Thug Law: Thug Life Outlawz: Chapter 1 (VA)
Label: D-3 Entertainment
(October 23, 2001)
1. What
2. Shit Iz Real
3. Satellite Niggaz
4. ***** That
5. Don’t Make Me
6. Pay Day/Pay Day (Interlude)
7. No Time
8. South Bound
9. Who You Trust
10. I Am the Street
11. Do That
12. I Need A/I’m A (Interlude)
13. Hood Nigga
14. Casualtiez of War
15. Angelz Cried
16. Thug Cycosis/Real Table (Interlude)
Firstly don’t be fooled by the THUG LAW logo stuck on the front of the case- this is mostly Big Syke material! Being released under his label and as the head of productions you’d expect Syke to have the ODD appearance on the tracks (almost on every one!) So that makes it a Thug Life/Outlaw on the grounds that Syke is on 95% of the CD!
So, Syke decides to call up a couple of THUG LIFE members, a few Outlawz and a couple of new, young emcees to put together a collabo CD to make “THUG LAWZ.” Sounds good right? It’s debatable. Syke is a tight rapper. Pac’s roaddogg. Seasoned G. Respected man. He also got real banging productions, taking production credentials on several tracks, “What,” “Shit Iz Real,” and “No Time” are prime examples of what Syke is capable of. His appearances are mostly tight. Use of voice filters to make his voice even more ominous than it already is.
The CD begins good.
Stick it in and you’re blasted with “What,” a banger with Tha Outlawz featuring to a snared up beat. Get drunk and crunk to it… “Shit Iz Real” is the following Westcoast hard-hitter. Its real un*****wittable. The bass reverberations from this rattle windows at high volume. “Satellite Niggaz,” a cracking collaboration with Above The Law, some classic stuff you needed to hear and you did. However, past this point on the disc, things change as the rap group Swerv take verses on umpteen other tracks. The atmosphere of alot of the tracks also change to suit Swerv too, the productions end up sounding further South than the before songs. I also felt let down by “Pay Day.” Seeing Mack 10, Syke and Krayzie Bone (Noble Outlaw also joins them) on the same track seemed exciting until I heard it as I’m a fan of Krayzie but he’s relegated to taking the hook! The beat is also quite dull and I personally feel its one of Krayzie’s worst hooks/appearances. “South Bound” is another lame track from Swerv. “Do That” was suffered from too much of Swerv’s input and a horrible hook, although the appearance from Mopreme is a quality verse.
Mentionable tracks are “No Time” for a rapping back and forth between Syke and Tyme and a deep piano track and a nice flow from Sundae. “I Need A” is a tight collabo with Mac Mall, Mopreme and Sundae over a decent beat. “Hood Nigga” is also another good track over another good production. “Casualtiez of War” has the Outlawz over a stomping army-influenced, dramatic beat. I also feel Swerv’s “Angelz Cried” deserves a mention- only on the basis that its a deep remembrance track. “Thug Cycosis” is a complete ride on ’em type track and 100% tight with the original THUG LIFE lineup all on point over a riding beat. Syke closes the CD with an ad-libbed interlude about being a real thug and so forth… its all cool though.
Overall its tracks like “What,” “Satellite Niggaz,” “Casualtiez of War” and “Thug Cycosis” that form the best tracks, as they hold the OG rappers who got down with THUG LIFE connections in some way or another, and because their rappers are also just plain better!
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Syke flows over this perfectly, in fact, his part is almost flawless- he was the executive producer after all. However, too many of Syke’s homies ruin the actual THUG LIFE-Outlaw concept. Perhaps bar a few guest appearances to do hooks (its guest appearances almost every track), this would have been much better suited if it stuck with the two original groups. The two interludes between the songs also confused me a little and threw me off the content of the CD as I had no clue about who the woman is! Its no classic by any means, I rate THUG-LAWS an underachieving
2/5
Further recommendations:
Big Syke : “Big Syke Daddy”
Thug Law: “Thug Life Outlawz: Chapter 2”