Between its two core members, Young Zee and Pacewon, the Outsidaz have been responsible for a number of arguably classic joints, from The Fugees’ “Cowboys” to “I Declare War” to “The Rah Rah” – none of which have changed the course of hip-hop music, but each equally amounts of mindless fun. The Bricks is also littered with anthems like these, whether it’s a slick bounce of “Music”, Rockwilder’s electrofunky “Keep On”, or the Latin rhythms of “Yo Doe Doe”. It’s evident when the ante is upped, and the studio is shared with higher-status guest artists, that the Outs fine-tune their own styles in order to roll with the big dogs. “Who You Be”, with Method Man & Redman, is an excellent lyrical free-for-all that presents Pace and Zee with their Def Jam counterparts. The commercially driven, yet still acceptable “I’m Leavin’”, shared with female perspectives from Kelis and Rah Digga is another winner, only a few spins away from being a radioactive summertime banger.

Meanwhile, as Pacewon and Young Zee dominate the album’s better tracks, with the crew being ten-deep, The Bricks is long enough to give the other members some mic time as well. Whether strategic or coincidental, these moments usually happen on the album’s less-than-exceptional moments. While joints like “State To State” and “Rehab” are still held together by Pace and Zee, the end result is a bit sloppier when the younger and less seasoned members join the fray.

And this factor pretty much sums up the entire album. While Pace and Zee seem to have mastered their styles, the others are on the right track, but lack the lovable cartoon characteristics of their leaders. Most of the other members seem experienced in one area or another, but also seem only concerned with what rhyming can do for them, as guiltily proven on “Hell Yeah”. Other car wrecks that you won’t want to slow down for include “Sign Of The Power”, “Money Money Money” and the album’s title track, “The Bricks”.

All in all, this is another mediocre crew album ? and while it would be much stronger if presented as “The Young Zee and Pacewon Show”, it isn’t, because the other members drag it through the mud. The Bricks does have it’s moments ? but it’s strongest are shared with actual outsiders ? not the lesser-known members of the group.