Debut album by 5th Ward Boyz, Houston hip-hop group pounding in the Rap-A-Lot paddock, duo made up of Eric "E-Rock" Taylor and Andre "007" Barnes, joined by Richard "Lo Life" Nash from the next album.
The production is typical of the Houston scene, simple funky boom bap, skinny tight slow and hard drum machines, decent samples, raw vibes provided by the producers of the label. Taylor and Barnes' lyrics fall on typical g-shit topics like murder, drugs, girls, braggadocio, there isn't much from a lyrical point of view. Credit is due to him for the effort, in the end it's a bland but decent album, despite several weak cuts and some g-funk synths. The album stretches past its due to the fifty minute mark, technically the duo is decent, but most of these hardcore choices are forgettable: when beatmakers find a relaxed sound, Taylor & Barnes provide acceptable and slightly better performance than usual, intro and outro have a relaxed lounge rhythm, which is replicated in the central songs "Bringing Hats" and "5th of Ghetto". The former has a jazzy dope sample, slow drum, and vibes that recall the typical ballad, with a vinyl sound in the background and a spoken delivery, while the other cut has a simple boom bap rhythm, with tight, slow drum, and a relaxed g-funk bridge on the chorus. Unlike most of the Rap-A-Lot records, this one was successful enough on the charts to allow the duo to continue their careers for a few years.
Rating: 6/10.
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