After I heard the interview with him and 50, I didn’t know what to expect. He held his own telling Curtis that he wouldn’t let him broker his deal and that Curtis has kinda turned his back on the hood, but at the same time, how do you not go hard at someone who gets you dropped? I’m not in the business and better yet, it’s none of mine business, I just review the music. That said; let’s check out the latest from the Intelligent Gangster better known as Styles P.
“Blow Ya Mind (feat. Swizz Beatz)” is the first song after a quick intro. I’m sure that since you see the feature, you already know the beat. I don’t know what happened to Swizz, but shit, his stuff is redundant as hell. Anyway, this is a Styles review, not Swizz. That said, I am helping Stylez by talking about Swizz and not him…SKIP
“Let’s Go (feat. Ray J) is our follow up and it appears that Styles is trying to get some radio play. Read that as not meaning its good music, it’s largely radio sounding. The beat is promising, but that’s where it ends. Not feeling this, not a skipper, may be your type of thing.
“Alone In The Streets” features Styles giving you more of that grit and spit that gave him and the LOX such a huge cult following…outside of the typical NY loyalty. Preaching about his dedication to the game and his hustle, Styles comes raw with it. One of my favorites on the album.
“In It To Win It (feat. Bully)” is the hustleman’s anthem. An ok track, nothing much to add. The title says it all.
“All I Know Is Pain (feat. The Alchemist)” Damn. Look, lyrics, dope. Beat, dope. Hook, fucked up. I would have liked this one with no hook, or borrow Pac’s pain intro or something, but the hook is chopped and placed kinda jacked up. Almost ruins the song.
“Got My Eyes On You (feat. Akon)” Normally, I try and steer clear of Akon tracks, just not my thing, but this one rolls. Problem is that the styles, no pun, don’t mesh. The Ghost is a little to gritty for the radio friendly Akon. It rolls, but the contrast is almost too much for me. Like, don’t paint a shotgun yellow and expect me to still be scared. Yeah, it’s a killer, but the initial intimidation is lost. Follow me?
“Green Piece of Paper” I try my best to pick out other songs and give other songs shine that the other sites overlook. Unfortunately, this one I agree with. This song is clearly the best of Styles on this track and the most consistent offering on the album.
“Holiday (feat. Max. B)” THIS is what pisses me off about the CD. What the hell…man, ok. Let me calm down. This is probably one of the worst follow up songs I have heard on any album. The hook and the beat are not well done and the lyrics are about as good. SKIP
“Look At Her” *sigh* he opens up with “I gotta do something for the ladies right?” No my brother, you do not. I’m not even trying to be on my backpacker thing right now, but yo, if I hear another song about a woman’s hips, ass, etc and not about HER, I am going to scream. We get it Hip Hop, fat ass, fat thighs, fine, right. We want the applebottoms and the babyphats, got it. Let’s evolve, shit.
“ Da 80’s” is a track I haven’t seen reviewed by many, I don’t know why. He comes pretty nice on this joint. “I don’t need hooks, I got lyrics.” Hmmm, no comment.
“Interlude 1” YO, Tony Roberts is a fucking nut. Funny interlude.
“Shoot Niggas (feat. Raw Buck)” ok, well, you know how I feel about murder rap…
“Super Gangster” is ….man, by now, I am really under whelmed with this album. Like, really? He talks about his super grind, his super gangster, his super paper….super SKIP.
“Star Of The State (feat. Ghostface Killah)” Styles pulls up Ghostface up from the studio to come to his studio to lace the track. Unfortunately it’s the same stuff.
“U Ain’t Ready (feat. Beanie Sigel)” Back to the streets, P speaks on how real he is and how he came up. Lets us know we ain’t ready for the authentic gangster that is P and Beanie. They play well off each other and rock a decent beat.
“Interlude 2 feat. Tony Roberts” more comedy. Timbs with a tuxedo? LMAO.
“Gangster, Gangster (feat. Jadakiss & Sheek Louch)” Hey, it’s a family affair. LOX get together again over a familiar beat…too familiar. They ride it signature LOX style and provide one of the brighter spots to the album.
“Cause I’m Black (feat. Black Thought)” I did a double take as well. Styles spits on the issues that come with the skin I’m in over a real throwback beat. Black Thought brings out the best in Styles and shines with the intellect on this one. Best track on the album.
Bottom Line:
I get kind of tired of hearing rappers dumb down. Styles is a dope lyricist and song maker. He has shown flashes, even on this CD, but it’s lost over inconsistent beats, concepts, and deliveries. The idea of projecting who you are in a CD is an art; the reflection of your depth of character and your life struggles is your right as an artist. That said though, as an artist, you are responsible for presenting your story in a way that sets you apart. The ability to be inconsistent is also an Art. Pac was one of, if not the best, at being brilliantly inconsistent. “Keep Ya Head Up”, “I Get Around”, “Live and Die In LA”, etc. The idea is to present the many facets of you and who you are in a form that projects the creativity and vision that you have. This CD is basically a smattering of songs. There are some gems, don’t get me wrong, but overall, I just isn’t feeling it.
nappy Picks: “Cause I’m Black”, “Green Piece of Paper”, & “Alone In The Streets”
Download: Styles P feat. Black Thought – “Cause I’m Black”
