Once surfaced as a force in , a big deal was made of his dance with death. Apparently he was shot five times. If you're scoring at home, that's four times less than label mate and executive producer . After the altercation that nearly took his life, took a crash course in and studied up on the master MCs from both coasts. Within a year of rapping for the first time, took notice and was compelled to offer an contract. is also from Compton, just like his mentor, so guess where the allegiances fall? An medallion hangs from his neck, an logo is inked across his chest, and an image of the late is on his right forearm. If none of this makes it clear enough, name drops beloved heroes -- including just about everyone ever connected to , save for -- with great frequency. The stage name, coined by his mother while he was an athletic youngster, is entirely fitting: verses are constructed with album titles, label heads are mentioned as if scholarly attention is paid to the industry's inner workings. And yet, this is hardly another , an MC lacking originality. 's scope is obviously much wider, and he's no mimic; though he's still finding his feet as a lyricist, isn't as distinct vocally as or , and nearly allows the gimmicks to overwhelm the skills, is an excellent debut that also hints at a lot of potential. and an all-star cast of fellow producers are in top form, , , and included, and none of the features steal any thunder from the star. The most remarkable aspect of is how he can be such a blatant product of (okay, let's say fanboy) and leave a mark so fast. But, as he says in "Anything is possible if f*cked ." ~ Andy Kellman