In the five years that passed between his debut,
Take a Look Around
, and his third full-length,
Sittin' on Chrome
, Brooklyn rapper
Masta Ace
's sound changed a lot. Angrier lyrics were already starting to show up on his sophomore release,
SlaughtaHouse
, but it was nothing in comparison to
. Not that the themes are fueled by testosterone and rage here (and not that they were on
, either, though there was a great deal more vitriol), but the overall feel of the album -- which has by now moved past the boom bap old-school beats into fuller, gloomier production that more aptly represents the mid-'90s East Coast sound -- is much darker, with slower, heavier songs that ponder life in the ghetto. But the record's not an attack on the system that has caused the poor conditions of inner-city existence; rather, it's more of a collection of sketches that show it in its entirety, both the good and the bad. The whole
Masta Ace Incorporated
crew (
Lord Digga
,
Leschea
, and
Paula Perry
) is present here and does a good job -- along with
Ace
, of course, whose flow and lyrics combine to show him off at his best -- at adding depth and realism to the album's 16 cuts, interludes and all. It's a formula that clearly works well:
boasted the MC's most popular songs,
"Born to Roll"
(which was also included as a bonus track on
),
"The I.N.C. Ride,"
and the title track itself, but the other material --
"Eastbound,"
"People in My Hood"
-- is equally as interesting, and makes the record a very worthwhile addition to a
rap
collection. ~ Marisa Brown