Jibbs – Jibbs Feat. Jibbs
Geffen Records (release date: 10/24/2006)
Rap
Sometimes I wonder if the rap industry has passed me by.
Jibbs was born in November 1990 or about 18 months before Kris Kross first blew up. I didn’t understand kiddie rappers then and I still don’t, but calling the 16-year-old Jibbs a “child” is probably more reflective of the fact that I’m in my early 30s. Hell, to me, everyone born after 1990 is a threat to steal my car and/or corrupt my son.
Still, Jibbs does have one unique thing going for him, as he’s one of the few rappers out there who refuse to use profanity. So, while that might make him accessible in a Will Smith, Wal-Mart friendly kind of way”¦will it translate into success?
Well, one could argue that it already has as his first single, “Chain Hang Low” has inexplicably climbed the Billboard charts and set up shop in the top ten. It’s different, I’ll give it that, with a sing-songy hook and an over-the-top braggadocio that has a candy-coated charm.
There’s a more aggressive side to Jibbs that’s shown on tracks like “Yeah Boii” and “King Kong”. The latter features Chamillionaire who makes up for his inherent lack of lyrical skill with a load of charisma and decent chemistry with Jibbs. Meanwhile, David Banner produces “Yeah Boii” and layers it a little more densely that the usual drum-driven monotony out of the Midwest/Dirty South scene.
Former Death Row Records artist J. Valentine (who is probably best known for his appearance on the posthumous Tupac track “Until the End of Time”) shows up on “Let’s Be Real”. If you’ve heard one track warning a girl to leave her trifling man, you’ve heard them all.
It’s still better than the larcenous sampling of Janet Jackson’s “Let’s Wait Awhile” on “Go Too Far”. Melody Thorton from The Pussycat Dolls gets the guest spot here, but I’m madder that they actually got permission to use the classic Janet hit than at the actual end result. Although, not by much.
We’ll give Jibbs a point for the surefire strip-club ass-clapping anthem, Bring It Back, which manages to differentiate itself with a higher level of energy than what’s found on cookie cutter tracks like “Go Gurl” and “I’m a Rhino”.
Jibbs Feat. Jibbs pretty much is what it is. And, that last sentence sums up the level of lyricism and wit that you’ll hear here. By St. Louis standards, this album at least occasionally strays from convention and isn’t afraid to take a risk or two. Unfortunately, that’s the exception and not the norm for Jibbs. But, as long as he has the “106 & Park” audience in his back pocket, why be different when “safe” sells?
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