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| Bow Wow- Unleashed: As is the bar (or bat) mitzvah in the Jewish faith, so is the shedding of the Lil' in hip-hop culture, and so it is Lil' Bow Wow's time to ascend to manhood. The boy born Shad Moss in 1987 had a relatively good run of it in childhood, flowing flawlessly on stage with Snoop Dogg at age 6 (hence the name), and garnering two platinum records, numerous top 40 hits, and number one rap singles like "Bounce With Me." However, at 16, he now simply goes by Bow Wow and with the aptly named UNLEASHED, his third offering, he has quite the coming-out party. Bow Wow knows how to get a party started right with the grungy holla'in banger "Get It Poppin'" and the charged swingin' single "Let's Get Down." "Eighteen" courageously opens with a skit where the teenaged rapper gets id'ed and bounced at a club before he launches into an longingly aching anthem (even bemoaning to a potential girl how he can't get her into the clubs). Crooners Jagged Edge drop by as Bow Wow displays a most genuine sensitive side, like a slightly more vulnerable LL Cool J, on "My Baby." Overall, UNLEASHED stands a compelling chronicle of a prodigy MC coming of age. 7 OUT OF 10 |
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| Raekwon- Lex Diamond Story: Wu-Tang Clan founding member Raekwon resurrects his Wu Mafia Lex Diamond persona for this long-awaited sequel to his solo debut, 1995's ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX. The focus is still stridently gangsta-obsessed, the samples sharply chosen, and the reappearance of Ghostface Killah adds an extra air of menace, particularly on the convincingly violent "Missing Watch." Time and again, Raekwon highlights the facts of thug life on tracks such as "Musketeers of Pig Alley," "Pit Bull Fights," and "Planet of the Apes." The litany of drugs, guns and violence builds unremittingly over the length of THE LEX DIAMOND STORY. By the time the almost gentle, lyrical "Once Upon a Time" rolls up, with Tekitha's coolly regretful vocals contrasting Raekwon's hard-edged delivery, the change of pace makes the album's intensity all the more apparent. 7.5 OUT OF 10 |
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| Memphis Bleek- M.A.D.E: Jay-Z's retirement from music and Bleek's initiation as a "made" Roc-A-Fella, this follow-up to 2000's UNDERSTANDING feels like the attempted anointing of a successor to the Godfather. Whether Bleek can fill Jay's shoes is a matter for conjecture, but on this showing he's got the chops and the ideas to make a respectable attempt. M.A.D.E. builds on the foundations of Bleek's previous two albums and shows increasing confidence on cuts such as the insistent "Everything's a Go" and the snaky "Murda Murda," with its hushed, urgent lyric. On this showing though, one thing's clear--Memphis Bleek is a rapper who's not about to desert his roots, no matter how big his future might be. 7.75 OUT OF 10 |