The coast-to-coast success of
"Shake Ya Ass"
thankfully didn't tame
Mystikal
too much. On
Tarantula
,
's first album in the wake of his commercial breakthrough in 2000, he's just as wild as ever -- a blunt-smokin', big truck-drivin', ass-slappin'
James Brown
for his generation with no apologies and few pretensions. One thing has changed with
over the years though: With each successive album, he's been graced with continuously improved production. Longtime collaborator
KLC
continues to improve here, crafting many of this album's liveliest moments, songs like
"P***y Crook"
and
"Big Truck Driver"
that find
at his least mannered.
The Neptunes
return with three excellent productions, one of them,
"Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall),"
attempting to duplicate the energy and appeal of the last song the duo produced for
"Shake Ya Ass."
Elsewhere, two of the industry's hottest producers of the moment,
Rockwilder
Scott Storch
, contribute some excellent tracks.
really couldn't ask for better production, overall -- all the tracks have bouncy, ass-shakin', club-ready beats, and nearly all have quite catchy hooks. And since
rises to the occasion, delivering rhymes that are just as rousing as the beats, he has recorded his second great album in a row. Like
Let's Get Ready
realizes the potential
's early work for
No Limit
promised -- the potential to be one of the most successful and unique, yet still unrefined and uncompromising, rappers in the game. In fact, this album seems so fully realized it's difficult to imagine
taking his music to yet another level without changing his style. ~ Jason Birchmeier