Fourth album in four years for Texas-native rapper Spice 1, first as a fugitive, I guess. Production is provided by Blackjack, Chase, Bosko, Payback, and Ant Banks, combined with live instrumentation performed by Stan Man and David Brown on bass, Stan Man, JC and Tim Fox on guitar, Mark Cross, Ant Banks, Blackjack, Bosko, Chase, Payback, Grant Nicholas and Lionel Cole on keyboards. Guests are MC Eiht, G-Nut, E-40 and Young KYOZ, as well as Kokane, Ant Banks, Gruve, Joya, Audra Cunningham and Rick Cousins. Spice, an acronym for Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment, finds the energy of the beginnings and his new album starts strong with the title track.
The piece boasts meager synths, funky samples and a vibrant midtempo drum machine, robust sound carpet created by Blackjack for Spice's tidy rap and MC Eiht's melodic flow. "Dirty Bay" is another of the best moments of the tape: Chase's funky boom bap, obscure and excellent mobb samples, xmas bells in the background, dry midtempo drum, solid hardcore delivery of the MC, there's even a catchy whistle on the hook. Track number three closes a spectacular triptych: disturbing and frightening mood, dark samples, dry and attentive, frightened drum midtempo that looks over its shoulder. Nice work by Bosko behind the keyboards, good tight and smooth delivery of the Spice 1.
Three different rhythms from three different producers: it could be the great strength of the project, however, it ends up being one of the biggest weaknesses. There are eight different people mixing this record. With track number four, the beats drop from good to fair and practically no longer go up until the last two songs: the lead rapper continues to kill the album, without being adequately supported by the production, the samples are right, the drum machines are honest, the rhythms are just ok, they're there, they don't really add anything. The song with E-40 should be an easy highlight, the melodic rhythm is composed of samples mobb and dry dusty drum, but something doesn't allow the song to stand out, just before the remix of the title track that cuts the guest verse replacing it with a third spat out by Spice.
Distributed by Jive, the LP is in the top 30 of the Billboard 200 and is third among rap records: with 67 minutes of material, listening doesn't feel necessary, despite coming from Spice 1, one of the best in the Bay Area, unstoppable. Indeed, the police are unable to arrest him, the boy hides from the law during the recording and making of the album, he also makes a video for the title track, then he turned himself in to the Oakland police: he stays behind bars for a few weeks, then he's released due to overcrowding.
Rating: 7/10.
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