Sticky Fingaz follow up album to his classic debut – Blacktrash.

1. Intro

a dedication by Sticky to his mentor Jam Master Jay along with Pac, BIG, Left Eye.

2. Let’s Do It ft. X1, Columbo

The computer voice in the background is crazy annoying. If it wasn’t for that, the production would be insane. It’s a slow flow by Sticky but it’s hard and dark. The chorus is simple but overshadowed by the robot voice ruining the track. Sticky’s brother X1 delivers a good appearance.

3. What U Here For ft. Omar Epps 

Another slow flow by Sticky which goes nicely over the beat, which is very repetitive and simple. Not much to the production. The chorus is insanely bad. Omar Epps shows up again on Sticky’s album.

4. Can’t Call It

An Arabic sounding beat in the background but the profuction fails for the 3rd time in a row due to the constant repetitiveness of the bassline. The chorus is another downfall to the track. Overall not a very good track.

5. Hot Now

Another slow flow to Sticky in this track. His lyrics are good but there are points in the track where he’s interrupted and then the chorus kicks in which runs too long for such a simple and not very catchy hook.

6. I Love The Streetz ft. Omar Epps

A more westcoast sounding track and a good flow by Sticky in all verses he drops. The first track on the album worth replaying. It’s a little slow, but not bad, average.

7. Bad Guy ft. My Quan 

The production is a little better on this track. It’s a little odd to hear Sticky collab with a R&B chorus. The flow isn’t too bad, the lyrics come nice. A good track to chill to.

8. Shot Up

Production on this track is dark and hard, something you’d hear in a movie which suits the lyrics and hardness to the track. His flow is nice and the track comes hard, even with the chorus. A tight track, more what you can expect from Sticky.

9. Girl 

Why this track followed Shot Up is beyond me. The styles are totally different, and not in a good way. Production is horrid, and Sticky’s flow/lyrics are shit. The chorus is annoying. Horrible track.

10. Caught In Da Game 

More singsong style to this track again, which just doesn’t work for Sticky. While his verses hit hard with good lyrics and a nice flow, production and chorus take this track down.

11. No More

Another R&B track but this time it works. Sticky gives a laid back flow that makes you listen to what he says in this relationship track. Production is smooth and laid back, decent track.

12. Do Da Damn Thing ft. Est, X1

Ahh man, the beginning of the track makes you think some hardcore grimey Onyx is about to hit, but you get let down quickly when it slows down and switches into some singing again. The verses are slow but not bad. The track isn’t bad but after the initial letdown, you can’t enjoy it.

13. Another Niguh 

You know when someone hits numbers on their phone in your ear, that’s what the production sounds like. Irritating. Sticky does the best he can over the horid production and disguistingly annoying chorus. Bad track, skip it.

14. I Don’t Know ft. Fredro Starr 

A Onyx reunion sampling a TV theme but it reminds you of JayZ’s Hard Knock Life with the children’s singing. A little too much and it ruins the track. Not very good.

15. Suicide Letter

Better production, dark and hard and Sticky delivers finally a track that you expect from him. Grimey as hell, the entire track is off the chains. Maybe it’s my headphones but the production seems a little too loud, but it’s bar far the best track on the album.

16. Just Like Us ft. Geneveese, X1

A slow track with grimey Sticky style lyrics, the production is good, it matches Sticky’s flow in the song. The chorus again is the downfall to the track.

17. Get Smashed Up ft. Tex and Thirty Seven OD

Song takes a while to get going but the production is banging, it’ll hit hard in your speakers and the verses roll nicely over the beats. Decent track.

After Sticky’s Blacktrash album a lot of fans were anxiously awaiting his follow up expecting another classic. But if you were to look up Sophomore Slump in the rap dictionary, expect to see this album’s cover as a diagram. After Blacktrash, rumours were that Dr. Dre was to overlook his second album and lay down the beats. Something you can only wish happened since the production on this album was horrible, plain horrible. The guest appearances were horrible, the choruses horrible, the attempts at R&B style tracks failed.
Sticky himself came decently with his flows but most of them were slow, laid back and not the hardcore grimey many fans come to expect. One word can sum this album up – disappointing. I don’t even want to get started on how bad it let me down. Hopefully the third installment will pick up, as a huge Sticky fan, I can only pray.
Rating 1.5/5

Onyx member Sticky Fingaz (real name Kirk Jones) released his first solo album in 2001 on Universal Records. The concept of the album was to showcase the life of fictional charecter Kirk Jones:

1. Intro 

Sets the stage to the album concept with the Universal Pictures “Feature Presentation” sound. Skit explains Kirk Jones being released from prison. He shows up at an old homies house and they decide to head out to celebrate.

2. Come On – Production: Self 

One of the best tracks on the album, it’s a grimy hardcore pump you up style track. The sound brings you into the club with Kirk Jones. “Oh you ain’t know/ Sticky Fingaz went solo” are the first words on the album and sets the stage for the griminess of the album. Lyrics are straight fire, production is bangin. In the track Kirk runs into an old beef, he tries to get his boy to back him but the friend won’t. He instead gives Kirk Jones a gun.

3. My Dogz Iz My Gunz – Production: Joe Naughty

A track about guns being a man’s best friend, after his boy won’t back him outside the club. Black Child lays down a nice verse to complement the dark track.

4. Not Die’n – Production: Self 

After the beef outside the club, Kirk Jones is shot. He refuses to go out like that and feels invincible in the track. Nice track with hard lyrics, the song also brings you into the mindstate of Kirk Jones. Bangin hard track.

5. Kirk Jones Conscience

Omar Epps narrates the flow of thought through the mind of Kirk Jones while he smokes some weed 2 weeks after the shooting. It blends into a skit of Kirk finding his place robbed on Christmas Eve.

6. Money Talks ft. Raekwon – Production: Rockwilder 

This track is being told in the first person from the view of money itself. Raekwon drops a perfect guest appearance. The song really makes you think, great beat, nice lyrics. One of the album’s shining moments.

7. Why? ft. X1 and Still Livin – Production: DJ Scratch 

Kirk Jones purchases a gun and catches up with an old friend. Song itself is their conversation about the old days. Kirk convinces him to give him a ride but gets him to be a getaway driver in a jewelry store robbery. During getaway, they crash and his boy dies. Not the greatest sounding track, but the most important one to the concept of the album. The meaning makes up for any missteps in the track.

8. Oh My God – Production: Sticky Fingaz/Self 

Kirk’s conscience catches up with him and he questions life in the track. God answers all his questions. A tight track with deep meaning, lyrics and production. Has a weak chorus, but intentional as it reflects the mindframe of Kirk Jones at the moment. Kirk gets arrested.

9. State vs. Kirk Jones ft. Canibus, Rah Digga and Redman – Production: Nottz 

Rah Digga plays the judge, Canibus the prosecutor and Redman the defense. One of, if not the best track on the album. All verses run perfectly together and gives you the entire court proceedings. Canibus shines on this. Kirk Jones found guilty.

10. Kirk Jones Conscience 2 

Omar Epps again plays Kirk’s mind. This time Kirk contemplates his choices that brought him to jail, and the people he left behind.

11. Baby Brother ft. Dave Hollister – Production: DJ Scratch

Kirk places a call to his younger brother trying to talk him out of the route he himself chose. Nice production, soulful chorus to reflect his heartfelt plea to his brother who is in the everyday struggle. Call turns ugly.

12. Cheatin – Production: Rockwilder

Kirks girl visits him in prison. While he thought she was holding it down for him, she has other news. The spiral continues for Kirk Jones. An angry track about cheating. Tight production and lyrics.

13. What Chu Want ft. X1 – Production: Buddah 

Track about everything Kirk Jones wanted in life that took him to prison. Nice flows by Sticky and X1 as they mention everything you could ever want. “Want to beg Makaveli to come back from the dead” for example. Tight track.

14. Ghetto ft. Petey Pablo – Production: Spyda Man 

After 10 years locked up Kirk is released from prison only to find he isn’t welcome back in the streets after everything he did. This track is mad hilarious, the comic relief to a dark album. It plays off Jeff Foxworthy’s redneck bit, except about being ghetto. Funny track with tight lyrics and production.

15. What If I Was White ft. Eminem – Production: Damon Elliot 

Kirk Jones robs someone looking for a drug deal. This track is another bit of comic relief to a album filled with a dark struggle. Hilarious lyrics and Eminem adlibs the chorus and background. One of the top tracks easily.

16. Sister I’m Sorry ft. Choclatt – Production: Big D Evans

Kirk gets into big argument with his girl. After she makes a crack about his now dead brother he hits her. The track is very reminiscent of 2Pac’s “Keep Ya Head Up”. He talks about women being strong and apoligizes for all the evils men do. Good chorus. Excellent track.

17. Get It Up ft. Fredro Starr – Production: DJ Scratch 

Kirk robs and kills another store owner. 1st single off the album. Hard lyrics, banging beats, the video for the track is off the chain and it explains at that point Kirk is running from the cops. Another killer track.

18. Kirk Jones Conscience 3 

Third installment of self reflection narrated by Omar Epps. This time around, Kirk relfects going back to jail, but this time he’d rather die.

19. Licken Off In HipHop ft. Columbo 

Production: Punch – A dual meaning in this song. Sticky Fingaz making his hustle off the rap game, Kirk Jones off the streets. A personal reflection on the two roads he could have chosen in his life. He chose being Sticky Fingaz in real life. Kirk Jones is what he would have been without rap. Nice flow, but production could be better. Makes you think.

20. Wonderful World

Police find Kirk. Instead of firing at the cops, he turns it on himself. Game over. Sticky butchers Louis Armstong’s “Wonderful World”, but that’s the point. Life is hard.

From concept to delivery this album scores big. It tells the tragic story of Kirk Jones and the harshness of life. The album follows the story perfectly and the concept not altered. The guest rappers all play their parts in the story perfectly. The production never skips a beat. It’s basically a rap musical and it’s pulled off nicely. In just over an hour Sticky Fingaz delivers an epic Hollywood dreams of. In a time where albums follow no idea and are filled with fillers you wish more would follow Sticky’s lead. Even the booklet itself lends a hand to the album. The story is illustrated in pictures in the credits. While it says “movie coming soon” we can safely assume it isn’t happening due to lackluster sales. A damn shame it would make the album rap’s greatest movie soundtrack. Be sure to check out Sticky’s thank you’s, where he philsophizes for a minute. Either the man is crazy or a mad genius.

In the end the album was highly slept on but cannot be considered any less than it is. Classic.

4.5 out of 5.