(The final word after each song (Poor/Average/Hot/Excellent) simply reflects how i feel about a song. So one song with the same word at the end can still be better than the other)

Kurupt goes for a mainstream approach to the hiphop market. The Smoke Oddessy CD sees more radio friendly and slightly less gangsta tunes to entice a different audience to his music.

 

1. Blast Off (Intro) 

Time to hit that Space Boogie….

2. Space Boogie ft Nate Dogg 

Good, hard introduction track from the production house of Fredwreck, nice bassline, im feeling that bassline. Nate’s entrance adds to the charm of the track. Kurupt mainly raps about Westcoasting and himself with the DPG. For all those who never heard a DPG rap song before its the track to introduce them to Kurupt. Good.

3. Hate on Me ft Soopafly & Damani 

Personally i dont like this song. I feel the beat is messed up, repetetive and annoying. ‘Fly delivers the usual witty lines and his style eg, the way he takes the hook. Still, i personally dont like it for the beat. Song is generally about the hate they all recieve. Average/poor

4. On da Grind ft Daz 

Real catchy Westcoast cavi hit. A good old duet with Daz and Kurupt. Good feelings to this u can really feel the chemistry between the two. Reminds of the old ‘Dogg Food’ days when they talked about slangin their dope on the block. All about good times, piano driven, this song is hot.

5. It’s Over ft Natina Reed 

Undeniably a pop song recognisable by its cheeky beat and an appearance from a female rapper! This track was released as a single so Kurupt take the liberty of giving props to fellow homeboys like Dre, Snoop, Tone and Poke. Kurupt comes of fine but Natina is the usual chart-rapper. Does nothing to help the reputation of a legendary Westcoast emcee though. Average borderline poor.

6. Can’t Go Wrong ft DJ Quik and Butch Cassidy 

DJ Quik hardly ever fails to impress. The mastering of the song sounds a bit grimey when played loud. One of the hottest joints on the CD. Butch owns the hook with the saxaphone accompanying his smooth voice, Kurupt takes two verses and Quik takes the third with some downright dirty lyrics about “mooshing the goosh!”. A fantastic Westcoast collabo. Hot, excellent.

Xzibit interlude:

The X has a hard dig at those coming to test him all the time. Leads onto the next track…

7. On, Onsite ft Lil HD 

A display of Fredwreck’s hottest production, madd tight beat! Kurupt raps about letting off on those coming at him to challenge him and *****-mades with the Dogg Pound. Snoop’s homie Lil 1/2 Dead sings the hook to it which doesnt add too much to a hot track but works fine. Kurupt spits pure venom. It combines to make a hella tight track. Hot

8. Sunshine ft John B 

I don’t know too much about John B apart from he’s a white RnB singer with a great pull on emcees! This is clearly another radio-friendly track about the love for a girl and trying to pull her. Although generally i dont like it too much and it is pretty weak, this is a good summer chill-out track and John B’s production is actually quite hot if u give the track a chance. Good

9. The Hardest Mutha *****a’s ft Xzibit, Nate Dogg and MC Ren 

Kurupt is joined by two Westcoast legends…. and Xzibit! All jokes aside, excellent track. Hook is bomb. MC Ren begins the track spitting… like the track title says: something hard. The return of Ren is still as powerful and shocking as he ever was. Xzibit is very good too. Kurupt though doesnt come off as hard as the other two which is a shame. More of an “On, Onsite” verse would have been better, but that doesnt knock the track. Excellent

10. Gangsta’s 

Oddly the credits dont mention Daz’s appearance coz he takes the hook. Production is pretty weak and hook isnt that good. One of the weaker tracks. Average

G Funk Interlude:

Short break between tracks. Short beat with Kurupt talking about the old G-Funk sound

11. Bring Back That G Shit ft Snoop Doggy Dogg and Goldie Loc 

This tune doesnt feel as relevant to Kurupt as it does to Snoop and Goldie. Lyrically, Snoop raps reminiscent of his Doggfather style (i think that’s the point though!) but he’s generally weak and steals the show taking up two verses. Rhyming ‘geology’ with ‘G-ology’ i dont really find funny, sorry. Goldie Loc’s verse is macking for something so short. Damned Snoop, he was too greedy with this appearance. Average.

12. Lay It on Back ft Fred Durst, DJ Lethal and Nate Dogg 

Its the collaboration you dont really expect to happen with Kurupt. Yet he prettymuch pulls it off. Kurupt and DJ Lethal rap about the days of way back and hiphop’s old trends and when Kurupt first stepped to the streets. Biker shorts breakdancing and thick laces The verse from Nate sounds great too, but Fred Durst doesnt sound like he cares too much. Actin’ smoothe. Good/hot

13. Just Don’t Give A ***** ft DJ Lethal 

Another Limp Bizkit connected song. Better than the last, this one has alot more energy and attitude to it. Generally about not really giving a ***** and not caring for others. Im feeling the bit near the end with the ‘Cyco Lic No’ talking. Song is hot, beat jumps.

14. At It Again 

The first of two cuts by Damizza. At It Again is a great party about partying the whole weekend. Real radio friendly (i cant count one cuss word) but at the same time, very catchy, you can really sing along to the hook. Hot

15. Kuruption ft Everlast 

Another collabo you really wouldnt expect to go down. Its amazing how a country singer ends up and works well with a gangsta rapper! Atmosphere is built up in the intro to the song and hard hitting as the childrens choir sing. The beat comes in and its better than expected. The hook and general gist of the song is about things in the world being corrupt. Kurupt is about street crime Everlast’s verse is about some sort of country-style ballad and a troubled lover. Hot

***** Da World Interlude:

Brings in the apocalyptic intro to the next track

16. ***** Da World ft Daz 

Quite simply, Kurupt’s had enough. Average

17. *****es ft Roscoe and Butch Cassidy 

The second and best production from Damizza. “Something to bang.” Please beleive that, this song is simply amazing when used in conjunction with the finest subs. Bass cuts so low the windows rattle. The lyrics are cheeky (sexist in other words) and funny. Roscoe’s verse equals that of Kurupt. Butch steals that hook. Song is excellent

 

Conclusion

Kurupt took a risk by going more commercial this time. The CD is probably something comparable to the likes of Dr Dre’s 2001- quite a few guest appearances along with the commercial sound. Nevertheless, alot of the songs work and are above average in both production and cameos. Fredwreck’s talent is truly displayed in the likes of the hard hitting ‘On, Onsite,’ ‘The Hardest Mutha *****as’ and ‘Space Boogie’ while Damizza helps with his two cuts (Damizza met Butch Cassidy through the connections made in ‘*****es’ Overall i cant really complain about this CD. i like it, you should like it too but its on a different level from the likes of alot of other DPG releases. I award it a 4/5. It innovative and something new and one of the decent Westcoast releases since after 2000. My advice, if you’re not really into Westcoast sounds and you seem interested, this is a good album to check out.