There is no doubt that Spice 1 is one of Hip Hop's most underated players. He's put out more albums then I can remember, but almost all of them have gone Gold. Yet, in spite of that track record, he still is not seen as a marquee player in many circles. Part of the challenge for Spice is for him to evolve in such a way that it resonates above and beyond his core group of Spice 1 fans.
In his latest offering Spice delivers as he always had in the past. The beginning of the album starts off strong with stand out cuts like the Marvin Gaye inspired 'Welcome Back to the Ghetto' and the Roger Troutman-like 'If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Me'. Spice also hits the mark with cuts like 'You Got Me Fucked Up' which addresses the issue of haterism in the game. He also hits with melodic reflective songs like 'Turn Da Heat Down' featuring the Outlawz.
Where Spice falls short is with songs in the latter part of the album. Cuts like 'Haters Come Out and Play', 'Niggaz I Roll Wit' and 'Lucky I'm Rappin' w/ Jay-O Felony seem very outdated.
Overall Spice 1 will do ok with this album.. He's always consistent, but he didn't reach his full potential on this LP.
Davey D
c2002
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