Tech N9ne - Absolute Power

Following the release of his "major label" debut album Anghellic, which was put out through JCOR Records in August 2001, Aaron Dontez Yates, known by the brilliant stage name Tech N9ne, thought that things had finally gone his way - he could leave the Kansas City underworld behind him, and finally get his time in the spotlight, recognised as the great that he was. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out in quite the way he might have wanted them to in the next few months. Anghellic sold surprisingly well despite the controversial cover art that appealed to absolutely no-one at all, Tech had made himself quite the cult fanbase thanks to his personal lyrics and notoriously excellent live shows, and JCOR had even put money in to shoot a video for the album's sole single, "It's Alive". However, the latter is where things really went wrong. After Tech and the guest stars (apparently, the video was to cameo, among others, Busta Rhymes!!) had arrived at the shoot and begun to set everything up, JCOR called up Tech's manager at his at-the-time brand new and fairly useless label Strange Music, Travis O'Guin, and told him that they were pulling out of the video in order to put money into a video starring (if I remember rightly from the T9X documentary) Puff Daddy and 8Ball. Needless to say, Tech and Travis were furious, and allegedly, Travis drove straight to JCOR's New York offices to get their asses out of the deal. And, once again, Tech N9ne was unsigned, underground and independent.

Thankfully, as I said earlier, Tech had already struck up a business deal with Kansas City businessman Travis O'Guin to start up the label Strange Music, and this label plus financial backing meant that he was still able to grab the resources to begin putting in work for another studio album. And now, Tech was truly angry at the mistreatment of him on his previous label, and in fact, all labels he had ever been signed to. This anger was probably further fuelled by his old home Mizery Entertainment promoting a Tech compilation called Celcius on the same day as his own new project, but that's a story for another day. What is important now is that Tech had more of a drive than ever before to create a great body of work. 

Tech's ties with Travis O'Guin and a few other artists in the industry meant that he wasn't at a total loss when it came to the finances needed to release and promote new music. In 2002, Mark Cerami (known for being a founding force behind Priority Records) and Dave Weiner (who'd left JCOR after they basically went financially bust, shortly after Tech exited) teamed up to form a new independent distributor label MSC Entertainment - MSC being a shortening of the word "MuSiC", incase anyone didn't figure it out. Travis knew the legend behind Priority Records, and since MSC didn't actually require any rights to the music like most majors did, he struck up a deal with them to release anything that was to come through the Strange Music label (which back then consisted of absolutely no-one besides Tech), and this deal would end up being far more fruitful than the JCOR deal - it ended up lasting until 2005, although Tech clearly had some falling out with Mark Cerami following that, as you can tell from some of his lyrics on "Like Yeah" - "FUCK Mark Cerami, ya heard that from the horse's mouth!"

So, Tech had a label to promote the record, and he had a shit ton of music to put on it, what with the man's work ethic being akin to an 1800s miner, but he needed something more. Something to really get the people interested in the project. And this is where he came up with a new campaign - "Fuck The Industry". "Fuck The Industry" consisted of some rather disjointed television commercials that encouraged fans to download his new album, which was given the excellent title Absolute Power, for free off of his website, as a ploy to get more people onto his independent music and away from all the major label bullshit, that he had been screwed over by so many times over the years. This marketing strategy could have failed completely, but thankfully for him he garnered an even larger fanbase based off of this, and the album ended up selling a hell of a lot of physical copies after people realised just how damned good this album was.

Like with most of Tech N9ne's previous works, Absolute Power's feature list and producer credits both consisted of artists no-one living outside of Tech's little Midwest bubble had ever had the fortune to come across, and like with Anghellic and pretty much every album that came after it, Absolute Power was incredibly long - the album here is 78 minutes across 20 tracks alone, but then the album also comes with a bonus DVD, on which there are 7 more songs which I need to review! It's ridiculous!! It's also funny how there's more songs here than on most double albums in hip-hop, except for Tech's own double album, of course. I know Tech has said he likes to give the fans their money's worth, but I can see how most might be skeptical about his quality considering the sheer amount of music he is constantly putting out - and yes I said "putting": Tech has already released a 24 track project this year, and plans to release another one by December. I mean, come on, man! Anyway, back then it would be plausible that Tech's rage would have fuelled him to make such a long album, and so with that in mind did his emotion translate itself into good music? Well, I don't like to give spoilers, and I also want people to actually read this whole thing, so I won't tell you now, but all will become crystal clear in time, my friends...

1. Intro

After the sudden sound of a gunshot that might cause some listeners to jump out of their seats, we are subjected to an interview between Tech and a man that I believe is the same guy interviewing Tech on the bonus DVD on this album - unfortunately this particular clip does not show up there - imagine how awesome that would be? This intro serves as a way of explaining the album's concept, but unlike with most rap album intros, the concept that Tech discusses here is actually heavily followed through during the album. We also get some of Tech's signature reversed vocals on the end here, which is nice. Solid intro. 

2. The Industry Is Punks (prod. RUBONYX)

Talk about the perfect way to open your album. Following a perfect transition from the previous track that hits hard and in all the right places, Tech's scream of "the industry's a bunch of fucking punks!!!" will get any casual lister riled up and hyped for what's about to come. The chorus on this song is heavily abrasive and takes a fuck ton of getting used to, though - I actually enjoy it now, but I remember back when I first listened to this album I was like "what the motherfuck is this??". I think the second half of said hook, when Krizz Kaliko (who will handle singing duties a million more times for Tech songs, so watch out for that) is chanting in the background, is actually a lot better. Anyway, the most important facet of this song is clearly the verses, and if these don't convince you that Tech N9ne is a phenomenal MC, then you might have already been forced to sit through "Fish In a Pita" 50 times in a row - that's the only reason I can think of to not like this shit. Yes, Tech is flowing fast as hell on this one, but unlike a lot of today's bullshit fast rap, he is actually chopping things up and using a flow, and he's consistently got things to say in his lyrics. One thing I commend Tech on is his consistent ability to stay on topic, and that's none more evident than on here, where he devotes all three verses to the takedown of the industry - he doesn't name names unless it's in a positive light, but we all know the types of corporations that he's taking on here. It's not only the content and flow that's great though - Tech proves to be an oftentimes funny but still incredibly skilled rhymer too - "you can look into my E-Y-E's, and you can see why these motherfuckers don't wanna see my steez". And I'll be damned if that "put the double barrel to his forehead" at the end doesn't send goosebumps tingling down your spine. And I've written all of that without mentioning the phenomenal production, which is dark and perfectly fitting for this opener. What a way to begin.

3. Here Comes Tecca Nina (prod. Flash Technology & Carl Breeding)

Since this album intended to draw many new fans into the Strange world of Aaron Yates, Tech probably thought that the opening track might cause some to have doubts simply because of how dark and aggressive it was. With that in mind, this next song is a far more upbeat and positive song that works similarly well, even though I don't think anyone will enjoy this quite as much as the opener. The instrumental on here with its bangin' chords, and high-pitched synths in the hook, is very rich and professional - that's something you'll notice throughout, which is surprising considering this album wasn't exactly on an infinite budget. After Krizz introduces the song via the radio host format that us hip-hop fans know and love, Tech begins his verses, with flows and rhyme schemes that switch up astonishingly throughout the song to make for one of the man's more unique performances, which is saying a hell of a lot. Of course, I don't mean unique when it comes to lyrical content - this one is your average "introduction" song that appears on a rap album, usually as the second song too - it aims to show what Tech is all about - partying, getting with women, and most importantly rapping his ass off - he also makes one of the first references to his signature drink, Caribou Lou. I also really appreciate how Tech interpolates his own early music on here for the day one fans, with the line "banzai, baby, everyone's high" - 5 points to whoever knows what song that's from. And Tech proves that as well as incredibly fucking enraged, he can be incredibly fucking hilarious, especially with lines like "parents be fussing and cussing, 'cause all I talk about is silicone and muffins (Muffins!!)". I mean, even that ad-lib is hilarious. And I remember clearly how that hook (performed by an uncredited Erica Hugunin) got stuck in my head for days after hearing this song. This shit is dope, son!

4. Imma Tell (prod. RUBONYX)

Kutt Calhoun introduces this song via a small bit of spoken word as the beat fades out on the last song - this one aims to be "that KC shit", whatever that means - I mean, I'm sure most hip-hop heads didn't know shit all about Kansas City hip-hop in the early 2000s. What we do get on here is certainly very unique, though, so I guess Tech did live up to what seemed to be proposed by Kutt. Utilising a fairly ridiculous sample that's kind of annoying as hell, Tech uses a fairly repetitive flow on this one that still sounds good thanks to his lyrics being so hilariously on point. I mean, shit like "we givin' the women the willy" is going a bit too far into childishly vulgar territory, but on the other hand most of the lyrics are fun, and I especially enjoy the third verse, where Tech references a load of his older tunes - "Planet Rock 2K", "Questions (Rough Draft)" and "It's Alive" all get references. My favourite line is "One, and then comes the two to the three and- that was the anthem, now this is the anthem" - here, he appears to state that where "It's Alive" held KC down in the previous year, now "Imma Tell" will do the same for '02. As I said, the child vocals on here are stupid, and as such this ends up being my least favourite track yet, but Tech's verses are brilliantly entertaining, the production is sweet, and Krizz Kaliko's operatic singing shows the skill that he sadly never really got true props for. This one's a banger!

5. Slacker (prod. Femi Ojetunde)

I believe this song was released as the lead single from this album - there's even a funny music video for it featured on the More Power DVD that this album comes with, and a "making of" said video. Whoever did choose this as the lead deserves a raise with immediate effect, as this song is infectious as a common cold, only far more unique and enjoyable. For the first time on this LP, Tech handles the hook pretty much all by his lonely, and the results are surprisingly good, with his singing being in tune and his "I'm a slacker" in the background being incredibly catchy. The instrumental on here is groovy as hell and very recognisable, and I do believe I've heard something similar somewhere, only I can't place it right now. That's gonna drive me crazy. Anyhow, the concept on this track is a hell of a lot more focused than the previous two - Tech takes on the personality of a typical "slacker", and if you somehow don't know what that is then Tech gives a definition on the intro here to make sure everything's clear as day for the listeners. The lyrics on here are absolutely hilarious, and then when we get to the third verse, Tech appears to show some legitimate anger, and starts talking about his actual life - I guess he wants to prove in this portion that just because he's not successful at music yet, that doesn't mean he's slacking off all the time - hey, the amount of songs here is simple proof of that. Some of the lines on here will instigate a smirk in even the sternest drill sergeant, especially something like "I stay rid of you lames - y'all gay! I play video games - all day!" - I mean, just a transcript of that is funny enough, and it's the same for "you say get a job, I say hit a nob!". This is a classic, and easily one of my favourite songs here. What a track. 

6. Keep On Keepin' On (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. RUBONYX)

Despite the fact that he has had some type of vocal contribution on every song so far besides the intro, it isn't until track 6 that Krizz Kaliko (known back then as Big Krizz Kaliko) actually gets a feature credit on the back cover. I mean, he at least should've got it on "Imma Tell", he does loads on there! Anyway, his performance on here is probably his most potent yet, and so it makes sense that he gets credit here. And anyway, it would look stupid if every song was featuring the same guy, so I understand. Anyway, the song. As I said, Krizz's singing on this one is really nice - his hook is great, but my favourite part is the outro that he does, where he really shows off a nice vocal range. As for Tech, he gets back in angry mode on this song, basically dissin' all the haters, people that say he isn't "rap" enough, and also that Vell Bakardy guy that he had beef with back in the day. In fact, it's this section of the song that is arguably the best to me - "only way you gon' burn me is with yo' bitch, nigga" is a fucking cold diss if you ask me. Tech also uses so many different flows here, none of which had ever been used before - Tech really is so unique, man. And I also enjoy that bit where he lists all of his mainstream collaborators in the rap game, to show all those that say he's not a proper rapper that they're full of bullshit. RUBONYX provides his third absolutely bangin' instrumental in a row too, only this one is a bit more subdued, which is good. This cut is fire, and one of the best songs here. 

7. Gunz Will Bust (feat. Yung Gunz) (prod. Carlos Chalmers (Big Los))

No, those are not the Young Gunz that were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella label in the early 2000s, but that would be something, wouldn't it? The Yung Gunz presented to us here is a trio that consists of Money Hungry, Skatterman and Snug Brim, the latter two of which would go on to form a duo that had quite a bit of success on the Strange label in the 2000s. Oh, and remember my confusion over the two "m"s in Snug "Brimm"'s name on the "F.T.I." credit from the last album? Well, I've literally just noticed that it's spelled the same here, so I guess that was just his stage name back then. This track, for some reason, includes people speaking in both German (I think that's Tech's frequent producer RonnZfromBerlin) and also Jamaican, which makes for an incredibly cluttered sounding intro when you take into account the ridiculous horns in this beat. In fact, the whole instrumental here is stupidly overdramatic when you realise the bullshit these MCs are actually saying - Snug Brim brings a weak effort with nothing of note outside his frequent violent bars, and this sets the tone for Money Hungry and Skatterman, who don't fare much better besides the former's dope line "when I spit a fuckin rhyme, I got a million in line". Oh, and when I said the beat was "dramatic", I didn't mean "good" - this beat sounds pretty cheap compared with the rest of the music on this album, and those drums are annoying as hell. Tech does deliver a good verse on the end where he disses Vell Bakardy again, but anyone who's not a superfan of the guy will probably have skipped to the next track by then. What the hell was Tech thinking putting this on here?

8. Bianca's And Beatrice's (prod. RUBONYX)

Despite there not being any indication of it on the back cover, Tech's early artist Kutt Calhoun does show up for a verse on here - the only reason I can think as to why he didn't get the credit was because then the tracklist wouldn't fit on the back with the imagery. This song is one of the early instances of Tech N9ne attempting to introduce his fanbase to a new term or word he has made up through song, and here it's the terms "Bianca" and "Beatrice", which both are basically his term for a slut or a ho - well, I guess you can't knock the man's creativity. He even explains the concept here - "Beatrice's, means more than one Bianca, they actresses, bring 'em sex toys and ganja". Now, I actually quite like this - it shows a sort of devotion to fans where you're willing to create your own world to house your music, with new words and ideas, and I just think that's really dope. Is the song good? Hell no, but it's still enjoyable - Tech's first verse is pretty funny, and Kutt Calhoun does his thing, even though Tech's second verse loses the concept a bit in favour of what seem to be randomly freestyled bars that use the same flow over and over. Also, the hook is all kinds of fucking horrible, but it's so silly that you'll probably be compelled to sing along. And for the reasons I've explained, I'll definitely say I'm a fan of this, and Tech's devotion to his fans is something to always marvel at. 

9. Diamond Joe's (Interlude)

As is the case with pretty much every Tech album from here on out, this album has a fair share of skits to break up these (usually very long) songs. This one sets up the next track as a strip club anthem, which I'm sure the underground hip-hop fans were chomping at the bit to hear... Still, there's a fun bit of trivia here, as the song "Here I Come" from Anghellic plays in the background - this song's not on streaming today, so my question to you is - how many of you noticed that??

10. Slither (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

I remember when I was looking at this tracklist before listening to the album, and wondering what the hell a song called "Slither" could be about. The song title intrigued me right up until I had heard that last skit, which informed me it was to be about a chick Tech spotted at a strip club. Isn't that fun? Still, I actually enjoy this one quite a bit, even if the twist at the end certainly helps that to a large extent. The instrumental on this one from RonnZfromBerlin is hella smooth, and even if Tech's first two verses are literally just recounting his time at a strip club, they're not offensively vulgar like, say, a "The Sexorcist" or a "Chilly Rub", so that's something. The hook's solid too, even though the seductive chick's voice is slightly uncomfortable to hear given the dark tone this song has. In the third verse is where things get interesting here, as the girl takes Tech home where three of her female roommates also reside, and after they've had sex, the roommates come in, only to reveal themselves as vampires of sorts who are going to suck on Tech's blood for the rest of his life - "I'm trapped with blood suckin' muh'fuckers for eternity". The noises during the outro are a bit unnecessary, but still, it'd be a lie if I said I disliked this track. 

11. Disturbance (Interlude)

This interlude prepares us for the dark section of the album, as an announcer called Davy Meza (I think?) introduces Tech as a "psycho ambassador", which is pretty fuckin' hilarious. 

12. Trapped In a Psycho's Body (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

I don't think any Tech N9ne fans need telling just how fucking good this song is, but for anyone reading who's not versed in the Nina world and simply likes my writing style (shout out, whoever you might be), let me break it down for you. After the static that ends the previous skit, this beat begins to build itself up into the full instrumental it becomes during the verses, and it's damned good at that. The beat is quite simple, simple enough that I managed to make a fairly accurate interpolation of it a while ago on GarageBand - there's a loud synth noise, some other synth sounds making up the general melody, high pitched piano keys, and hard drums, and that's it. The instrumental never really crosses into overdramatic territory, and instead remains quite subdued throughout, which is absolutely perfect in keeping the haunting and inevitably hopeless atmosphere that the lyrics go for. On this song, Tech takes on his two personas - the mad, psychotic individual that's responsible for all of the ridiculous shit he does, and the normal man who just wants to be an MC that's trapped inside. Both sides deliver heartfelt monologues, but personally I enjoy the latter's performance more - my favourite lines on the whole album occur on here from that persona, that being the following: "if you a friend, time to say too-da-loo, 'cause ain't no possible way he can ever be true to you. Cancel your appointment to do the do. If he wants to kill himself, what the fuck you think he wanna do to you??". I mean, these lines are so good, and so meaningful, and so passionate, that you can tell this is really how Tech felt at the time of writing this song. There are actually two versions of this song - the one on this album has a reversed hook, which was reversed as the singer Laticia Naylor tragically passed away very shortly after recording the vocals for the song, and the artist whom they interpolated wouldn't allow the performance to be released like that. The version that appeared on Tech's later compilation Vintage Tech featured the hook in its original form, and for what it's worth, I prefer that one. Not that it matters - as it stands this is still easily one of my favourite Tech songs of all time. Oh, and Krizz Kaliko pops up on the end for some operatic singing too, which was nice. "Ayo, I'm trapped in a psycho's body, can you help me?"

13. T9X (prod. Sean Raspberry (Icy Roc Kravyn))

Fans of Anghellic may remember this producer from some of the better cuts on that album, and I personally was very excited to see him pop up on here too. And believe me - the man does not disappoint. This instrumental is all kinds of creepy, speeding up and slowing down to fit with Tech's drugged up mind state, and the sound effects used throughout this one are weird as hell. On this song, Tech recalls one of I'm sure many drugged up nights as a rap star, and he makes sure we as the audience feel the trip with him by rapping with a vocal effect that slows down and lowers the pitch of his vocals. This may sound like it would be tedious, especially as this song runs to a ridiculous 6 and a half minutes, but thanks to the backing and the actual lyrics, the vocals on here work really well. Tech finds time to interpolate both Method Man (on "How High") and RBX (on "High Powered") on here, which I'm sure all the hip-hop heads appreciate, and for the most part he spends his verses going into high detail about his observations and feelings during the trip, which does unfortunately result in some overly graphic sexual scenes - still, this is a Tech N9ne song. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the chorus actually works, despite the goofy "I love you very much" making you think it wouldn't. This is honestly one of the most creative songs in the Tech N9ne catalogue, and it's easily another of his classics. Yeah, it's long, but I don't think I'd want to cut any of the runtime here. Fantastic song. 

14. She Devil (feat. D12) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

Tech teams up with Eminem's group D12, only (as he later recounted on the track "Why You Ain't Call Me") without Eminem himself, which already might lead one to be sceptical about this song - D12 aren't known for being very, you know, good. Still, out of all the early 2000s MCs, Tech would probably be the best replacement for Eminem, so that's definitely something. The instrumental on here is crazily good, with it having a very creepy yet almost slightly poignant atmosphere, and Tech really goes in on the first verse - his lyrics aren't brilliant, sure, but his flow remains as potent as ever. Unfortunately, the rest of the song involves the members of D12 shaming whatever woman they happened to have just fucked, and being entirely misogynistic without any actual cleverness to hide this. Hell, the most standout line comes from Proof, and that's the ridiculous "my cock unlock the keys to your asshole". And don't even get me started on Bizarre and whatever the fuck he thought he was doing with this verse. The instrumental here is so good that I really wish Tech had put these blokes somewhere else - "Bianca's and Beatrice's", maybe - but it does do enough to keep the song moving, as does the very stellar chorus that almost sounds like there's an element of autotune there. The outro is also creepy as hell. This song is good then, but could have been better as a Tech solo piece.

15. Worst Enemy (prod. RUBONYX)

Tech N9ne delivers a personal and powerful disstrack that just happens to be directed toward... his penis. Well, there is a reason why the man's label is called Strange Music. Over a sentimental and quite sad instrumental from the man we've now come to know and love as RUBONYX, Tech spits with a slightly staticky vocal effect that does make the song sound a little disconnected, but nonetheless, the lyrics on here keep you enthralled. Make no mistake, this song isn't just a joke, even if the climax (get it?) may make it seem that way - Tech is really pissed off, but here it's with himself, and I guess he puts most of his problems down to some kind of addiction to sex - probably the same one he discussed on "Tormented". I love how he doesn't reveal who he's talking about until right at the very end, when the "my dick..." is echoed out, and then Krizz Kaliko delivers the "This Ring" chants as if some crazy revelation has just happened - that part of the song is quite funny. Still, the majority of this one is pretty depressing, but thankfully it's also really fucking good, especially when it comes to heartfelt lines such as "listen, I'm losin' my life because of you! I lost my life because of you! I'm losin' my wife because of you! I even had sex and a baby with the crazy bitch you introduced me to! Now I'm straight depressed". This is a classic cut right here. 

16. Signing Off (Interlude)

5 seconds to let us know that we are now finished with the darker section of the album. Not that the next song really conveys that at all...

17. Absolute Power (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

Despite the fact that we apparently literally just left the dark section of the album, this song starts with the disturbing sound of Tech's vocals being played backwards over continuously building dark sound effects that are really rather disturbing. Then, the beat drops, and my God is it a moment - I wouldn't be surprised if someone was literally jump scared by the way this beat and vocal just comes out of nowhere. Tech gets straight to rapping on this one, and even though he repeats 2Pac lines twice and a Dre line once, I'm still incredibly impressed with the man's vocal performance on here (aside from the bit where he spells out the entire song title for us, which comes across as plain ol' filler). The instrumental on here is very heavy and somewhat electronic, which stands as the perfect backdrop for mister N9ne, and the flows and delivery are about as aggressive as you might expect from a song called "Absolute Power" by someone who's actually named after a gun. My favourite line has to be the JCOR diss - "took a lot of shit and I can't take more: fuck Jay Faires and everybody down with him, and fuck JCOR!!" - but there are plenty of other phenomenal lines throughout this thing - heck, I know most of the track completely off by heart at this point. Tech's rapping is unbelievably good, and this hook is also catchy as hell. This is easily one of the best tracks on the album, and hella worthy of its "title track" status. 

18. Yada, Yada, Yada (prod. 5150 Mental Productions)

The second disstrack on this album, but this one is different in that it is actually addressed towards another person, rather than Tech's own genitalia. On this song, Tech goes at his former producer Don Juan, who you may remember we have discussed frequently when talking about Tech's first three records - the man did produce some of my favourite early Tech songs, including "Trauma", "Planet Rock 2K (Original Version)", "Psycho Bitch", "Cursed" and "God Complex" among many others, so to hear Tech have a song going at him which signalled the end of their working relationship forever is quite sad in a way. However, the song is also justified in its rage, as Don Juan allegedly held the Anghellic masters from Tech until he got paid, and also finessed Tech out of quite a lot of his money during the man's time at MidWestSide Records. And the background behind this song should let you know immediately that this beef wasn't just about bars - this shit was entirely personal, and we can tell this from the lyrics of this 6 minute plus song that feels like it flies by in 3 just because of how engaging it is. The production on this is arguably the most West Coast sounding on this whole damned record, with the high-pitched synths that come in during the hook being just the cherry on top of this g-funk flavour cake. Tech, meanwhile, doesn't at all sacrifice his flows and rhyme schemes despite this song's very direct subject matter - in fact, this is arguably Tech's best display of skills thus far in his career, which is saying a hell of a damned lot considering what he's so far given us. I could take every single bar from this song and you would marvel at it,  but a personal favourite I'll highlight is "it hurts my nigga, the hurt my nigga, but hurt my nigga is what's inspiring these spurts, my nigga, at first my nigga used to be my homie, used to be my ace. Yellin' you gon' slap the taste out my mouth". I mean, that shit is just crazy. Another incredibly effective moment is in the outro, where Tech lists of a bunch of famous producers before ending with "Don Juan be done", basically saying to the man that he's moving onto bigger and better things now. If this song came from a more popular rapper, it'd probably be considered a classic diss - it certainly is in my book.

19. Constantly Dirty (prod. 5150 Mental Productions)

Like with "Bianca's and Beatrice's", the features go completely uncredited here - this song includes verses from the three members of 57th Street Rogue Dog Villains that hadn't been locked up for unspeakably horrific crimes - that being Big Scoob, Bakarii and Txx Will. This song contains the first instrumental on this album that actually sounds quite sad and subdued, and doesn't have any kind of creepy air about it at the same time. The instrumental is actually really fitting to the three Villains, who deliver their verses with some flows that would make you swear they were from L.A., despite them actually residing in the Midwest. I especially enjoy the verses from Scoob and Txx Will, both of whom sound perfectly at home on here. Unfortunately, I feel like Tech N9ne wasn't really the right artist for this beat, as he is forced to slow his flow down substantially during his verse, and it does sound awkward at times, even if at others it's just right. Also, as much as I really love the chorus on here, did anyone else find the repetition of the title towards the end to sound really weird? Maybe that's just me. Whatever - this is a good song, but probably should have gone on a 57th Street RDV album, rather than Tech's record - it just doesn't quite fit the mood. 

20. I'm A Playa (prod. Robert Rebeck)

Tech decides that the best way to end the album off is with this strip club anthem that heavily interpolates Adam and the Ants' infamous "Rock Me Amadeus" song for its chorus - and yeah, it's as weird as it sounds. Oddly though, it sounds absolutely incredible at the same time. This track was released as one of the singles, and even though the back cover once again doesn't indicate as such, Krizz Kaliko is a heavy part of this song, not only providing the long, long chorus, but also a verse somewhere in the middle that stands as the man's first actual rapping performance on a Tech album. The intro of this song is rather overdramatic, with a monologue from robotic male and female voices that recount key events in Tech's life, and lumping the recording and release of this song in with them, but the rest of this song is loud, groovy, very catchy and oftentimes hilarious - come to think of it, that description could also go alongside most of this album. Yes, there were some dodgy lines in here (Kali's "I'm in hot pursuit of a prostitute" comes to mind), but as a whole this is a really dope song, and was a surprisingly good way of ending the album, despite it's relative mindlessness. Dope cut right here. 

More Power - Bonus DVD

Being that he loves his fans so much, Tech decided to give purchasers of this album a free gift inside - as well as the 20 track, 80 minute long album, he provided us with a bonus DVD entitled More Power, that includes the album cover shoots for this album and Anghellic, various live performances, the video and making of the video for "Slacker", an interview with Tech about the album, and other things that fans would probably have been ecstatic to gain access to. I personally love the idea too, and it was really cool to see all this early footage of what Tech was doing - hell, they even had a feature that showed the recording of parts of "Imma Tell" and "I'm a Playa", which was dope as hell to me. Perhaps the most notable feature of this DVD, however, was the fact that if you moved to a separate menu by clicking on the volume button on the menu that is a fake TV screen, you would be taken to 7 all new songs, the credits of which are inside the booklet. So, the question is - are these songs hidden gems that Tech put there purely for his most hardcore fans, or is there a reason these cuts were removed from the album? Let's take a look. 

1. Victory (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

Over a celebratory, horn-fuelled instrumental from the great RonnZfromBerlin, Tech delivers three verses filled with boasts-n-bullshit that are actually quite unique on here, considering a large quantity of the songs on the actual album were rather thematic and focused. This one, not so much, but what rap fan doesn't enjoy this type of content? After a fantastic build up that includes probably the best beat drop I've ever heard on a Tech album (well, except the one on "Riot Maker"), Krizz Kaliko pops up for a catchy hook that for some reason I found really annoying on first listen, but I have since grown to love a lot. Meanwhile, Tech continues to experiment with loads of different flows, and comes with some great and hilarious bars, the best of which has to be "That's why your mama got a big ol' butt (Oh yeah?), and your sister got a big ol' butt (Oh yeah?) Since your mama and your sister had a big ol' butt, they helped the N9na bust a big ol' nut (Oh yeah?)". This is a classic cut from Tech, and one more people should definitely hear - how did "Gunz Will Bust" make it to the album over this??

2. Freaky Lil Things (feat. Kutt & Grant Rice) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

None of the features on this disc two actually get credit in the booklet, so I'm just going to list any writers that aren't Tech himself as featured artists. This one includes verses from Kutt Calhoun, and also that dude Grant Rice, who also showed up on Tech's song "Tormented", but apparently nowhere else (for people with the Anghellic CD, he's the guy with horns with the naked women and money in the booklet). It's probably a good thing he was never seen again, though, as his verse here truly sucks - I mean, at least the other two have flow whilst talking about their sexual encounters in ridiculous detail. A common criticism of Tech is that his music is too sexually explicit a lot of the time, but that hadn't really been the case up until this song - but man is it bad here. "She bought a nacho plate, but only Tech N9ne got ate" is one example, and Tech also finds time to say "fuck your spleen up" on here. Kutt's verse is similarly unpleasant. Still, at least Krizz's singing is nice enough, as is the beat. This song does its job as a throwaway, though. 

3. Hydro (feat. Kutt, Greed & Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. 5150 Mental Productions)

Since all the producers on this bonus disc contributed to the actual album, it's safe to assume these songs were created in those studio sessions, which does kind of confirm that they were leftovers. Still, the leftovers from that good of an album are probably worth releasing, right? Just thought I'd mention my theory on that. This song is pretty terrible in all honesty - I think it would be classed as "crunk", but everything about it is just so obnoxious, whether it's the chorus from Tech N9ne, the horrible singing during his verse, the noisy beat, even the Krizz Kaliko bridge. Also, if it wasn't for Genius lyrics I don't know if I would be able to identify between Kutt and Greed on here - the latter sounds so alike to the former it's uncanny. The most important thing is that this song uses the word "badonkadonk", which is funny, and it also includes the only use of Tech's "dwamn" slang on the whole record. Other than that, you might as well skip this, especially the vigorous sex sounds at the end. 

4. Runaway (feat. Erica Hugunin) (prod. RUBONYX)

Tech delivers a song that most listeners would be completely thrown off by - I know I was on first listen. This is a love song - not a sex song (despite there being plenty of sexual imagery), but an actual love song to a woman that Tech wants, but knows he can't have because she's already in a relationship (even though she appears to still be fucking on him). The instrumental on here is fairly bland unfortunately, probably one of the worst here, and the chorus from Erica Hugunin that features some airy 1980s style singing in the background is also really not great. I appreciate the sentiment of this one, but personally I couldn't ever entirely get into it, even if I appreciate it more now than I did on first listen. Also: "remember my face is a permanent sitting spot for your backside" should have never even been inked onto paper, let alone recorded and mastered. 

5. Shocked (feat. Kutt) (prod. RUBONYX)

Easily the best bonus cut since "Victory", this collaboration with Kutt Calhoun works really well. After an intro which has that infamous (well, infamous among Tech fans, that is) "sittin' in your ass water" joke, Tech gets into a short but catchy bridge over that brilliant production that is intense and weird, and is the perfect backing for Tech's first verse, which admittedly doesn't say much of worth, but is flowed nicely nonetheless. Tech's other short verse is solid too, despite starting with the awful phrase "bounce to my hits, bitch, bounce on my dick", and Kutty comes through with some great performances too on here. And that hook has just gots to be one of the best on the whole record - "you don't really wanna step to me, we can do it in the street and get 'em up with ease". The track ends nicely too, with a short sung portion from Krizz followed by a little radio skit that is obligatory for underground hip-hop (remember that bit on "Here Comes Tecca Nina"?). This song is nice as hell. 

6. The Grench (feat. Boy Big) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

Apparently the only song on this disc which actually has any interesting subject matter going on (well, you could argue "Runaway" too, but that one's too generic for my liking), and it's easily one of my favourites. The production on here is intense and dark, and the West Coast synths that come in during the chorus are nice as hell too. Speaking of the chorus, Boy Big delivers a really catchy and well-delivered hook that is completely not what you would expect from a guy with a name that's as repulsive as a bowl of mashed sweet potato. Oh, and Krizz Kaliko appears for some harmonising at the beginning, because of course he does. The most important thing here, though, are the lyrics, which I for one find incredibly intriguing. During the first verse, Tech sounds like he's speaking to himself, and specifically the part of himself that makes him commit all of his fucked up actions - almost like a continuation of "Trapped In a Psycho's Body", only more one-sided. However, as you get into the second and third verses here, it becomes clear that Tech is instead talking to the devil, as he highlights all the fucked up shit that goes on in the world, from Nazis to terrorism to gang violence. The lyricism on here is very powerful, and Tech proves that, even though he can make some dope club bangers, he's at his best when given a proper topic to focus on. Well, that was my interpretation of this track, anyway - please, if you made it this far, let me know yours!

Bonus: 7. Walk With a Limp (performed by Kutt feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (no producer credited)

According to the menu on the television, this one is a bonus track, which makes sense as Tech doesn't actually appear here except for the introduction along with Krizz that clearly serves to set up the song rather than be a part of it. That theory is proven when you hear this song in its form on Kutt's own album, where said intro is removed. And that's right, folks - this song ended up appearing on Kutt Calhoun's debut studio album B.L.E.V.E., which the booklet promises for January 2003, but actually didn't show up until late 2004, which is quite funny. I won't give too many thoughts on this one now, since it's better to do so when I review said Kutt album, but I will say that I think this track is pretty dope, despite the rather unpleasant chorus from Krizz, the first example of a weak singing performance by him on here if I'm honest. Otherwise, this song is stellar. And, we're out!!

If Anghellic was a delve into Tech N9ne's inner psyche, then Absolute Power is pretty much the opposite of that - this album is very focused on his outside, whether that be in collaborations with his fellow rappers, songs about strip clubs and partying, or even disses against people that have wronged him. I do find it interesting how the most personal songs appear around 3/4 of the way through, since on Anghellic that's where the party songs showed up, and I'm absolutely certain that there's one other person out there who finds that intriguing. I was actually quite shocked when I first watched the More Power DVD, and Tech actually confirmed my theory that this was about his outside life - I was bang on with that analogy. But regardless of the album's concept and proximity to its predecessor, the real question is as follows: is this album actually good, and was it worth the long-ass runtime? Well, the answer to that in my opinion is a bloody enormous yes - in fact, this album is very nearly as good as Anghellic, and a classic album without a doubt. To any hip-hop heads reading this, you're probably thinking that I've gone off my rocker, but hear me out. The production on this album is truly astonishing, not only when you are mindful of the low budget, but also just in general. I love pretty much every beat on this album, and even the weaker ones aren't necessarily terrible. The beats also help to keep the mood of this album - it's quite dark and creepy with a horrorcore feel to it, but at the same time it moves throughout different vibes - something like "Here Comes Tecca Nina" is bangin', rich and uptempo, whereas "Trapped In a Psycho's Body" is skeletal and rather depressing - still, neither of these songs sound out of place on the record at all. The most out of place song here is probably "Constantly Dirty", and even then it's not a huge issue for me. This album does have it's highs and lows, with "Gunz Will Bust" being fairly weak, and the bonus disc not being entirely consistent either, but in general the project is very consistent, which is surprising considering just how much music is here, and how it doesn't have an entirely strict concept like Anghellic did. Also, this album was the first true glimpse of Tech's working relationship with Krizz Kaliko, and it's clearly a stellar one, as Krizz provides great vocals every single time, at least when it comes to the album itself. His vocals are never tacked on, and instead help keep up the consistency of this project to a further extent. And then, we come to Tech. On here, Tech N9ne shows just how versatile he is - he can music that will depress you more than a series 8 episode of The Peep Show (only in his case, the depression is intentional), music that will get you jumping for joy like your team just won the World Cup, and everything in-between, from sex songs to drug-fuelled psychedelic cuts. The man's lyrics, flow and voice all come together to make for one of the most unique rap performances of the 2000s decade, and also one of the best. Hell, this might be Tech's best rapped album - it's certainly him at his most lively. Yes, this album isn't quite on the level of Anghellic, but it's still an utter classic, and an album any hip-hop head should check out. Hell, the hip-hop heads should pop this one in before Anghellic, as it's a lot more accessible to that audience than that other project, which is far heavier. This LP is a wonderful piece of work, and I hope the one person who made it through this enormous piece of writing enjoyed it as much as I continue to enjoy this project to this day. 

(Click, click)...        TECH, N9NEEE!

Best Tracks: The Industry Is Punks, Here Comes Tecca Nina, Slacker, Keep On Keepin' On, Trapped In a Psycho's Body, T9X, Worst Enemy, Absolute Power, Yada Yada Yada, Victory, The Grench

Worst Tracks: Gunz Will Bust, Hydro, Runaway

Catch up on a few other Tech N9na write-ups by clicking over here!

The Game - The Documentary

Since every single artist I have introduced to this blog as of yet has begun their album careers in the 1990s, I figured it was time to switch things up a bit. Since a lot of the catalogues I am covering are making their way into the 2000s anyway, why not review an artist who's debut came out in the naughties decade? And who better to do this with than the one and only Jayceon Taylor, who humbly refers to himself as The Game.

Hailing from one of hip-hop's most storied locations, Compton, it's a commonly known fact that Jayceon didn't even really start rapping until 2001. His dream for some time had been to become a professional basketball player, but then the allure of the street life got to him, and he became a fully affiliated Blood out gangbanging in the streets for quite a few years. In 2001, Game was in his apartment alone when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to five (I think) Westside Crips, who jumped him and eventually shot him, before leaving. Jayceon managed to muster the strength to call the police before passing out on the floor from his wounds, and he ended up in a coma for three days before finally waking up. He then spent a lot of his recovery time truly discovering hip-hop music, and as he studied the classics of the genre, he quickly became a highly skilled rapper himself, albeit one with a propensity to a) imitate his peers and b) name-drop them at an overly frequent rate. Still, nothing wrong with a little homage-paying, am I right? Game released his debut mixtape YouKnowWhatItIs Vol. 1 in late 2002, and after one or two others were put out independently, his music happened to fall in the hands of a certain Dr. Dre, who was at this point probably quite desperate to find a new West Coast artist to become a face of the genre. 

Dre bought Game into his Aftermath offices, hooked him up with one of his newest beats and a hook from another new star 50 Cent, and from this The Game created his debut single "Westside Story", which was released in early 2004. Around this time, Dre sneakily put word into 50's ear that what the people really wanted from his burgeoning G-Unit crew was a West Coast MC, what with them already having artists from the East and the South. Dr. Dre's true motivations for this may have simply been to get more eyes on The Game, but still, 50 agreed to let the young man into his crew, not realising the rapper was actually quite a lot better at his chosen profession than the sleepy Lloyd Banks, abrasive Tony Yayo, fairly drawly Young Buck and himself, a rapper who really wasn't ever even that great. What he also failed to realise was that The Game had a mild bipolar disorder, and with that came a propensity for randomly dissing other artists (notably including Jay-Z) that 50 really didn't want to have issues with, what with him being a businessman and all. Game also famously would refuse to side with 50 on his own beefs with other industry artists, which was apparently the straw that broke the camel's back for Game's partnership with G-Unit. But that's a tale for another day. 

Moving back to late 2004, Game was putting out underground mixtapes at a proficient rate - Untold Story, Westside Story: The Compton Chronicles, YouKnowWhatItIs Volume 2: Throwin' Rocks At the Throne... the list goes on. And amidst this the singles were pouring in fast too, with "Hate It Or Love It" and "How We Do" both being incredibly successful 50 Cent collaborations - the former a poignant and celebratory track for the hip-hop heads, and the latter a club banger that you couldn't drive a few metres without hearing in central L.A.. With all this music being released, you'd think The Game's debut wouldn't really be that anticipated, but you'd be wrong - see, back in the 2000s, mixtapes were full of randomly thrown together songs and freestyles, and were nothing like the mixtapes of today, which are basically albums without a major label backing. Therefore, even though everyone knew what Game sounded like, no-one could have predicted what he would create with a focused vision and an all-star cast of producers and features - in other words, no-one knew what he could do with an actual album. And that's where The Documentary comes in, an album that had so much hype around it the release date should probably be considered an international holiday. Come on, governments, let's get to it!

The Game's debut solo studio album was released through Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records in January of 2005, and West Coast hip-hop fans everywhere rejoiced at it's incredibly successful sales, signifying that this artist was to be the new big thing in hip-hop, and not only was he not from the bloody South, but he was from the West!! And these fans that proceeded to head to the local Target to purchase the album were met, to their horror, with a photograph of a shirtless man sitting on tires (well, he was on 50 Cent's label, so could we have expected more?), but more importantly one of the most stacked lists of producers and features that the game (get it???) had seen in years. Performing alongside Jayceon, we had the likes of 50 Cent (well, we already knew that), Faith Evans, Marsha Ambrosius, Tony Yayo (okay, that's not so good), Eminem (yes!!), Nate Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Busta Rhymes. It seems no expense was spared when it came to the making of this album, then, and that didn't stop at the features - behind the boards we had work by Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Kanye West, Cool & Dre, Havoc, Just Blaze, Timbaland, Jeff Bhasker, Hi-Tek, Focus, Needlz and BuckWild - if this doesn't excite you, then maybe you need to take a good long look at your knowledge of hip-hop's finest beatmakers, because that list is truly insane. Almost enough to take your attention off of The Game himself altogether. 

Game did have some self-control over his feature choices back then, though, and so there's just enough solo material on here to keep the project his and his alone, even though his haters will tell you otherwise. And so the question here is as follows: could The Game make a good studio album, and could he, with all the luck in the world, make a classic? Well, I guess it's my job today to inform you. 

1. Intro (prod. Dr. Dre & Che Vicious)

I'm not someone who usually enjoys rap album intros, even the shorter ones, but this 30 second film excerpt that plays out over some triumphant American music really does build up the excitement for the rest of the record to an even higher level than before. Great stuff.

2. Westside Story (feat. 50 Cent) (prod. Dr. Dre & Scott Storch)

The Game sets things off with a single released about a year before the actual album came out, but I don't mind that too much, considering how bloody phenomenal this cut is. From the second those hard-ass synths and drums hit you when the instrumental starts up, you know you're going to be in for a banger, and the way this song transitions in from the previous one is as sweet as a sprite after a mountain trek on a blistering hot day. Game begins with a list of the different ethnicities and groups that have been "patiently waiting" (50 Cent song reference?) for the record to come out, before proceeding to rip all three of his verses with a nice flow, hard voice, and lyrics that stay with the chosen topic throughout the song - said topic being the resurrection of the West Coast in the hip-hop genre. One of the lyrics here was initially interpreted as a Jay-Z diss when the song came out (that being "I don't do button-up shirts or drive Maybachs), but Game revoked these claims during an interview, and then later on another song on this album (remember, "Westside Story" came out well before the album's release). Game's name-dropping here comes across as more impressive considering it's his first song - it's almost like he has this phenomenal knowledge of the genre that he just wants to share through his lyrics. One theory I ponder with is that the two references to 2Pac's murder on here may insinuate that the West had been pretty much dead since then, and was only now coming back - I could be terribly wrong on that front though. 50 Cent's hook is catchy as hell, the production is one of the best ever to come from Dre, and while I don't know if he's yet at Kool G Rap level as he claims, Game proves that he is indeed a very dope MC on this joint. Brilliant song. 

3. Dreams (prod. Kanye West)

Over a wonderful Kanye beat that actually doesn't sound like anything he produced during that The College Dropout/Late Registration era, Game drops three verses that are very memorable, albeit sometimes for the wrong reasons. For example, Game apparently decided the best way to open this song was with some factually incorrect information - "I woke up out that coma 2001, 'bout the same time Dre dropped 2001" - where he claims that Dr. Dre's album came out in 2001, when actually it was released back in 1999, despite what the title may lead you to believe. Considering his clear knowledge of the genre, I'm surprised Game managed to slip up like that. It gets worse, though, as during the shout-out to his producer, he refers to the car accident mr. West was involved in as "fatal", which is false information considering Kanye did not die during the accident. Thankfully, I don't believe Game messes up elsewhere, but it's hard for me to not laugh when these lines come up. Game also refers to the original title for this album during the lyrics here, Nigga Witta Attitude, Vol. 1, which I think we can all agree would have been a truly horrible album title, at least compared with The Documentary. Nonetheless, Game offers up some brilliant bars here too, including "They say sleep is the cousin of death, so my eyes wide open, 'cause a dream is kin to your last breath", and the tribute at the end was also good to hear from the man. Not only this, but Kanye's sample work is really on point here. This song is excellent in my opinion. 

4. Hate It Or Love It (feat. 50 Cent) (prod. Cool & Dre)

The first song on a Game album to be produced by a pair that would become frequent collaborators with the man later in his career - Cool & Dre, who are often known for poppier instrumentals, but can cook up a banger when they want. The instrumental on this joint right here is easily one of their most potent, though, as the duo incorporate wonderful jazzy elements over a hard drum beat and a bit of vocal samples as well to make for one of the most iconic instrumentals of the 2000s - I mean, surely everyone's heard this one. 50 starts things off here with an iconic verse that I learned off by heart real quick, but I'd be lying if I said his was better than Game's. The Game provides two verses on here, both of which are filled with great flows, references, and heartfelt moments that are extraordinarily powerful coming from the man. I'm especially a fan of his final line - "whenever I'm in the booth and I get exhausted, I think "what if Marie Baker got that abortion?", I love you ma!". Both MCs provide incredible verses though, and it's all tied together with a hook that is just iconic. This is yet another classic song. 

5. Higher (prod. Dr. Dre & Mark Batson)

Dre and Mark Batson provide a bangin' instrumental that was allegedly initially turned down by 50 Cent, only for The Game to get hold of it and write his three verses with ease. Recently, a reference track leaked of this song being performed by 50 Cent, but I'm not inclined to believe the man wrote any of these verses. The hook, sure, but when had 50 ever rapped like this in his songs? The man even gets the writing credit in the booklet, so he probably wrote the hook or parts of the hook, and I mean who really cares about that? Most young artists can't write good hooks, and for Game to be coming up with ones like these on his debut album all by himself would be something to marvel at. If 50 did write this hook, then I really wouldn't mind, and even if he wrote the verses, I still wouldn't mind, as The Game would do much better later on anyway, well after he had lost ties with 50. Just had to have that little rant there. This song is pretty incredible, as Game burns through three braggadocios verses that involve him taking your bitch and him namedropping various other artists including Dr. Dre, Mariah Carey, Usher, Ashanti, and many more. The name-drops once again kinda work here, though, and man do I love the hook and beat. Also, "look out for Detox" will always be a hilarious moment in hip-hop history. This song is excellent. 

6. How We Do (feat. 50 Cent) (prod. Dr. Dre & Mike Elizondo)

Out of all the songs on this album, this is the only one where Game's actual verses could plausibly have been written by 50 Cent, but that's only because on this song the pair spend a lot of their time mimicking each other anyway, and changing up lines from the other's verses to fit into their own. Seriously, I don't think anyone who actually studied the verses on this album and had also religiously listened to Get Rich Or Die Tryin' for months on end (read: me, but surely many others too) could have thought that 50 wrote the majority of this album. Anyway, this song. The instrumental on here is definitely the most club-friendly on the whole album, but in a good way - remember, this album came out in '05, when hip-hop instrumentals for the nightclubs hadn't quite gone to shit yet. The beat on here is crazily good, and the pair's back & forth shows true chemistry that really does make one wonder what great music we could have gotten had they not fallen out less than a month after the release of this LP. The chorus from 50 is entirely catchy, and the man's verses are more charismatic than anything we heard on, say, "Candy Shop" or "Disco Inferno". Meanwhile The Game does sacrifice his dope flows for something a little slower on here, but the results are still great, with him dropping nice verses too. This isn't the best song here, but for a club single, it's pretty bloody fantastic. "Lamborghini doors on that Escalade!"

7. Don't Need Your Love (feat. Faith Evans) (prod. Havoc, add-prod. Dr. Dre)

Here's something funny - besides the intro skit, this is the first song here to not have been promoted as a single. That's gotta be a record, considering we're now at track 7, almost halfway into the album. Something more likely to make the heads laugh with joy, however, is the fact that this one is produced by Havoc and Dr. Dre. Now that's a collaboration I'm sure everyone was excited to see. Apparently the instrumental was originally produced by Havoc, but then he lost it and Dre had to remake the same beat, or at least that's what Genius is telling me - if it's true, that's a really interesting story. The instrumental isn't quite the culmination of two greats like you may expect, but it's still pretty bloody good, and Game rides over this beat with ease, even if he does often fail to discuss the subject matter insinuated by Faith in the excellent hook. Game does find time to diss The Source here (obviously he was fine taking on Eminem's enemies, even though he didn't for 50), and address his rejected application to sign to Roc-a-Fella, but a lot of the song is spent simply discussing the lavish lifestyle he now lives, which I suppose kind of relates to the subject matter - he doesn't need everyone to like him, because he's already got everything going well for him. I still really enjoy these more introspective and low-tempo cuts from The Game, though, and as I said some of the more focused lyrics are really good. 

8. Church For Thugs (prod. Just Blaze)

Just Blaze opens this one up with a small speech, that introduces the track in that dramatic way Blaze often tends to do. Thankfully, unlike that on Busta Rhymes' "Street Shit", the beat here is kind of worth the build up, as the triumphant horns and bangin' percussion is just the right thing to get Game going here. On the first verse, Game addresses his haters by having the song turn right down and then back up again, something that Eminem would more famously do later on his song "Won't Back Down" - perhaps this is where he got the idea from? Game also professes his love for gangbanging, only to then come through with the bar "'cause we trapped inside a world where you forced to die for your colours", which appears to starkly contrast the previous lines, which is odd. However, the rest of Game's performance on here is confident and aggressive, and fits the tone of the instrumental perfectly, and who doesn't love the "you a close second, nigga, banana to a gorilla" line? My one pressing issue here is that the chorus sounds very much like something 50 Cent wrote - it actually heavily reminds me of the chorus on his own track "I Don't Need 'Em", released about a month after this song. Still, at least it's catchy, so I can't complain. As for the rest of this, it's classic Game braggadocio and confidence, and for that I'd say it's a banger. 

9. Put You On the Game (prod. Timbaland, co-prod. Nate "Danja Handz" Hills)

This song was also released as a single - I suppose they realised that all the other singles were in a row at the front, and they wanted to promote something from a bit deeper in the album. That, or they realised that Timbaland's beat was sure to get the clubs swaying - this instrumental is nice. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely convinced by The Game's performance on here - is flow sounds quite disjointed, especially during the first two verses, and most of his lyrical content revolves around comparing himself to other greats of the genre, whether it be Dr. Dre, Flavor Flav or Jay-Z. The multiple chants of "G-g-g-g-g" are also not quite hard enough to incite anything other than a bit of annoyance. It is more than a bit funny, however, that Aftermath released this heavily G-Unit affiliated song as a single during the height of the beef between Game and G-Unit. A tactical move on 50's part to make Game look foolish? Possibly. This song is still pretty great, mind you, as the instrumental is astonishing, and this chorus is arguably the best on the whole LP, it's that good. And Game still performs solidly on here - he just could've done a little better.

10. Start From Scratch (feat. Marsha of Floetry) (prod. Dr. Dre & Scott Storch)

For the recording of this one, The Game and Dr. Dre both got drunk in the studio, and you can quite easily decipher that this was the case for the former just by hearing his flow on the song - the man continuously slurs his vocals and delivers voice cracks to make for three verses which, in my opinion, really don't sound all that great. Thankfully, the actual lyrics are intriguing enough to distract from this, as Game drops some nice lines including "When you a Bad Boy, niggas don't wanna see you Shyne", as well as a reference to his brother Jevon Taylor who passed away in 1995 - he was later featured on the cover of Game's 2012 album Jesus Piece. The line "picture The Source sucking Benzino's dick" was really rather overly vulgar for my liking, but most of these lyrics about Game's past regrets are quite intriguing, and make for some of the best writing on the whole record. Unfortunately, the beat here is a bit too skeletal, Marsha sounds too robotic on the chorus, and Game really shouldn't have delivered this drunk. It was a good and unique idea, but failed in its execution. Still, the lyrics make this one worth a listen in my opinion. 

11. The Documentary (prod. Jeff Bhasker, co-prod. Jeff Reed)

This song begins with a fairly hilarious film sample from some underground film called Livin' Tha Life, which was filmed entirely in Compton, before the beat builds up into something that sounds like it might have appeared on one of Eminem's early 2000s records, like The Eminem Show or Encore. The instrumental is pretty damn great, and Game uses it for a multitude of purposes. He addresses the alleged shot at Jay-Z on "Westside Story" with both a line, and then a clip from an interview that plays where the second chorus should go, and he also attempts to rhyme "crossed" with "World", which sadly fails to work at all. This song is probably most famous for its chorus, which utilises the names of various classic rap albums into the sentences, only to also drop the name of The Documentary at the end, thereby putting it up there with the other albums mentioned - now that's gangsta. We also get a couple of ad-libs from Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes during this song, which was fun, and Game continues with the name-dropping as always, but again it doesn't really bother me that much here - the guy still clearly knows how to rap. This cut is dope as hell. 

12. Runnin' (feat. Tony Yayo) (prod. Hi-Tek)

Game decides in his first verse on here to use the line "got more sins than two lesbians", which I thought was pretty funny - it's a shame there wasn't much more I could find with this one. Hi-Tek is usually a really great producer, so for him to make a beat that lacks in any real energy is a disappointment to say the least, and Dion's uncredited hook is really not that great in my opinion - I just really don't feel this melody. Game's first verse is stellar, though, as he tells the story of a woman who lived in the hood that contracted the AIDS virus, and also makes reference to the Nas song "What Goes Around", which was appreciated - that's one of Nasir's more underrated cuts for sure. Besides the line mentioned above, which is laughable, Game really does his thing on the first verse, but unfortunately he loses the topic of the song with his last verse, where he discusses his position in the hip-hop game for some reason, and references with glee the fact that there's an Eminem feature on this album. Apparently 50 Cent added this Tony Yayo verse as a ploy to keep the guy's name relevant while he was in jail, and that was nice of him, but unfortunately Yayo doesn't make much of a case for himself on this track, with a lethargic verse that includes a signature lack of wit and abrasive sing-songy delivery at one point which straight up sucks. If you're looking for a Game and Hi-Tek collaboration, there are much better on his next two albums - this one really is a bit weak. 

13. No More Fun and Games (prod. Just Blaze)

On by far the shortest actual song on this whole record so far, Game spits three fairly intense verses over a slightly cluttered sounding, but nonetheless still very dope instrumental from Just Blaze. The chorus here consists of some record scratching too, which is one thing that so far had been sorely missed on this project, and the samples from N.W.A.'s "Gangsta, Gangsta" and Boogie Down Production's "My Philosophy" work great together, with the film samples and sung part that gives the track it's title also being fun. Sonically this is a lot more exciting than the last song, and Game also brings back a lot of energy with his verses, the third of which contains a huge amount of number statistics that place certain events in time - I've learned in English courses that these are known as "cardinal determiners", and I'm sure someone'll find that interesting. I also find one of these lines to have aged hilariously well, that of course being "Dre told me he ain't doin' Detox, this his only run", and one of these lines to be a bit silly in it's execution - "I'm like Dre, Eazy, Cube, King T and Ren all rolled into one". Not only is this comparison a bit random and wrong, but I don't know why he would list all the rapping members of N.W.A. and King T as well. Whatever - I do like to nitpick, don't I? This one is a significant improvement over the last song. 

14. We Ain't (feat. Eminem) (prod. Eminem, co-prod. Luis Resto)

Game teams up with Eminem, and decides to pretty much jack the man's flow for both of his verses here, which is surprisingly noticeable when you pay attention to his flow and rhyme schemes. It's not like I dislike his verses, either, it's just that he really didn't need to copy Eminem that plainly. Of course, you have to remember that despite the big budget, professional sound of this record, Game was young and not actually a very experienced MC, and so for him to go in the booth with one of the greatest to ever do it probably pushed him heavily into mimicking the guy. Game's lyrics on here are actually really good, though - he admits to being "murdered on his own shit" as a reference to what Em did on Jay-Z's "Renegade", and then comes with one of my favourite lines on this whole record - "I'ma do Shady numbers, I'm ridin' my own dick", a bar that I always find to be so self-aware and funny, but intentionally so of course. Game also gets a little political in this first verse, further evidence that he was heavily influenced by Eminem's contemporary style, and he even interpolates Marshall's classic "The Way I Am". As for Em, he provides easily one of his best verses from that 2004-2008 era when he was drugged up as a motherfucker - the flows are excellent, and he comes with that murderous Slim Shady personality which does unfortunately end up in some imagery I'd rather not have placed in my head, but there we are. The high-pitched vocal effect on the intro and outro reminds me of Redman's "Rockafella" - great - and the chorus is nice too, with the samples of older Em (and Dre) vocals fitting well. Em's electronic beat is a bit noisy for my liking, but otherwise this is still a big banger. 

15. Where I'm From (feat. Nate Dogg) (prod. Focus)

I guess to fully show that he had no ill will towards Jay-Z, Game named his song here after one of Hov's '90s classics. Well, ain't that sweet. On this one, Focus provides an old-school G-funk instrumental that is the perfect backing for Nate Dogg's sweet hook vocals that just sound excellent in my opinion, especially with the scratching in the background of various Game and Dre vocals, among others. This is the first song on the whole record to only have two verses rather than three, and on them Game makes some references to his hometown of Compton, albeit nothing that actually sheds too much light on the conditions there. He also attempts to do a Biggie flow in the first verse for no apparent reason - I mean, why pay homage to an NY artist on a song about your hometown Compton? Truth be told, I was never the hugest fan of this one, and it's got nothing on the rawness and confidence of Hov's song of the same name. You'd think Game would want to defend Compton, but he sounds a little unbothered during his verses here, which is an issue. This isn't bad, but it should have been a lot better. 

Also, this song was later heavily interpolated on Game's 2015 song "Just Another Day" from his album The Documentary 2, a track that landed with much better results if you ask me. 

16. Special (feat. Nate Dogg) (prod. Needlz)

Seeing that their first collaboration didn't work entirely as well as one may have hoped, Game grabs Nate Dogg for the second time in a row, and for a song that's unfortunately pretty much just as weak. As one may have deciphered from the title, this is a love song, something that Game would later stray away from in his career, as his usual lyrical content made this type of track seem disingenuous and rather forced. Sadly he had not learned this yet, and while his musings to this girl are fairly sweet, they're not at all what I want from Game's music, and really just feel a bit bland. And of course the woman already has a boyfriend - I mean, what self-respecting rapper would pursue a single woman? Honestly, man.... Once again, Nate Dogg (R.I.P., man) carries the hook with his excellent singing voice, but it's Game's lyrical content and the fairly underwhelming beat that make this one of the weaker tracks. However, I do find it funny how Game got Dr. Dre on the intro here, only to admit later on that he was having sex with this woman inside Dre's house. I mean, have some decency Game!

17. Don't Worry (feat. Mary J. Blige) (prod. Dr. Dre & Mike Elizondo)

After giving her a shout-out of sorts during the last song, Mary J. Blige gets her chance to shine on this cut, which is yet another love song. Sigh.... Thankfully, this one actually works a hell of a lot better than the previous cut, and this is largely thanks to Game letting Mary J. Blige take over the direction and majority of time on the track, and also is thanks to there being more of an actual concept here - if you remember, the previous track was just a generic love song. On this one, Mary plays Game's wife, and Game's character has clearly been locked up in jail for something, but Mary as his wife vows to stick by him through it, and continue to be with him by the time his sentence is over. The production on here is very well done, with the R&B pianos during Mary's extended singing portions changing into darker keys and a generally more hip-hop feel when The Game comes into rap, thereby really separating each portion of the song well. I also find the line "Just me hittin', like a beat from Dr. Dre" to be really hilarious - I don't know why Game wants to think about Dr. Dre while he's having sex, but his infamous line "and tell Dr. Dre to pick up the phone, before I climb through his window like, "Nigga, I'm home!"" might shed some light on that. Anyway, this is in my opinion a far better attempt at a love song than the previous cut - it's a shame Game never really managed to pull this off again (see "Around the World" and "Touchdown"). 

18. Like Father, Like Son (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. BuckWild)

The final song on this album is by far the most focused performance we have heard from The Game yet, as he recounts in great detail the moments surrounding his son's birth, a time which clearly held a great deal to him (Game actually had his son on the album cover of the deluxe version of The Documentary). The production here from BuckWild is easily one of my favourites on the album, with the chords being very pleasant, and those violins really just getting the listeners in their feels, which is presumably exactly what Game wanted with this one. The verses on this song are focused and include quite a few notable lines that really are quite profound coming from The Game - my favourite has to be "they say every time somebody die, a child is born: so I thank the nigga who gave his life for the birth of my son" - and his general passionate delivery and lyrics on here makes for one of the best performances the man has ever come out with. And on top of that, while he disappointingly doesn't deliver a verse, Busta Rhymes delivers a fantastic chorus in his surprisingly potent singing voice, where his baritone actually makes him sound like some kind of male choir (almost). And if I'm honest, even though Busta is one of my favourite MCs of all time, I'm glad he didn't have a verse here - it just helps the song be even more personal. This is arguably the best track on the whole album. 

In conclusion, I don't actually think The Documentary is a classic album - in fact, I don't even think it's The Game's best work. Sure, it's easy to make that statement listening to the first 11 songs, amongst which there's only one that I don't entirely enjoy (that'd be "Start From Scratch"), an incredible run, but to be a classic album, a project really needs to hold together throughout the whole runtime, and after that point, at least in my opinion, the album starts to show some notable inconsistencies. Both of the Nate Dogg collaborations feel fairly lifeless, which is a shame as they have two of his best hooks, and the song "Runnin'" is also a bit of a disappointment considering it's produced by Hi-Tek - on such a well-produced album, you'd expect the man to step his game up, not down. Whatever - this album is still really great, and contrary to what a lot of people seem to say, that's not simply down to 50 Cent at all. Yes, two of the best songs on the whole record are collaborations with the guy, but one ("Westside Story") literally has him on the hook, and the other ("Hate It Or Love It") has more Game than 50 as well. The only song on here that is more 50 Cent than The Game is "How We Do", and that's not even one of the best here, even though it's still pretty damned great. Everything else in terms of rapping on here is up to The Game besides verses from Tony Yayo and Eminem, and I must say that he does a great job of it - listening today, Game's rapping on here is even better than I remember from when I used to have this album on repeat years ago (I mean, I've listened to it since, but it's been a long time since I was first digesting this record), and although he's not exactly a genius with the wordplay or the punchlines, he still has a great flow and can come up with some really enticing subject matters and even hooks. Game's performance is great on here, and as for the production, it's really some of the best of the 2000s decade. Yes, not every beat hits, but when they do, they hit like a bullet train - the instrumentals on "Westside Story", "Higher" and "Put You On the Game" are three of the hardest I've ever heard, and some of the softer beats on songs like "Dreams", "Hate It Or Love It" and "Like Father, Like Son" also work incredibly well for Game despite his rough and angry voice. So yes, this album has it's inconsistencies in both production and Game's performance, but the amount of incredible songs on here certainly make it worth listening to, for any hip-hop head. And if Game hadn't made this album quite so long, then maybe it would be an easy classic - I guess we'll never know...

Best Tracks: Westside Story, Dreams, Hate It Or Love It, Higher, How We Do, Don't Need Your Love, Put You On the Game, The Documentary, We Ain't, Don't Worry, Like Father Like Son

Worst Tracks: Runnin', Where I'm From, Special

I haven't done any Game write-ups before, but there'll be more to come in the future!

Theodore Unit - 718

Following the success of his Def Jam debut The Pretty Toney Album, a project I suggest you folks go check out right now if you haven't already, rapper Dennis Coles, formerly known as Ghostface Killah, now known as simply Ghostface (a shortening that lasted for approximately one year, before the Def Jam bosses realised it was a fucking stupid idea), found himself with a pile of unused songs that his label had vetoed from appearing on his latest effort for whatever (probably sample-related) reason. Next to this on his secret bunker's carpeted floor lay a separate pile of Ghostface's friends from Staten Island that he had promised a spot on the new album, only for him to "accidentally" forget to include any of them except for Trife Da God. Ghost needn't have been a genius to work out what to do next. He had artists. He had half-finished songs. He had a (rather stupid) name for his crew. And, he had his own record label (Starks Enterprises). Of course, a group album was to be the outcome of this seemingly dire situation, and from this, Theodore Unit's debut group album 718 was born.

Upon arrival of this album on the store shelves at the local newsagent, hip-hop heads that picked up the project (because let's be real - no-one outside hardcore hip-hop fans was about to buy this record) may have been compelled to ask a couple of questions. What is "Theodore Unit", and where do all the members come from? Well, starting off with the head, we have Ghostface Killah (sorry - "Ghostface"), and if you don't know who that is then you probably shouldn't be on this blog in the first place - no offence. The second name on this front cover that should stand out to any self-respecting hip-hop nerd is that of Cappadonna - a name sure to strike fear in the heart of anyone buying an album after the year 1997. I mean seriously, what happened to that guy?? The only other name which 2004 buyers might have recognised would be Trife Da God, who had previously shown his face on both Ghost's Bulletproof Wallets and The Pretty Toney Album, and made a pretty good case for himself as Ghost's honourable sidekick if you ask me.

But what about the rest of them? Well, even an enormous nerd like me knows very little about Kryme Life and Du-Lilz, as the two of them make one appearance between them on this whole album (that would be the former on "Right Back"), before apparently both fell off the face of the Earth at approximately the same time shortly after this project's release (well, Kryme Life might have survived slightly longer, since he also appeared on the 2005 collab album from Ghost and Trife, which we'll get to soon). Wigs (or rather Shawn Wigs) is actually a white rapper who was first showcased on this record, but ended up sticking to Ghost's side the longest out of anyone here, which is an accomplishment he can be proud of (also, he rocked on 36 Seasons). And then Solomon Childs is an overly gruff gangster rapper who left the group for some less-than-friendly reasons, despite getting the longest amount of screen-time out of any MC here not called Ghostface or Trife. And as for the other two people on this cover... well, I guess Ghost has left their stage names up to the imagination. That, or he needed two more people to fill up the cover, and the Wu-Tang members still weren't speaking to him after he left them off The Pretty Toney Album.

Of course, it wasn't just the main members that showed up on this record - we also got features from Method Man (hell yeah!), Streetlife and Bone Crusher, all three of whom make up the supporting cast on what is an album otherwise filled with Ghostface rapping alongside what are essentially Wu-Tang d-teamers, and over production that is either left uncredited completely, or is done by people you've never heard of before, and probably wouldn't hear of again (that's of course not counting Anthony Acid or Emile). It's no wonder barely anyone actually bothered to buy this album then - surely it's rubbish! I mean, who wants to listen to Ghostface throwaways that have been peppered with verses from MCs you and all your friends don't give a single shit about?

Well, I do. And did. And that's why today, I'm going to be providing my thoughts on this group album that no-one has ever even heard. But at least I might put someone on?

1. Guerilla Hood (feat. Ghostface) (prod. Cilvaringz)

By the way, all of the tracks are listed as "featuring" the MC that appears on them - I guess "Theodore Unit" is an entity in its own right, then. This makes for the only Ghostface solo cut on the whole album, and therefore most that did pick the record up would probably have their highest expectations saved for it. After a short movie sample that indicates there may be some religious tone to this song and/or album, Ghost debunks the idea that it had anything to do with anything by choosing to deliver a beautifully soulful singing performance over this triumphant beat, and by "beautifully soulful" I of course mean "brutally awful". After this miserable opening which includes a prominent voice crack, Ghost redeems himself by offering two verses that aim to paint himself as a street thug and a man who was in jail after the release of Supreme Clientele, which is just simply not true. Still, Ghost's delivery is as energetic as it gets, and the lyrics on here are oftentimes hilarious, especially when it comes to lines like "fuck up a rapper on the regular" - only Ghost could come up with that. Also, the singing at the start is mercifully never repeated, with Ghost instead delivering a rapped hook for the song which is catchy enough. And if that beat doesn't remind you of the best of The Pretty Toney Album, then I don't know what will. A fantastic song. 

2. Punch In Punch Out (feat. Trife) (producer not credited)

I do find it funny how, aside from Trife, we don't actually hear any of the new members of Theodore until track 5 of the record - still, no-one ever accused any rappers of promoting their artists properly. I mean, seriously, what did you expect? Second out the gate on this album is Ghost's most frequent collaborator at this time Trife Da God, who spits over a fairly droning instrumental that still works fairly well thanks to the interesting sound effects that the producer, who apparently wasn't worth crediting in the booklet, incorporates into this beat. The song is slightly enhanced by Trife's energetic performance - the man doesn't sound like Ghost at all, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel he was trying to at times. Not that I blame him - if your mentor was a legend of the game you'd probably try to imitate him a bit too, especially this early in your career. On this song, Trife delivers two verses and a hook that big himself up, and attempt to prove his worth over other rappers and other drug dealers, and it's not a bad performance, even if nothing unique is really discussed. Trife does spend a portion of the second verse justifying the dealing of drugs with the lines "I know that hustling's a strenuous job, but if you see niggas gettin' money, why should you continue to starve?", and I did find that kind of funny in how serious he sounds saying it. This song is pretty good, but if you're looking for uniqueness, you're better off watching a 2020s episode of The Simpsons. 

3. '88 Freestyle (feat. Ghostface & Trife) (producer not credited)

Over the instrumental to Big Daddy Kane's song "Set It Off" (the release date of which gave this song its title), Ghost and Trife freestyle, which would have seemed strange until you realise this is technically an "Official Mixtape", or at least it is according to the strip down the side of the CD packaging. The fact that this takes its instrumental directly from an older song does at least explain why we don't get the producer credit, which is more than can be said for the last song, where the music apparently magicked itself up out of nowhere, so that's something. The lyrics on here pretty much echo the "I'm better than you" sentiment of the previous two songs, but since they're freestyling I'll give it the pass - hell, I'd rather hear that than a song about having sex with someone still in fucking high school (people who haven't heard "Strawberry"... may God continue to bless you). Still, it's kind of difficult to find any replay value here, especially considering the very intro here reminds you that this isn't an original instrumental at all, but I still like it, and the female singing in the bridge worked a hell of a lot better than one might expect. 

4. The Drummer (feat. Ghostface, Method Man, Streetlife & Trife) (prod. Self)

Probably the most popular song on this whole record, and don't believe it's just because of that enticing Method Man feature either. This is quite probably the best song on this album. The instrumental from someone called Self is straight from the gutter, utilising a female vocal sample that keeps it sounding modern, but also with hard-ass drums that act as almost a prelude to what we would hear in the Czarface albums of the 2010s. Meanwhile, the four MCs eschew the usual conventions of what a mainstream rap song is structured like, and instead deliver their bars in a random order with no hook, often ad-libbing during their partner's sections of the song. This whole track is random in nature, but that helps its case, as do the actual performances from the four, as they're bloody great. Starks begins the song by dissing the woman that Method Man bought to the Grammys with him, before then actually praising the man, which was a bit random but oh well. Street and Trife, acting as the underdogs on this one, seize their chance to shine whilst their superiors start singing in unison, and use their next two verses to provide some boastful lyricism that goes down a treat, before Ghost comes back in. Method doesn't actually come in until halfway through the track, and although the odds were stacked against him coming off the critically panned Tical 0: The Prequel, he proves the naysayers wrong by bodying the track, and dissing Shaquille O'Neal just for good measure. The rest of this song follows in the same footsteps, with all four MCs proving their own different worth (Ghost's humour, Meth's swag, Trife and Street's clever boasts) over a timeless beat. If they had thrown this on a Ghost studio album rather than this obscure group effort, then I have no doubt it would be considered a hip-hop classic, but for now it remains an underrated gem that only the real fans can access. Brilliant song. 

5. Gatz (feat. Shawn Wigs, Ghostface & Solomon Childs) (prod. Anthony Acid)

Ghost probably realised that there wasn't any misspelled titles on this album last minute, and in a rush he closed his eyes and put his finger on the sheet of paper with the proposed songs on, and landed on this track. That's surely the only way we can explain why the hell this song is called "Gatz". I mean, what the hell kinda title is that? More importantly, however, this is the first time for us fans hearing Shawn Wigs and Solomon Childs, and Ghost gives them the full showcase on here, reserving himself to only the intro and hook, and letting them handle the verses. Said intro in which Ghost argues with an unknown gentleman about hogging the alcohol is pretty hilarious, but then Ghost orders DJ Kay Slay to drop the beat, which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that Kay Slay isn't actually anything to do with this song. Huh. Anthony Acid (what a name that is!!) does come through with a brilliantly energetic instrumental though, one full of great percussion and fun, upbeat horns. Shawn Wigs comes across as a little too alike Ghost and Trife for my liking on here, but I still enjoy his verse, even if it isn't The Source Quotable Of the Month-worthy like he claims. Also, I like how he addresses his skin colour too, even if white MCs were fully accepted into the community by '04. Ghost's quick but very repetitive chorus is all kinds of terrible, though, and then we come to Solomon Childs, who appears to rely on his gruff voice and "get 'em" ad-lib to qualify him as a "rapper", as as far as I could tell there was little in the way of actual rhymes or flow during his verse. This song has its bad and good, then, but as a whole it's fairly entertaining, if definitely not something for your "best of Ghostface" playlist. 

6. Who Are We? (feat. Bone Crusher, Ghostface & Trife) (prod. Dirty Dean)

Aside from his name making him sound like he's the local paedo, "Dirty Dean" (man, you can't help but laugh at that name) provides a pretty entertaining instrumental on here, that sounds quite rich and old-school, and compliments Bone Crusher's rough hook vocals to keep an air of menace about the song. Speaking of Bone Crusher, I don't know if he had grit surgically placed in his vocal chords when he was a kid or something, but his voice on this hook is as rough as the mixing on Murs' debut album, and it's as excellent too. After an intro which wasn't really necessary (I would have just let the instrumental run), Trife comes in with a pretty nice and rather aggressive verse, which does include the second use of a homophobic slur on here, so that's not so nice. His lyrical content revolves around how dangerous he is and how other MCs aren't as real, and it's solid, but really I do wish the guy'd come up with some humour now and then. As for Ghost, he begins things with a bit of silly singing (seriously, why does he do that all the time??), but then he redeems himself similarly to how he did on the first track, by offering up a great verse full of those beautifully abstract references that he is so well-known for. This one is pretty great, and if you're looking for something to scare your party guests off, then that Bone Crusher hook is the perfect thing. 

7. Smith Brothers (feat. Ghostface & Trife) (prod. Smith Bros.)

A remake of sorts of the song "Smith Bros." from Raekwon's 2003 album The Lex Diamond Story (which I'll get to eventually, I promise!), in that it uses exactly the same instrumental, which I must say is a pretty good one (it's also provided by a duo that gave both the songs their name). The beat is pretty chilled out, but it still works a treat in my opinion at allowing the MCs to shine. Ghost comes with the first verse, delivering a hilarious performance including great disses such as "you get amped off of Pepsi", and a line that boasts about how Ghost has working elevators in his home, meanwhile you don't, bitch! Trife has a similarly good verse that does admittedly recycle content from the previous few songs, but oh well - remember, this is a mixtape. This song would be great, if it weren't for one facet - the bloody hook. The chorus starts off well enough, with Ghost telling the poor person he's holding a gun to the face of to not get nervous on him, which is pretty funny. Unfortunately, it is utterly ruined by the miserably bad interpolation of Queen's "We Will Rock You" that literally hurts my ears whenever it's on. That one part of the song makes it easily one of the, if not the weakest here. I just can't do it, man. 

8. Mama Can You Hear Me (feat. Solomon Childs) (prod. Nexus)

Based on his performance on "Gatz", I can't imagine listeners were exactly fiending for the three Solomon Childs solo songs that appear on this album, but there we are I suppose. This song goes down pretty well, though, although that's largely thanks to the soulful and quite wondrous beat from Nexus, which helps Solomon to actually find a flow once or twice on the song. The man also does find an alternate perspective to the up-front gangsta attitude displayed on this album so far, instead showing a slightly more personal side by calling out to his mum on this song to save him from the street life that he wishes he could leave behind. I do like that aspect of the song, but it doesn't change the fact that the guy barely bothers to flow or rhyme on this track, which automatically causes it to fail in my book. "You know I don't sound like nobody else" - yes, but in this case that's not really a positive. It's a shame that this song doesn't work - that beat is nice as hell. 

9. Paychecks (feat. Ghostface & Trife) (prod. D Prosper, co-prod. Kdef)

This song was released as a promotional single off of this album I believe, and it's pretty easy to see why, as despite the over-the-top profanity, this is one of the better songs on the whole record. This instrumental sounds more like something Ghost would rhyme over in his Fishscale days, as instead of the dramatic jazz we heard on The Pretty Toney Album, here the music is laid back and quite abstract sounding, and my God is it good. Hearing Ghost on here is definitely a relief after that previous Solomon Childs song, and he re-introduces himself in the best way, with an aggressive and energetic verse that is just want we want from early 2000s Ghost, overly violent imagery and all. The hook is catchy too, and Trife provides a nice performance, before Ghost rounds things out with a short but sweet second verse and a second rendition of the hook as well. Yeah, this isn't mind-blowing, but it really does just scream Ghostface to me, and that's why I love it. 

10. Wicked With Lead (feat. Ghostface & Trife) (prod. Kdef)

Another team-up of this gruesome twosome - it's no wonder they got together for a collab album the very next year. The instrumental on here is very potent, with a great groove to it, and the chorus is hella catchy too, even if it does insinuate, uhh, cannibalism. During his first verse, Ghost attempts to insinuate that he's "lethal" for asking a painting (specifically the Mona Lisa) for sex, which was interesting to hear, before then claiming (falsely) that a Lifetime Achievement Award awaited him. Trife's verse is similarly filled with bullshit, as the man claims the honour of starting the fashion that was wearing a doo rag under a cap. I mean, that's literally just a lie, my man. Still, the pair's abstract musings that contrast with the brutally direct hook come together over this dope beat to make for a very entertaining song. I like it, so sue me. 

11. Daily Routine (feat. Shawn Wigs) (prod. Emile)

Shawn Wigs delivers exactly what the title leads one to assume - a recount of his general daily life over a percussion-heavy and, again, quite groovy instrumental from Emile (yes, that's the Emile who would later go on to work with Kid Cudi. Crazy where life takes you sometimes). The song is delivered in an entirely positive light, as Shawn recounts meetings with various stars of the rap game including Method Man and the group Black Moon, getting pulled over by the police for no reason (this sentiment doesn't really make a whole lot of sense considering Shawn is white, but OK), and even hearing some previously unreleased Ghostface Killah material, which is probably the most exciting prospect here. This track is probably the most creative track on the disc so far, and for that it gets the easy pass - this Shawn Wigs guy is pretty good!

12. Right Back (feat. Trife & Kryme Life) (no producer credited)

Since no producer was credited for this song, I sort of hoped it was going to be spit over the instrumental for the legendary "Right Back At You" song from Mobb Deep's The Infamous album, but sadly, no such luck. This abrasive beat is one of the weakest here, but it's not like it's embarrassing enough to request your name be stripped of relation to it, unnamed producer! Trife begins this one by building up to what one might assume may be the Kryme Life verse, since the dude is yet to show up on here, but then at the end reveals that he was simply hyping up himself, and begins his verse with the rather hilarious but also rather bloody stupid lyric "sort of like a water pipe, I'm ready to blow", and that sets the tone from there for a fairly generic verse. The hook is poor, and Kryme Life sounds like he's consciously trying to do a Ghostface Killah impression on here. Or maybe all the dudes from Ghost's circle just sound a bit like him? Whatever - this really isn't that great. 

13. Pass The Mic (feat. Theodore Unit) (prod. Kdef)

This song is labelled intriguingly as "feat. Theodore Unit", which suggests that the whole entourage listed on the front cover is going to contribute to this one. This isn't strictly the case, though - the song starts with a bit of speaking from someone who might be Du-Lilz, but I really don't know, and it's followed up by performances from Wigs, Ghost, Trife, and Cappadonna, who has been conspicuous by his absence up to now, thank God. However, Solomon Childs merely speaks about twice on here in the interludes, and Kryme Life doesn't bother to show up at all. The labelling on here is a bit misleading then, but thankfully the song itself does work very well. The instrumental from K-Def is old-school as hell, incorporating some dope horns, and an incredible bassline that helps keep the track intense and moving forward with an urgency. Shawn and Trife both deliver some competent verses, with the latter seeming to diss rappers who walked around with their shirt off in videos - a 50 Cent diss? Probably. Ghost comes through with his last verse on the record, and utilises an even more raspy delivery than usual to compliment that grimy beat. And, in the biggest surprise of this whole project, Cappadonna actually performs well - sure, the first two bars are miserably accurate and also don't rhyme, but after that he's got a dope flow and some fun lyrics too, and he ends the verse in a good way as well. This song is an excellent posse cut - there should have been more like this on here. 

14. Work (feat. Solomon Childs) (prod. Skillspinc)

Another Solomon Childs solo song, only unlike the last one he did it's spit over a cheap (but admittedly quite haunting) beat, and hasn't got the unique sentiment of his previous solo effort on here. Maybe if the guy could flow and rhyme I would give him a chance, but I just can't be doing with a chap who sounds like he put all the effort into his vocal delivery and absolutely nothing else. Props for giving himself an alibi 20 years in advance for some of the recent debacles in the music industry, though: "P. Diddy and R. Kelly, I don't know those motherfuckers" - I mean, that really did age well. 

15. It's the Unit (feat. Shawn, Cappadonna, Kline & Ghostface) (prod. Emile)

You know what's annoying? On every song so far, Shawn Wigs has been credited by his full name, but on here it's just "Shawn". Why is it that rap CDs always have at least one goddamn mistake?! Anyway, on with it. I said on track 13 that that was Ghost's final verse on here, and I was telling the truth, believe me - on this fairly triumphant cut he only delivers the lethargic chorus, that aims to paint "Theodore" as some kind of superhero organisation, but ends up actually sounding like it's trying to promote a cleaning product on television. And sadly, this stupid chorus kind of sets the tone for the song from here on out. Cappadonna begins his verse by sounding like he's about to start dissing 50 Cent, but just as that's about to get going he ends up getting completely sidetracked, and never brings it up again. Shawn Wigs fairs slightly better, but I really couldn't tell you a single point of worth he made during that verse. I presume Kline was the guy shouting behind Ghost in the chorus, not that I or anyone else knows who the hell that actually is. Oh, and Emile's beat was solid, but honestly nothing to rave about, and doesn't really touch his work on "Daily Routine". Oh well. 

16. Be My Girl (feat. Solomon Childs) (prod. Milestone)

I'm sure most listeners ejected the CD at this point, given the only song left is yet another Solomon Childs solo song, and if the title was anything to go by it would be a love song - I mean, who the hell would want to hear that?? Well, me, that's who. Yeah, this song is actually really, really good. Solomon sounds a hell of a lot more passionate on this than any of his previous attempts at writing a "verse" on this album, and the production compliments him surprisingly well, resulting in an incredibly heartfelt track that is probably one of the best on the whole album. Yes, this might not have worked on any other album, but given the brutishness displayed so far on this record (from both him and his co-workers), this song felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air. A really stellar way to close the record out.

718 isn't exactly the most riveting album you're going to hear, and it certainly could have toned down on the violent and aggressive thug lyrics, but still, the project is pretty good for an album full of rappers nobody's ever heard of. The production on this album is very consistent, with most of these beats sounding rich and well put together, and nearly all of the drums on here get the head nodding with ease. Honestly, the only beats here that underwhelmed were those on tracks 14 and 15, and even those weren't bad - they just weren't that good either. Otherwise, you have great beats throughout, whether it be the rugged "The Drummer", the bangin' "Pass the Mic", the triumphant "Guerilla Hood" or the incredibly relaxing "Paychecks". Honestly, for an album with such a little-known bunch of producers, this thing is really well-produced. Now, the consistency when it comes to the MCs on here is admittedly not as potent, but that's not to say these rappers are bad - they just aren't always that great to me. First of all, Trife Da God tries way too hard to portray himself as this ruthless thug from the streets on here, which kind of causes him to forget that he's supposed to be a rapper - this led to each of his performances becoming less entertaining as we went through the album. And despite the positive things I had to say about his final song here, Solomon Childs really isn't a very good MC. His gruff voice is pretty entertaining, but the man's incredibly lacklustre rhyme schemes and complete absence of flow make for two of the least enjoyable songs on the record - "Work" is probably the worst here thanks to it having one of the weaker beats too. Out of the three main MCs to be showcased here (besides Ghostface, that is), I'd say that Shawn Wigs probably does the best - he comes with arguably the best verse on the whole album with his performance on "Daily Routine", and he isn't used anywhere near as much as Trife, which means his lyrics don't get old fast, and remain good on all his performances. Cappadonna also surprised me on "Pass the Mic", which was good. And now, let's talk about the host of the project, mr. Tony Starks, who really does shine on here. It's sometimes difficult to believe that a lot of these songs were The Pretty Toney Album leftovers, as Ghost's lyrics are nowhere near as thematic as they were on that project, and instead adopt a Supreme Clientele type of abstract-ness. And of course the man's energy is as exciting as ever - but what else did you expect on that front? Yeah, Ghost really does a great job here, and his solo song is one of the best on the album too. And how could I finish without once again mentioning the brilliant anthem that is "The Drummer" - when it comes to 2000s Wu, that's got to be one of the best songs out there. So, while 718 is quite problematic, I'd still recommend this to fans of that 2000s-era Ghost. The rapping is pretty great, and the production on this album is super dope too. The fact that this was his worst project up until 2009 is just testament to how damn consistent Ghostface Killah really is. 

I know this album isn't really a "record label compilation" as such, but I'm still going to grade it as such. Remember the QB Finest review? No? Fuck it. 

The Good: Guerilla Hood, Punch In Punch Out, '88 Freestyle, The Drummer, Who Are We?, Paychecks, Wicked With Lead, Daily Routine, Pass the Mic, Be My Girl

The Mediocre: Gatz, Mama Can You Hear Me, Right Back, It's the Unit

The Bad: Smith Brothers (any song with that hook has to go here, I'm sorry), Work

Catch up on my other Ghostface Killah related write-ups here!!