Third studio album in three years for Yo-Yo, Los Angeles rapper protegé of Ice Cube, here as author, producer (with QD III, mainly) and guest. There are no particular variations from her previous albums, the MC provides hardcore bars that also come close to thug / gangsta, with its feminist touch and some scattered political lines, focusing in particular on braggadocio.
The production, which also includes Baker Boyz, Derrick McDowell, Lay Law, Crazy Toones, Tootie, Mr. Woody and Pockets, is solid, these guys, in addition to the aforementioned Cube and QD III, making a good soundscape, boom bap simple, lean and powerful, with a dry and hard drum and great intuitive funky and hip-hop samples, suitable for Whitaker's slow syncopated delivery.
There are some g-funk influences and "20 Sack" features a nice relaxed funky-lounge beat, which deserves an extra listen, then in the second part the music drops along with the performance on the rapper's mic, culminating in the filler dance / club "Givin' It Up". Ice Cube is credited as a guest on the last track, where the two artists take inspiration from the story of Bonnie & Clyde to deliver a few verses each in a cut that seen from the tracklist, should work and automatically stand out from the others, but is held back due to a mediocre sample, to the fact that Ice Cube prefers to accompany the track instead of attacking it, making the piece devoid of the right energy, and to a production that's not one of the best on the LP (made by Pockets).
The album doesn't last too long, 44 minutes divided into 12 songs, but it's not really essential: Yo-Yo maybe here also improves her flow and her technique, but she has done better things in the two discs released in the previous 27 months. Released by Atlantic (via EastWest), it achieves some commercial success, managing to be seen at the threshold of the top 20 among rap records.
Rating: 6/10.
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