Link: Official Mack 10 Site
The Inside Pulse:
The career of Dedrick (Mack 10) Rolison has been all about bad timing. In 1995, Mack and his mentor, Ice Cube co-wrote most of One-0’s self-titled debut album, which spawned the hit single, Foe Life. Unfortunately, Cube’s star was dimming by then and his influence couldn’t push Mack’s solo sales to the levels of success that Cube had enjoyed years earlier. In 1996, Mack 10 hit it huge as part of the Westside Connection supergroup. Yet, even though their Bow Down album went double platinum, the acrimonious bi-coastal rivalry of the time was on its last legs, thus rendering the release obsolete after a few short weeks. A year later, Mack dropped Based on a True Story, which led to his most successful single, Backyard Boogie. Unfortunately, after that, Mack 10 couldn’t capitalize as several follow-ups were either cluttered with too many flavor-of-the-month guests (The Recipe) or a disaster of dissimilar sonic styles (Bang or Ball). His 2005 return to the mic takes us right back to the “bad timing” concept.
Positives:
The most remarkably underrated producer on the West Coast, Fred Wreck, is co-executive producer of this album and his influence is felt throughout. On Step Yo Game Up, he laces a beat that’s part-grimy and part-majestic. Mack 10 and B-Real flex their braggadocio well, before the third verse”¦wait, let’s save that for the next section. Anyways, Livin Just to Ball is another Fred Wreck effort that is admittedly materialistic, but oddly fun n’ uplifting. Like This is absolute fire and features (wait for it) Nate Dogg. Up-tempo efforts, such as My Chucks and By the Bar lack in substance, but are still effective even as empty calories for the ear.
Negatives:
Mack 10’s range doesn’t often drift beyond the usual rap clichés and gangsta themes. And, when it does here, the results are the pro-God schmaltz on The Testimony or the shockingly decent thug love cut Keep It Hood. The latter only appears as a “negative” because it was just a couple of years ago when Mack recorded the anti-love track So Many Rappers in Love, wasn’t it? I’m A Star, at times, sounds like a rip-off of Dave Chappelle’s “Hater of the Year” skit, while Don’t Hate Me is built off of a terrible hook (“Don’t Hate Me Cuz You Ain’t Me”). Finally, who thought it was a good idea for Mack 10’s eight-year-old son to show up on the third verse of Step Yo Game Up?
Cross-Breed:
Take the sound of several of the hot beats from Kurupt’s last few Fred Wreck-fed albums and mix with the most energetic effort from Mack 10 in years.
Reason to Buy:
This is the follow-up that Mack 10 has consistently failed to produce. While it’s too late to save his now-niche career, there’s the making of a damn fine album in here. It Jekyll and Hyde’s from good to bad too many times, but the “good” is very good and the bad isn’t overwhelmingly awful”¦save for Mack 10’s son.
