In 1992, MC Eiht released the third work of his group in three years, and it's the masterpiece of Compton's Most Wanted. The MC bases his lyricism on gangsta themes including violence, murder, robbery, drugs, there's a lot of braggadocio and misogynist traits, as well as some socio-conscious bars and some tracer in the direction of his rivals (Tim Dog and DJ Quik): the lyrics are shallow, but are offset by a great personality on the mic by the rapper, who manages to inlay interesting and detailed storytelling with raw and vivid lyrics. MC Eiht performs his words with an excellent smoothness flow and practically flawless, fantastic style, but it's the production that's the real extra weapon of this LP, projecting it among the best efforts of the year and among the best ever in gangsta rap: DJ Slip, MC Eiht, Master Ric Roc, [The Mighty] DJ Mike T and [DJ] Unknown choose excellent samples from soul and funk albums of the seventies, but also from Kraftwerk and major hardcore rap acts, giving them more value with the scratches of Mike T and creating a dark, harsh, modern and bright soundscape.
The album opens with a beautiful intro, light jazzy dope rhythm, amazing piano and vinyl sound. An energetic boom bap follows, skinny, tight and vibrating drum machine, festive track with Eiht's slow flowing and powerful syncopated delivery. "Hood Took Me Under" boasts a wonderful sample, from a classic, Isaac Hayes' "Walk on By"; slow and vibrant syncopated skinny drum machine, boom bap, soulful vibes, Eiht's slow syncopated delivery, here perfect, simple hook, perfect sample, classic cut rightly arrived in San Andreas, great work in production. The fourth track has a frenetic and vibrant drum, minimal boom bap on which the rapper delivers with a slow and flowing style, while in the next joint he performs more hardcore on a simple rhythm. "8 Iz Enough" has an honest beat, before some dissing against his rivals in later songs: "Dead Men Tell No Lies" has a hardcore and skeletal beat, lean slow drum, harsh electric guitar riff, on which Eiht delivers slow and hardcore.
Mr. Scarface is the guest of "N 2 Deep", simple lean rhythm, slow, skinny and hard drum machine, slow and smooth delivery by both rappers. The tenth choice is the shortest on the record, light beat, tight minimal drum, slow delivery and shooting that anticipates the second part of the record. "This Is a Gang" boasts a simple boom bap with a light drum machine, while "Hoodrat" has one of the best beats on the record: a splendid deep sax sample looped in the background that opens the cut combined with the classic soul "Let Me Love You" of Michael Henderson, light strings in the background, light dope boom bap with light slow skinny drum, Eiht's slow velvet syncopated delivery. "Niggaz Strugglin" presents another brilliant sample, later also used by Irv Gotti for Jay-Z's "Can I Live", it's "The Look of Love" by Isaac Hayes, with right drum machine, severe, lean slow syncopated and relentless, light jazzy boom bap, MC's slow and dope smooth delivery.
George Clinton and Barry White are the two artists sampled for the next track, simple boom bap with jazzy vibes thanks to Barry White's "Playing Your Game, Baby" sample, slow heavy drum machine, slow smooth delivery by Eiht. "U's a Bitch" boasts a jazzy boom bap with a lean slow syncopated drum and a splendid soulful jazzy bridge, thanks to William Zimmerman, instrumentalist of the record. "Another Victim" boasts a great simple jazzy boom bap, with a fresh eclectic bridge and a good slow flowing delivery of the Compton rapper, while "Def Wish II" is one of the first tracks to put together samples of "Goodfellas" and "Scarface", and is also one of the first to put a sample from Scorsese's film. Closes the title track, simple rhythm, eclectic boom bap, sax sample for final thanks.
This LP is of excellent quality, high level gangsta rap, superior to basically all the other acts that came before and after: it's a very fun and personal effort, Mr. Scarface of the Geto Boys is the only guest, features excellent production and honest gangsta lyrics. One of the great strengths of the album is the absence of hooks from most of the cuts, and in the remaining tracks the hooks are made minimal, which is a smart choice. Eiht manages to entertain the listener throughout the album, all eighteen tracks and all the hour of listening, trying to bring him into the ghetto with his fascinating narration. Props to William Zimmerman for his underrated work, great job. Another classic from Compton's Most Wanted, the third in three years.
Highlights: "Hit the Floor", "Hood Took Me Under" (deservedly in Radio Los Santos), "Compton 4 Life", "Niggaz Strugglin", "Def Wish II".
Rating: 9/10.
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