Obie Trice- Cheers Review

No rapper was more adversely affected from the phenomenon of 50 Cent than Obie Trice. The Detroit spitter was lined up as Eminem’s number one solo protégé and slated to drop his debut album in the fall of 2002. Then along came 50 and Trice was in danger of becoming an afterthought on his own label.

Undeterred, Trice went back to the studio and polished the rough edges of his first release, which leaked to the internet and street corner bootlegs about a year ago. The final result is loaded with big name production from the likes of Dr. Dre, Timbaland and Eminem. Dre n’ Slim also make cameos on the mic, along with Busta Rhymes, 50 and Nate Dogg. With that kind of set-up, Cheers has a world of rap expectations to live up to. And, shockingly, it exceeds almost all of them.

The opening track is the first indicator that Obie Trice has been upgraded to version 2.0. Average Man is equal parts intimidating, threatening and haunting while erasing all memories of the mediocre work he turned in on the Rap Name single. The first cut bleeds into the title track, which serves as a celebratory ode to Obie’s new life on the mic and off of the streets.

Trice gets the chance to flex his storytellin’ muscles on joints like The Set Up and Follow My Life. The former is a quick n’ dirty jam about less than honorable women. It features one of Nate Dogg’s better hook efforts and a machine gun beat. The latter is, obviously, more autobiographical with a guitar n’ drum lined production. While many of the lyrics are unapologetic (“sellin’ so much coke, I’m forgettin’ it’s a crime”), Obie manages to tie his sordid past into repairing his relationship with his mother. The irony of Eminem’s influence can’t go unnoticed.

Speakin’ of Slim Shady, as previously noted, he’s pretty much everywhere on this album. He gets a writing credit, a production nod or a guest spot on nearly every track. As a beat maker, he’s fast becoming one of the best in the game. We All Die One Day is a perfectly mixed blend of pulses and synth. As an unsurprising bonus, Em’s guest verse leaves Obie’s lines in the proverbial dust.

Eminem’s production changes to a start-stop style on the hilariously tongue-in-cheek love song Hands On You. This one features a Stacey Dash reference and lines about shittin’ while your girl’s in the bathroom with you. Trust me, it works. When Em isn’t on the boards, the work of Timbaland (Bad Bitches) and Dr. Dre (Look In My Eyes) don’t miss a step.

If you like your rap with copious amounts of dissin’, you won’t be disappointed. The most overt effort is found on Shit Hits The Fan, which is also known as Bodyguard on the mix tape and FM radio circuit. Obie and Dr. Dre tear Ja Rule to shreds and the Good Doctor even nuts up with an unspoken shot at Suge Knight. Eminem also continues his never-ending beef with The Source magazine, it’s owners and editors.

That’s a lotta praise up there…so, why come this didn’t register a 10-spot? Well, there are a pair of cuts, Spread Yo Shit and Oh! that are both entirely skip-worthy. Curiously, these are two of the only tracks where Eminen does not have a writing credit. Which leads to my other, slightly larger, complaint. Obie displays a talent with off-the-wall lyrics and metaphors that he’s never shown in the past. While it wouldn’t be the first time that a more talented MC penned the lyrics for someone else…tracks like Got Some Teeth, while enjoyable are obviously the work of the mind that brought us Without Me and My Name Is….