For the last few years Daz has maintained some sort of relevance to the game through the independent scene, touring, and his production.  After somewhat of a fight, Dillenger returns with his newest opus via (believe it or not) So So Def.  Yes, So So Def.  Linking up with JD, Daz hopes to cash in on all his hard work and ride once again. 

     Completely reinvigorated, Daz sounds more polished on this LP than ever before.  As evidenced on the NO I.D. produced “Thang on My Hip”, Daz hits fans with sharp punches over the hypnotic piano laced back drop. The Dogg Pound Gangsta continues with the verbal gangbangin’ on the Ice Cube featured “Strizap”. The murky bass line and gunshots of the Daz production meshes well with the G’d up tales of his favorite ratchets.  However, Daz is outshined by Cube with rapid fire bars like, “that shit you did should be a fell-o-nee/that’s what they keep tellin’ me/that’s that Dogg from the L-B-C/Now they wanna put him to sleep/S to the T to the R-A-P/Pull it out first, then put Them to sleep /grab that and split him in the back of my jeep/drag him to two-one street”.

     Apologies to the DPGC fans, because all ain’t so gangsta for Daz considering this album ultimately is a So So Def production.  Hoping to garner the club obsessed youth of today, the album is filled with tracks that scream ‘play me on the radio!’, like the gritty flute tinged “Weekend”, and the yawn inducing “Badder Than A Mutha”. Although the former is danceable while still maintaining Daz’s gangsta sound, the latter is by far the most obvious pot shot at the ladies and the aforementioned clubs.

    Listeners, don’t get it twisted, for the album is NOT a complete disaster.  Daz sounds completely at home amongst the Dogg Pound brethren on “DPG Fo’ Life”.  The straight Left side posse cut glides smoother than a freshly tricked out rag top rollin’ through traffic on a warm Cali afternoon. The up tempo track blends perfectly with Snoops silky slick vocals, Daz’s energetic flow, and even Soopafly’s six simple bars. The song is a standout, but Daz truly shines the most with his partner in rhyme, Kurupt, on the oh so grimy “Money On My Mind”.  The Scott Storch production is loaded with high pitch leads, chimes, and rugged guitar licks which provide a wonderful foundation for Tha Dogg Pound to display their back and forth delivery on the mic.

     All in all, ‘So So Gangsta’ is filled with missteps throughout.  Blatant crossover attempts, one dimensional lyrics, and weak hooks thwart Daz’s opportunity to smack the mainstream in the face with his own brand of Cali Hip Hop. Fortunately for those that look forward to the man’s music, the discs few saving graces alone are potent enough to make it worth copping.

Now aligned with Coup D’e Tat, Rasco returns with Escape From Alcatraz, which opens with the obvious voice samples detailing the difficulties of pulling a Clint Eastwood off the now closed prison—these sound bytes also just happen to draw parallels with Rasco’s own past label troubles.  While the agitated tone of Escape threatens to transform it into another rendition of Industry Shakedown, Rasco gets grounded on the guitar tinged “U Got The Time”, lets loose on a certain industry acquaintance on “Get Free” and trades verses with Charli 2na (where’s the solo jawn?) on the grimier “Sweet Science”.  

While Rasco displays his mic prowess on the introspective “All I Wanna Be” and “My Life” and hits harder with stand outs such as the aforementioned “Snakes In The Grass (The Jon Sexton Story)” and “Making U Move”.  A slew of under-developed hooks zap the strength of “Real Hot”, “Lets Get Down Tonight” and “Put Your Hands Up.”

Though conceptually engaging, Escape From Alcatraz would have benefited from some quality control and stronger hooks.  Yet, Rasco does accomplish enough to at the very least keep us intrigued for his next endeavor. 

On Kurupt’s latest outing, Against The Grain, Young Gotti serves up an album chocked full of the expected—hardcore verbiage, but again without consistent production (Daz we need you).  The party gets unceremoniously started with “Load Up”, a lazy bass line driven track with a dated production style that would make Rodney O smack Joe Cooley.  Unfortunately antiquated production becomes a disturbing trend within the album; exemplified by “Gangsta Noize” (which is exactly that) and “U Ain’t Tha Homie”, where Kurupt’s lyrics erupt like a volcano, but is matched up with another snoozer behind the boards.  Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, Kurupt and the DPG clique do the unimaginable, and perform their own rendition of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” with “Gangsta Perogative”, which even without a Ja Rule appearance is painfully corny.

However, like his last few solo-outings, Tha Kingpin continues to keep us interested due to flashes of his old self.  An unlikely standout track is the soulful “One, Two” feat. Everlast, as his gloomy blues guitar riffs compliment Kurupt nicely and “I Keep Tryin’”, where Kurupt poignantly laments, “what’s next/more complex/situations/variations/different obstacles facin’/or so it seems/I’m kicked out/I’m only 18/life’s a scheme/money and caviar dreams/any hesitation/money motivation/secure your situation/keep racing/and paper chasing/I’m a far ways from home/but I’m goin’ do it on my own.”  Yet, Kurupt saves the best for last, as the LP’s closer, “Don’t Go To Sleep” features a union between the DPG and the late great 2Pac.  Over a rattling percussion break and a dark bass groove, Pac steals the show, “Pictures are plenty/sippin’ my glass full of Henney/hands on my semi/automatic/kill for pennies/approach for contact/since I’m live/I multiply/as soon as I open fire/niggas die with open eyes/scared to take a nap/it’s a trap/a long maze/dreamin’ of getting stacks/makin’ scratch the wrong way/what the song say?/we murder muthafuckas daily/blackout/blow the track out/my lyrics never fail me/I inhale strong weed/to release the stress?”

Filled with peaks and valleys, Hip Hop’s fickle audience is going to expect more from Kurupt with Against The Grain.  And with over 11 years of experience in this game, they should. 

Although Smokefest can be considered Phil’s freshmen solo endeavor, this self-released endeavor sure doesn’t show it.  He let’s vets know how to open up an LP with “Blunted”, a lyrically thick track that weds raw verbalistics with a swaggering flute in the backdrop.  Fortunately, the pace rarely slows from there, as Phil picks up right where he left off, with Likwit co-member, Defari, on “Clear The Lane”.  The cut features hauntingly wonderful key drops over rumbling drum kicks, giving both Likwit brethren the opportunity to let lose on wack emcees.  Defari takes charge of the song with his verbal assault, “Fuck lunch/I’ve been hungry/starving like a vulture/I dedicate myself/to elevate the culture…”

Not forsaking any opportunities to show crew love, Phil Da Agony continues to integrate his brethren on the hot potato mic session, “Likwit Crew Connection” and “Live At Master Control” which features Krondon, Chace Infinite, Dilated Peoples, and Jurassic 5 going line for line over an ever so soulful sample over a crisp boom bap. 

While there are a plethora of guest spots, Phil does go for dolo on four different freestyle sessions, including “Phil The Agony Freestyle 2″, where he spits, “We roll tight/with the right recognition/on a mission/you get knocked out of position/at nights/late night/breathing on the mic/with the jaws of life/on the cordless mic/called it the heights/that’s right/South Crescent Heights intoxicated/Dilated/reinstated/on paper/over qualified/making y’all catch up to us/popular/watchin’ ya/right on top of ya…”

Yet, underneath the pillows of smoke and gutted dutches that Smokefest leaves in its wake are a few plodding efforts that fail to resound; including the contrived “Train Hard” “Nucleus”, “Give It Up” and the gimmicky “Watch Out”.  The latter, is the album’s lone lyrically deficient cut, as Phil spouts out repeated warnings to listeners.  However, Phil compensates for these missteps with the 808 kick of “Classical Hits” w/ Planet Asia and King Tee (I smell a comeback) assisted “Back Up” where a prodding chime is combined with an eerie bass line. While Smokefest isn’t thought provoking, Phil comes off as the Left Coast’s answer to Redman —-dope lyrics, hard production, and pure entertainment.  Sometimes, that’s enough!!

Though Supernat has recorded over three-LP’s worth of material (some of which was produced by KRS-ONE and Djinji Brown) that has yet to be resurrected, for the time being, the lyrical locomotive is back, with his first official release: The Lost Freestyle Files.  Freestyle Files opens up with the DJ Rhettmatic produced lead-single, “Internationally Known” and the dreamy chopped loops mixed with a hint of Primo-ish scratches provides Supernatural the perfect platform to kick in the door—”Most deadliest on the mic/I’m like the king cobra/with the poisonous strike.”  And Joe Buhdha provides a soulful backdrop for Supernatural’s massive posse cut “Work It Out” w/ members of Jurassic 5 along with Iriscience. 

But what would a Supernatural album be without freestyles?  Witness both parts one and two of “A Piece of Hip Hop History,” which were both lifted from Strech and Bobbito’s radio show where Nat spits “Yo Bobbito/Yo I kick my drills/I’m in the studio right now/for a fact/talking about them brothas out there smokin’ crack/I got a style/a style that goes wild?”  Other highlights include the Sway and Tech freestyle, “Wake Up L.A.!” and “Flashbacks”.  For the nostalgic heads, we have the coveted early 90s CMJ battle vs. Craig G, “Clash of the Titans”.  This classic and highly emotional battle features Supernat’ waging war with lines like, “I tell you what Craig/You really don’t sound like you used to/You ain’t had a deal/Since you rolled with the Juice Crew?”

However, the album is not without its flaws, especially when it comes to sleepers “Suckaz” and the freestyle session, “Flashbacks”.  While the latter does contain dope lyrics, the production comes off as a contrived effort just for the sake of being differant, as the track is both haunting and distracting, which takes the focus off of Nat.  On the flipside, the Joe Buhdha banger, “Cosmic Slop”, will keep listener’s fingers near the repeat button.  The quite bouncy and futuristic soundscape is just right for Supernatural to wow fans with his supreme cadence and breath control.

Plain and simple: The Lost Freestyle Files is not for everybody.  It’s heavy with battle rhymes, but even heavier with freestyles.  The historical battles, and powerful rhymes will keep real Hip-Hoppers locked.  Unfortunately the average listeners will have to appreciate the album for what it is-a compilation of freestyles, with a few actual songs.

A la 50 Cent, DP takes some very recognizable instrumentals and flips them by adding a social activist twist.  “That’s War!” which jacks the production from Black Rob’s “Whoa”, hit’s harder than the original version.  M1 opens up, “The cops stop you just cuz you Black/That’s war/run you through the system for your prints/that’s war/when they call my hood a drug zone/that’s war/slumlord charging you for rent/that’s war/why they so rich/we poor/that’s war.” 

Dead Prez follow up on “We Need A Revolution”, where they jack Timbaland’s beat from Aaliyah’s “We Need A Resolution”.  As potent as the message is, the effort comes off contrived.  However, they more than make up for it on the “Juicy” robbed “B.I.G. Respect”, with introspective bars like, “It was all a dream/started organizing in my late teens/Malcolm X and Huey P who I wanna be/Marcus Garvey on my wall/I was just a young ‘G/thought I been through it all.”

On the skit, “Hit Me, Hit Me”, DP continues to urge the upper class to contribute to their cause.  The lyrical “Food, Clothes, + Shelter pt. 2″, is a smack up the side of the head to those day dreaming heads in the music industry.  Stic.Man lamnets, “Don’t be scared of Malcolm X/cuz he died for ya/niggas don’t go platinum/record companies go platinum/niggas be happy if anything come back to them/jack the rims off ya Lexus/snatch ya necklace/sell it off/and give the homeless a hot breakfast.” As potent as their messages are, some uninspiring production occasionally detracts from those sentiments, exemplified by the south coast influenced, “Soulja Life Mentality”. Further, The uplifting “Get Up”, is laced with handclaps and synths, to make any revolutionary jump up.  However the track falls victim to a weak chorus.  “Know Your Enemy” doesn’t do Dead Prez much justice either.  Luckily, the lyrics are strong enough to carry the song.  Luckily a few gems lie within “It Was Written” and  “Sellin’ D.O.P.E.”. 

Dead Prez show great promise and skill in terms of giving the people what they “need”.  Unfortunately they have difficulty giving the fans what they “want”.    Fans of Dead Prez will enjoy the message, but will have to dust off Let’s Get Free for any real inspiration.

Being a Gemini fashion, 2Pac again changes gears and shows us his innermost feelings and thoughts.  Although it was recycled, the remixed “My Block”, is twice as soulful as the original that appeared on the Poetic Justice OST.  This time using children singing the hook, Pac spits depressing bars like, “And I can’t help but wonder why/so many young kids had to die/Caught strays from AK’s and the drive-by/Swollen pride and homicide, don’t coincide/Brothers cry for broken lives, mama come inside/Cause our block is filled with danger/Used to be a close knit community but now we’re all cold strangers.”

Then there’s the ultimate version of the ghetto blues on the title track, “Better Dayz”.  Produced by Johnny J, “Better Dayz” is saturated with Ron Isley’s crooning, while Pac spits about the everyday Black experience.  The song will remind listeners why he was important to Hip-Hop-almost everybody can relate, “I  got a girl and I love her but she broke too, and so am I/I can’t take her to the place she wanna go to/So we argue and play fight, all day and night/Makin passionate love ’til the daylight/Plus we about to get evicted, can’t pay the rent/Guess it’s time to see who really is yo’ friend/Tell me you pregnant and I’m amazed/So many blessings while we stressing/Lookin for them better dayz.”

As real as Pac was, he often blurred the line between bride and bitch.  This time Jazze Pha provides fans with smooth rhythms over a syncopated drum on “U Can Call”.  2pac quickly follows up successfully with “Fame”.  The song is depressing at times because heads will be given a reminder as to why we missed his baritone. Pac glides up and down the track singing a catchy hook about the paper chase.  His fam, the Outlawz, fit like a glove with 2pac, bringing the audience back to the beautiful chemistry that was prevalent on the Makaveli album (Don Illuminati: The 7 Day Theory). 

Unfortunately, the album slips up at times like past posthumous efforts.  Cuts like “Fair Xchange” and “Thugz Mansion (Acoustic)” are both featured twice on the album as separate remixes.  Although “Thugz Mansion” is wonderfully done with an acoustic guitar and no drums, it still becomes redundant hearing the same words on two songs.  Also, the DJ Quik crafted, “Late Night” had already appeared on Suge Knight’s Chronic 2000. 

While Better Dayz does a better job at preserving Pac’s legacy then previous efforts, it still frequently smells like a contrived effort from two Executive Producers who are eager to cash in on Pac’s hold over Hip Hop—can we just get one great disc?

Game Tight opens up with the foul combination of Bad Meets Evil (Eminem And Royce), on “Nuttin’ To Do”.  Over light hearted production both Royce and Em display lyrical cruelty.  Royce shines the brightest, mainly because Slim’s flow sounds dated in comparison to what he is doing now.  On the Price Is Right sampled “My Flow Is Tight”, Lord Digga performs a verbal gang bang on listeners and artists, unfortunately the beat is too busy and sugar coated for anyone to ride and still sound hard.  Blahzay Blahzay brings it back to the real on “Federal Reserve Notez”,  with street tales to satisfy any head, the menacing break gives them the right platform to paint a vivid crime tale.  The highlight of the album is the Grand Theft Auto 3 favorite, “Rising To The Top” with Sean Price and Agallah. Sean P. kills the track with bars like, “Yet we all cool Pa anybody can get it/Winchesters, Remingtons, any shotty I hit it/Yo/Dress sloppy/but my rap is dappa/watch Rosewood/Go outside and slap a cracka.”

Unfortunately things take a turn for the worse on “Hit ‘Em Up”.  P. Dap equipped with a DMX-ish flow, is very forgettable.  50 Cent receives an ‘A’ for effort, but the track wasn’t worth the try.  However, things look up on Royce Da 5’9′s “I’m The King”.  The Alchemist produced cut has a hypnotic chime that will lock listeners in trance with Royce’s braggadocio flows. 

Another star of Game Tight is Pretty Ugly, who sports a flow both original and addictive. On “Stack G’s Regardless”, Pretty hits us with “I’m a villain/I hate Lil’ Zane/I wanna kill him/he sound like Pac/but his words got no feelin’/that nigga tellin’ lies/I can see it in his eyes/he’s a bitch in disguise/and I hate them kind of guys/I don’t think he’s goin’ last that long/that 112 song he did wasn’t luke warm/it’s Pretty Ugly/I should’ve been on/and now that I’m on/you rappers are gonna hate me/and Lil’ Kim/I want you to have my baby.”

Armed with bluesy RZA inspired production, 8-Off Agallah follows up nicely on “Five Star Millas”.  Pretty Ugly and Royce Da 5’9″ the trade off verses on “Spit Game”.  The banger will bump nicely in both the headphones and in the club. The tag team Bad Meets Evil (Royce and Em) return on “Scary Movies”.  Both Royce and Eminem hurl threatening bars over a dramatic sample, and a head snapping drum.
 
Besides sleepers “Rowdy Niggaz” and the title track, Game Tight should be copped.  Once heads figure out which cuts are filler songs, Game Tight will receive heavy rotation.

Though Rock City has been widely bootlegged (and even released officially in Europe). V 2.0 includes six new tracks (to coincide with Koch’s formal release) from the version which was originally recorded for Columbia.  While these six new entries are not entirely “brand new” (“Nickel Nine Is” and “Soldiers Story” have made the rounds before) they do offer a grimier contrast to the flashier material he recorded for Columbia.  Minus these notable exceptions,  Rock City V. 2.0 still highlights the best and worst of Royce’s world.  With a short linguistic gang bang on the intro, “Its Tuesday’ explains why Planet Rap needs to open its ears to his skills. He then follows up with the Eminem  blessed “Rock City”, which continues to highlight the uncanny chemisty between the D’s finest emcees. While Royce spits the real about the ins and outs of Detroit over a dramatic orchestra themed back drop, Eminem gets busy on the hook, adding his patented vocal distortions throughout. 

The trumpeting, commercially scented “Off Parole” is, well, stale. The repetitive opening bars are disappointing, and won’t give anyone a reason to sit through the whole song.  There is light at the end of tunnel, as Royce’s spits with fervor over DJ Premier’s noticeable synth and scratch heavy production on the ode to his third leg, “My Friend”.
Though Royce is still searching for his breakout radio smash, the remnants of that earlier attempt is still visible on the corny “You Can’t Touch Me” (which has not aged any better with time).  His latest attempt, “Mr. Baller” feat. Clipse fairs only slighty better as the Neptunes bland track fails to shimmy and shake as expected and sounds like it was a leftover from the late 90′s.  On “Let’s Go” feat. Twista the bubbly beat is perfect marriage with Twista and Royce’s rapid fire delivery.  Although the hook is weak, Twista absolutely destroys the cut with lines like, “Tell me who the fuck want what/Whatchu murderous niggaz is ready to make the deck go up?/I could cause a scene to make you throw up/Put a bullet in yo’ gut, bat em down and leave the sto’ cut/Cuz homie you ain’t got no choice ta/Dat why you runnin to a real rida like Twista, or Roysta/Let the thirty caliber annoint ya/Whodie won’t even know he hit till he feel his shirt suckin the moisture/Voice ya opinion if ya want to/Kick-ass winner, kick up dust in the middle of the arena….”

Meanwhile Royce blesses “Take His Life” nicely, lacing the grimy piano led track with dark street stories for the young fake up and coming baby thugs.  The average horn heavy “Nickel Nine Is” screams filler, only because we know Royce Da 5’9″ is capable of much more.

The legendary DJ Premier saves the album with the now famous, “Boom”, which even after a few years still represents a near perfect marriage of beats and rhymes–”Me and Premier, we kind of the same in ways/We both speak with our hands in dangerous ways/Rap now is a circus of clowns/A whole lot of lip from cliques I’d probably rap circles around/I’m the next best to reach a peak formerly known as the best keep secret/I guess that I just leaked it.”  Just as mesmerizing is “Life” featuring Amerie as the heartfelt dedication to his son sheds light on the real Royce—”Just know that God’s keeping you level/He’ll even speak through the ghetto to reach you/Just to teach you that the streets is the devil/Everybody’s dishonest, different/Which means that we’re dying by livin’
Oblivious to the time that we’re given/So you don’t prepare for the death, you live for the life/And live right like, do right by your kids and your wife…”

  Though Rock City V.2.0 is littered with witty punchlines and the type of braggadocious topic matter that makes Jay-Z so appealing, the differance between Jigga and Royce’s old running mate Eminem is that they not only have a natural gift for generating commercially accesible material, but they also allow the listeners to get to know them with more personalized material.  While “Life” and the amazing bonus track, “King Of Kings,” are a good start, If Royce can open up in the future and stop trying to make up for lost time (see “Mr. Baller” and “You Can’t Touch Me”) he may just realize his vast potential.  Either way, the natives are getting restless and longing for Royce to take it back to the “Scary Movies” and “Lets Grow” days of past.

 The album opens up with the very electronica sounding “Steppin’ Thru”, a song that blurs the boarders of Hip Hop. Prevail takes the opportunity to display absurd lyricism, “Live in effect to such, graze the edge of the metal/Raise taste, game face, first place, the rebel/In the cage with the lions, engage with the giants Stars with temper/Red October/Prev the Cobra/I coil the sunset/coiled my drum set/ Spitting grease out my grill/ya’ll I’m Formula One/Crack a hole in your helmet, your bucket, your pail/Moka, Mad Child, Kemo, Prevail”

 The click then hits fans over the head with “Breath”, featuring pop songstress Nelly Furtado. Furtado actually comes off well over the synth heavy cut.  Swollen Members step up their game on “Fuel Injected (Remix)”. With the added soul of Saukrates, the crew’s melodic hook and chemistry draws comparison to the likes of Outkast. 

 Unfortunately Swollen Members takes it a little too far on the robotic “Battle Axe Exclusive”, a sinister break will might make some heads press fast forward.  The group recovers on “Heavy Thinkers”, a return to of the boom-bap of sorts. Although it’s produced by Evidence, and the whole group brings it– DJ Revolution steals any shine with his Premier-esque cuts and scratches. Meanwhile, the wonderfully frightening “English Breakfast” is a successful combination of dark rhymes and haunting production. DJ Vadim’s  back drop creeps up and down the track while the group spits hot fire. The melodic “Bring It Home” will keep heads in hypnosis, especially with their rapid fire delivery, “Stay low to the ground/So I can keep my balance/the element of surprise/the advantage of silence.” Crafted by Zodak, “Zenith” goes beyond experimental to the point of no return. The playful bass line laced with a bubbly backdrop, pushes the envelope, making the beat too busy to even digest. The playfully soulful “Members Only” and the bone chilling “Act On It” are both bangers. Other highlights include the introspective “Long Way Down”, which features emotional underlying key strokes, along with Swollen’s perfect rhythm over the beat.

Monsters In The Closet is heavy with stellar production and intricate lyrics.  However, as intricate as the lyrics are, they seem written just because they ‘sound’ good.  At times Swollen Members’ erses lack concept, no matter how creative the bars may seem.  Let it be known, the sonic voyage on the first half of the album may cause Hip-Hoppers of old some queasiness.  Don’t get it twisted-by and large, Monsters In The Closet is a great album, with just a few digestible errors. But hey, it’s not a real album in the first place. No seriously!

 SOM quickly recover on the soulful “Savior’z Day”, possibly the highlight of the album, with Ghostface Killah stealing the show with lines like, “The proper knowledge is needed/Wit’ Satan off my back, I’m at peace at night/No more cops, no more Rodney King’s/No more peekin’ out the curtain wit’ the rifle by any means.”

 The playful “Black or White”, is a string tinged joint featuring Ancient Coins, is a verbal intercourse of sorts on the racial affairs of the world.  Sunz of Man score again on the apocalyptic cut, “The Trinity”.  Filled with heart pounding production, Omar Conry is heard perfectly wailing in the background. Although RZA is hands off on this song, fans will hear the Wu Tang sound. 

 Sunz of Man follow up for the lost females in the world on “Honey Tree”.  It is a testament that less is more in the production realm. A simple break beat gives Hell Razah the opportunity to build, “She was only 15/but looked much older when she in jeans/Loved to go downtown malls and spend CREAM/Wakin’ up late, cold sweats and wet dreams/Over sex, she barely got raped by 18/Already had two abortions and blamed the X/When the doc said it might be a cause of death/Then she popped positive on the pregnancy test/That’s the cause and effects when there’s no latex.”

 However, the remainder of Saviorz Day is not without errors.  The rest of the album is loaded with fillers such as “Time”, along with skits like “Industry” and “The Cause”.  Fortunately for SOM La The Darkman breaks up the monotony on “All We Got (Us)”. La spits venom over a bubbly, bluesy track with an annoying hook.

 Saviorz Day is too good to be a brick, but is too long to be exceptional. While
it is a strong piece of work, Sunz of Man should consider some help from The Abbot in the future.

Defari opens up with “Joyride”, featuring a dramatic chiming laced with a sinister bass line, sounding like it was left off of the original Chronic. Unfortunately, Defari is everywhere on this song, not really maintaining any type linear direction. However, where he lacks in vision, he doubles up on witty lines about his former employers, “Can’t no Boy named Tommy hold me down/let it be known Silverman/I’ll whip your ass on the pound for pound.”

Evidence’s haunting digital production fits perfect with Defari’s laid-back delivery on “Joyride”. On the next track, “I Can’t Wait”, Defari speeds up his flow over frantic pianos courtesy of DJ Revolution. The song’s chorus unfortunately seems lazily written. But Defari quickly recovers on “Smack Ya Face”. The bouncy track provides a nice platform for slick rhymes seething with braggadocio. He then follows up with “Keep It On the Rise II”, which could contain the best intro of the year. Heavy scratches (a la DJ Premier) over the Joey Chavez track will make listeners want to hit rewind. The dark production is so tight; Defari can’t lose on this cut.

Fortunately for fans, he saves the best for last with the introspective “Behold My Life”. Armed with a soulful piano keys, Defari gives us some insight, “the Black man said uplift your mind/take a page from history, and turn it into facts/Bush is back/watch out for the new crack/the streets already hot like in the 80′s/they don’t give a fuck how we choose to raise ours babies/so this is the days of my life in LA”

Those new to Defari’s music, will keep LA Collection in constant rotation. For the fans, they’ll be mad it’s so damn short. Either way, musically it doesn’t disappoint.