I’m loyal, to a fault. It’s the reason why I’ve got Phife’s solo album in my collection. Sometimes that loyalty pays off (Psycho Les’ Music for the Soul lived up to its name) and other times it doesn’t (the aforementioned solo venture).
And that’s why I was kind of apprehensive about giving Sheek Louch’s After Taxes another chance. I wasn’t really thrilled with Sheek’s debut Walk Witt Me. Truth be told, he’s my least favorite piece of The Lox—not that it’s terribly hard to be outshined by Jadakiss and Styles, but in that company it’s rare that Sheek impresses me.
Still, I copped the album out of Lox loyalty. I mean, I knew that the other two thirds would make appearances, so I’d have something to look forward to. Right?
All in all, revisiting the album wasn’t that bad. Production-wise I was mildly disappointed with most of Rocwilder’s contributions to the album, allowing me to speculate why he’s not as much of an in-demand producer anymore. But Havoc’s “45 Minutes to Broadway” really blew me away.
In terms of guests, it’s pretty much a good mix of the usual suspects (Jada, Styles, J-Hood), popular faves (Fabolous, T.I., Ghostface Killah) and surprises (Redman, Beanie Sigel). The only real problems with the album are the typical features—unfunny skits and dated material. The album came out in 2005, when dissing 50 Cent was apparently still in fashion. Oh, and the material doesn’t really veer from standard “hood” records.
Sheek managed to win some points with an increased lyrical prowess (especially being able to hold his own against some hip-hop heavyweights) but even after giving this album some much needed attention, Jada and Styles still don’t have to fear for their status as my favorite of The Lox.
