The second album is increasingly difficult in an artist's career, Rappin' 4-Tay clearly demonstrates this by reaching the sophomore three years after its debut. Seff the Gaffla of Get Low Playaz, Lil Fly and JT the Bigga Figga are the only guests on the album, while behind the keyboards are Cristopher Matthews aka Black C of RBL Posse, Franky J, Gigolo Gee, J-Mack, T.C., Fly, JT the Bigga Figga, Cyrus Esteban and Ant Banks credited as Anthony. I really have no idea who produces what and when, but it's not actually worthy of importance: this dozen guys create forgettable, bad and mediocre rhythms, trying to imitate, in vain, the sound of the Bay Area, and in general the mobb scene. The MC is from Frisco so everything is in the norm, if it weren't for the fact that it's one of the few mobb records that sounds incredibly bad, and disappoints from this point of view.
The album starts very badly, with an annoying rhythm in the first track, mediocre samples and unlivable drum, Forté spits something with a syncopated style, but doesn't save the cut. Similar speech for the following song, where a drum and a sample are combined, both poor. The sound improves at times during the remaining hour, giving life to an irregular project lacking the correct musical cohesion: the third choice boasts a snare drum combined with a piano, a union that has never worked and that is no exception here, to note the interpreter's attempt at rapid rap. Then comes another ridiculous sample on poor drum machine, so track number five is perhaps the first accessible and decent beat, thanks to a well-chosen double drum pattern, mobb samples and rnb hook.
From the middle of the album on, the music improves, but not too much: producers sometimes get the drum and samples right, however, they often make mistakes by placing poor elements, uncontrollable drums, and falling out several times in ballads. Among the best tracks stand out "Sucka Free", which boasts a funky boom bap with incessant drum midtempo, samples mobb, tense, somber and dark, as well as decent slow delivery, and the last two tracks (including the hidden remix of "Playaz Club"), where dudes find laid-back mobb samples to support Rappin' 4-Tay gangsta bars. Lyrically, the guy puts generic gangsta lyrics on the table and doesn't say anything that hasn't already been said or thought by others, better and before, in the past: here the listener is faced with his generic MC with a blatant lack of talent, nevertheless, with adequate production, it would have been an acceptable record.
The tape is initially released via his Rag Top label, later somehow, he gets international distribution with EMI, via Chrysalis Records: the album enters the Billboard charts, but remains very far from the top. Consisting of 16 long tracks and a total of over 67 minutes, it's not a recommended listen to gangsta fans.
Rating: 5/10.
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