EXCELLENT NEW YOUNG BOSS VOL 2 REVIEW 4.5 out of 5 STARS!

[Episcop Cruel Cvrle]

EXCELLENT NEW YOUNG BOSS VOL 2 REVIEW 4.5 out of 5 STARS!

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As reviewed by Nino
 After the monumental street single “Boom Boom Clap” and the success of the 2004 "Young Boss" Vol 1 mixtape, it would have been safe to assume that Crooked I would follow with a release before the year was out. Crooked I and DJ Skee are teaming up to release the new mixtape "Young Boss" Vol 2, before Christmas, and it is possibly the most anticipated project this year.

Crooked I is at a very important point in his career because continuing along the current path, which has led to him being labelled Battle Rap King, could have eventually alienated his core audience. Instead, more recently each one of his offerings has become progressively more commercial and accessible to a mainstream audience and more appealing to those fans complaining about the lack of radio friendly-type material put out by Crooked I. “Young Boss” Vol 2 continues this trend by using an array of hardcore club beats, mesmeric melodies, creative rhymes, infectious hooks, but also that lyrical phenomenon which originally gained Crooked I the title of "The Best in the West". With minimal use of big-name producers, Crooked I creates a classic mixtape that could easily be considered an LP, due to it containing all full length tracks and 100% original in-house production.

From the beginning it is made clear that Crooked I recognises the roots of Hip-Hop, with the lines "First things first/I'd like to give it up to all the OG's and Pioneers in Hip-Hop/Who paved the way for me/A young cat to do what I do", addressing influential acts like N.W.A., BDP, Geto Boys and Public Enemy.


Crooked delivers here without a doubt with some hard hitting Hip-Hop that puts Long Beach back on the map
 

The first full length track, "This Is How We Do This", enforces what Crooked I is aiming to achieve with the mixtape; the introduction of Dynasty C.O.B. and a strong come back by the side of America that sits opposite New York. C.O.B. stands for "Circle Of Bosses", Crooked's squad.

The personal "All I Ever Wanted" encapsulates Crooked I's brilliance as a commercial artist, with his astute ability to rhyme fast over a commercial funk ridden/sampled track, telling a story about his life and career, propelling him as another future contender as a mainstream cross-over artist.

Crooked I's group and family members of the C.O.B., the Horse Shoe Gang show up a few times. The whole group delivers their product on "The Business" showing distinction and talent. Their style is unique to that signature Crooked I aroma. Most of the hooks are sung in that trademark fashion. Still, the content they deliver on this mixtape is very simple and typical to the west coast sound: sex, street life, and bragging.

Other very personal songs include one of the best tracks on the mixtape, "I Feel Your Pain" on which the listener is given a very poignant insight on a girl coming up from the ghetto, where the daily struggles turn her to strip club dancing, till eventually making it out of the slums.

"From a welfare family/Look how the slums done em/Daddy was an alcoholic/So her Momma dissed em/ Her gang-bangin Brother was a homicide victim/One of her other older Brothers locked by the system/ She sent em letters couldn’t describe how she missed um" - tracks like this will surely place Crooked I in the top 10 greatest MC's of all time.

Another of my favourites had to be the track “The Show Must Go On”. Over a heavy, hypnotic beat with a subtle sample, Crooked speaks on life’s ups and downs, with the will to keep moving, hence the title - the show must go on, “I know you stressing homie/You need a blessing homie/I been there before/ Life is hard I know/Face your depression homie/It ain’t a question homie/ We can fight and survive the odds for sho." The song also features a superb and surprise guest rap from Dynasty in-house producer Jim Gittum (Crooked I, 2Pac, Ja Rule, Left Eye), does this signify a rap career in the future?

In amongst the standout tracks Crooked I comes back to the public consciousness with “Back To The LBC” a sure-shot collaboration with dancehall artist K-Young. The title says it all, Long Beach is back with a vengeance. His ego is sharp, as usual, and his use of metaphors and similes are compelling. The beat is a mix of dancehall bass arrangement and various synth maneuvers, where the gritty bass, instruments and synthesizers immediately draw you in.

Even the skit-intros are meaningful and Crooked I also introduces his new protégés, the On One Squad. We also see for the first time, what seems to be Crooked’s alter ego, but I won’t go into that. Your mind races to keep up with the lyricism.

Other highlights on “Young Boss” Vol 2 include “The Streets” which is pure "Political Crooked I" squeezed through three minutes and 17 seconds, and “Rap 101” which both truly show the lyrical platform he is on. Also “Khaki Flow”, and “Where I Come From”, the perfect finale which provides an introspective view of street life where Crooked I resides, Long Beach, California.

THA 'HOOD SAYS:
Young Boss Vol 2 is a follow up mixtape that lives up to and surpasses the expectations of fans of Crooked’s previous output. The tracks flow together perfectly and cross musical boundaries making it an excellent starting place for new fans to get hooked. You know its big when Crooked I and DJ Skee drop something, DJ Skee is at the forefront of how Hip-Hop is promoted and marketed through the urban media and mixtape scene and Crooked I continues to work his way into the Top 10 Greatest MC’s of all time. The mixtape is in fact better than any commercial or underground rap album release this year, and also acts as the perfect prequel for his 2006 LP “BOSS MUSIC” of which street dwellers and industry folks alike are predicting to be monumental.

From the coast with the least creative rappers and known for half-hearted lyricism, Crooked I and only a few others have the west coast on their shoulders. Crooked delivers here without a doubt with some hard hitting Hip-Hop that puts Long Beach back on the map.

HOODSTAR RATING:     
(4.5/5.0)
REVIEWED BY: Nino

[kingwell]

Great read, can't wait for this to drop.