when the lead single dropped in advance of the album I was hype. the A side was Dead Presidents so I was looking forward to the release of the album since it sounded a lot like Mobb Deep and the rapping was excellent. but the B side was only ok, a he-said-she-said sex rhyme with singing and a recycled EPMD beat which was obviously pandering to club and radio play. and so went the album: schizophrenic, trying to have a foot in both worlds. for every “Brooklyn’s Finest” or “22 Twos,” there was some forgettable track (albeit with excellent rhymes) that felt like pandering to make money. can’t knock the hustle, but I just couldn’t feel half the album. his subsequent albums seemed even more commercial. it wasn’t until I seriously sessioned The Blueprint (only because I got a free copy) that I feel like Jay turned a corner and developed a fully integrated style of production that was still commercial but actually good, imo.
I get the feeling I’m going to have to @dnealy again if I want anyone to lay eyes on this comment lol.
