Tony Yayo : Thoughts of a predicate felon

Rating: 4/5

The latest offering from G-Unit is definitely a breath
of fresh air in the corrupted hip hop atmosphere. Tony
Yayo is a hustler's dream. If your lamenting
the prospect of hearing 50-cent like R&B hip hop,
you'll be pleasantly suprised. Thoughts of a
Predicate Felon is the hardest G-unit album yet.

With heavy bass lines and grinding gritty snares and
riffs, Tony Yayo lays aggressive
straight-from-the-street lyrics. He spits with the
same hunger that most rappers first have when they're
still doing underground mix tapes.

Tony Yayo makes his pain of being in jail felt. The
intro is a stark reminder of the humiliation he faced when
taken to jail. In tracks like Tattle Teller he
lets bullets fly through the chest of the snitches
responsible for him taking a short stretch in the box.

At times, his bitterness or effort to sound street is
so extreme it seems exagerated and threatens to dilute
the potency of his lyrics. In spite of that,
he manages to tell a convincing story. The fact that
almost none of the tracks feature other G-Unit members
seems to be his effort to stand on his own two feet and
proclaim himself the hardest of the hardest in the G-Unit.

Personally, I'm convinced. Tony Yayo is the hardest
and realist spitter in G-Unit. That being said, it
took a while for his style to grow on me. I
expect that anyone else will initially be put of.
After a couple of spins, though, the album begins to
sound like a certified classic.

A few tracks just don't fit into the album and seem
forced. The Eminem produced Drama Setter is one
of these tracks. Eminem sticks out like a sore thumb
as he sings the chorus. Fortunately Obie Trice saves
the track with his flaming hot lyrics.

It's also interesting to note that Tony Yayo didn't
completely abandon the commercial side of rap. Tracks
like So Seductive, Love My Style ,
Project Princess (featuring Jagged Edge) and
Curious (featuring Joe) will guarantee that he
appeals to the mainstream crowd without alienating the
hard core hip hop afficionado.

Jamie Foxx : unpredictable

Rating: 3/3

I've always known that Jamie Foxx is incredibly
talented. Ever since he released the classic single:
Bed Springs, I knew he was something special.
His first album, Peep This, was luckluster but
still augured great things for the rising R&B star.

I was therefore sweating with anticipation when I
unwrapped Unpredictable, Jamie's latest
offering, from it's plastic cd case which seemed like
a prison for the rising stars voice. Once I
popped it into the cd player I was blown away by the
sultry R&B melodies that saturated the airwaves
reminding me of the days when R&B was R&B (as opposed
to the current bastard children of artists who don't know
if they are rappers or singers).

The first track and single is Unpredictable. I
honestly thought that this track was sung by Playa
until I heard it on this album. The track is a
bonafide classic and is only a starter preparing the
fan for a series of intense, heart thumping bed room
tracks.

The next two tracks are Warm Bed and DJ Play
A Love Song. They are equally hot and oozing with
Jamie's typical sex appeal. Once can almost hear
Devonte's and Jodeci's legendary influence pumping
through the speakers as Jamie lays strong vocals on
Can I Take U Home. Jamie Foxx's series of
balads pass the universal test for good love songs:
They remind you of your first love and bring a tear to
your eye.

Jamie wisely decided to appeal to the mainstream market
as well as the card carrying R&B fan. His album has a
rich cast including Snoop Dogg, The Game, Mary
J. Blige, Common and Kanye West. It was a smart move
including Kanye on the album because
Extravaganza truly exhibits the best of both their
talents.

In spite of the album's obvious strengths, I can't
help wondering if it will appeal to the younger
generation or those individuals who were not raised on
a rich diet of Jodeci, Mary J. Blige and En Vogue.
Jamie brings back old school R&B by staying true to the
basic formula that always worked. On Love
Changes (feat. Mary J. Blige) him and Mary have
the following exchange:

You know Mary... What I wanna do is get back to
the basics... to loving.. to hugging.. to
caring.. to sharing.. to understanding.. get back to even
teaching... teach me please...get back to loving
your woman... get back to loving your man.... get back
to cooking for your man...anytime you hungry baby

(Mary J. Blige's words in italics)

That conversation captures the entire depth and breadth
of the album. Jamie Foxx is taking R&B back to the
basics. Many have tried and failed but Jamie manages
to do it gracefully and accurately. This album is a
classic. Jamie Foxx has arrived!