The game is funny no? Just over a year ago, if you polled any hip-hop head, which member of The Lox that they predicted was ready to make waves as a solo-artist, it’s a good bet most of those voters would have given a ringing endorsement to the group’s most lauded member Jadakiss. However, as those same perspective heads are still shaking off the disappointment from Jada’s Kiss The Game Goodbye, or as we endearingly refer to it at Hiphopsite; Kiss The Buzz Goodbye, it is Jada’s fellow Lox cohort, the man who has never meet a nickname he didn’t like (Pinero, Holiday, The Ghost, etc.) Styles P, who has taken a bit of the shine that was once reserved for Jada.

The increased anticipation for Styles solo-debut, A Gangsta And A Gentleman, is largely attributed to his two heavy-rotation singles, “The Life (Bonus Track)” feat. Pharaohe Monch on a hook that pushes that track to another level and the ode to Mary Jane, “Good Times”, where Styles rides a welcomed change of pace from Swizz Beatz thanks to his adaptation of Freda Payne’s “I Get High (On Your Memory)”

Though cut from the same cloth as previous Ruff Ryders releases; “Ya’ll Know We In Here” f/ Swizz & P.K and “And I Came To…” feat. Eve, both lean heavily to the synth heavy sound that the crew has become synonymous with. Yet, A Gangsta And A Gentleman is more then blunts, bitches and guns and the fact that Styles attempts to display other aspects of his persona helps make the LP a more palatable listening experience. While his exterior may be rough, Styles does have a tender side, as he details his love for Mom Dukes on “Black Magic” feat. Angie Martinez, sheds light on the passing of his younger sibling with “Brother” (“pain so deep/I find it hard to cope”) and even waxes philosophical on the guitar laced “Listen”, which touches on the double-standards that the young black male is subjected too.

However, besides the “I Got A Story To Tell” steez of “Nobody Believes Me” f/ Sheek Of The Lox and Cross, which resembles Nas’ “I Gave You Power” in concept, the rest of this LP is straight up NY criminology circa 2002; exemplified by the Alchemist produced “A Gangster And A Gentlemen” that chronicles Styles ascension from “nickel bags to keys”, the pushing weight saga of “Latino” and the sizzling DJ Clue and Duro produced “We Thugs (My Niggas)” f/ Sheek and a dazzling 16 from Jada “I know a few dudes doing life bids in jail, and there way smarter then them white kids at Yale”. While Styles rather controlled flow can get monotonous, a needed burst of intensity is supplied by the forever energetic M.O.P. on “Yall Don’t Wanna Fuck” where Styles holds his own with the usually scene-stealing bombers from Brownsville.

Though Styles solo jawn will be jocked in the grimiest sectors of NY’s boroughs, the replay value is minimal, as the two gems radio cannot get enough of this summer is where most of the fast-forward time will be devoted too. With A Gangsta And A Gentleman, we get a better idea of what makes Styles tick and minus a few wrinkles we get the expected. But perhaps Styles sums it up best on “Black Magic”—”If you want to know my horoscope, listen to the bars I wrote.”