – Thug nature
Very tight 2pac track. One of the best reproduced 2pac tracks. J. Valentine on ths hook is doing a good job too. Death Row did a very good job picking 2pac tracks to put on this album. They were both bangers!

11. Crooked I – Death Rizzo
Crooked I’s first solo track on Death Row. This track has a super-tight beat and Crooked’s doing his thing proving why some now call him the best in the west.

12. Swoop G feat. Keita Rock & Juice – Projects
Swoop G is a good rapper no doubt. When he was doing this his mind block’d so Keita Rock wrote him a verse. Swoop G didn’t think it would be right for him to rap Keita Rock’s verse so he asked him to do it himself, and he did. The result’s ok, and that was enough for Keita Rock to start working on his own album. Juice’s doing a good job on this one too.

13. K-9 – Gangsta’d out
This track starts out with an Eminem diss. It’s a KKK leader saying their newest member is Marshal Matters… The song itself is NOT a diss record tho, except maybe a lil bit. At one point he’s saying “Makaveli your ridaz are scared to ride”. Rumor is that this is the track K-9 got signed for and after dropping it, Death Row dropped him. It’s a tight party song and nice production.

14. Dre’sta – Give it up for Compton
Eazy E’s old homeboy is givin it up for Compton. Tight production and Dre’sta’s definately got authority to speak on rap today.

15. Mac-Shawn – Real type gangsta
Mac-Shawn’s rapping about how Snoop stole his style. “Always spittin my game, but never mention my name”. An interesting fact is also that Mac-Shawn got a big Death Row tattoo covering his back. That must feel weird now that he’s not on Death Row anymore…

16. G.P. – The coff
G.P sounds kinda like DMX or Ja Rule, but he’s 10 times harder! The beat on this track is kinda weird but if you give it a chance, you’ll probably like it. This track made me go to G.P.’s site and hear snippits from his album. They sounded tight so I ordered his album and I’ll post up a review of that later on.

17. The Relativez feat Nuttz – This is the thanks you get
This is a direct reply to Dre saying “We started this gangsta shit, is this the mother*****in thanks we get?” and go on dissing some other west coast artists. The production of this song is cool and the verses are ok.

18. Dre’sta feat. Young Hoggs – Too gangsta
Dre’sta is givin it up for Death Row – there’s something you wont hear every day. This track has realy tight production and a catchy hook. One of the better tracks of the cd!

19. Outro
You are now allowed to go back to your mainstream pop shit.

This album was very very slept on. The album got tight production except for a few exceptions, and most artists are skilled rappers, too. Both 2pac tracks are above the standard of the reproduced 2pac songs from Amaru/DeathRow/Interscope and upcoming star Crooked I made his name know a little bit more than it was before. A funny note is also that he’s the only rapper from this compilation still on Death Row/Tha Row. This is a typical example of that pop rappers are taking over and real gangsta rap like this don’t sell anymore unless it’s got a lot of promotion. This album had none. I give this album 4 out of 5 stars.