Gutta Generals - 101 Degrees Heat
Reviewed By: ULTIMATECDLINK
Album Rate: 3.75 out of 5 Stars
The Gutta Generals are a trio made up of Kingpin Sean from Alabama, Money Mike from Georgia, and Connection from North Carolina. They bring their diverse Dirty South styles into one collaborative effort on the album that features Marty Graw, The O.T., Scut, Shakwon, Young Walley, & more.
1. Intro Freestyle-- this one has a basic midtempo beat with basslines and repeating drum loops. Kingpin Sean starts it off with an alright verse followed by Money Mike who shows some promise with his flow. Worth checkin out because it's not just an intro that you'll usually skip over.
2. Bust Again-- this one has a hard hitting bassline beat with the hi-hats in full effect as well. Money Mike steps up the mic first with a nice verse and flow. Kingpin Sean is next with a better flow than what he came with on the intro. They both have to be careful to not let the music overshadow their voices on the song because there are certain parts on the song in which the beat is louder and you struggle to hear their flow on mics. That being said, it's a track worth checking out.
3. Lyrikal Snipa-- this one has another hard hitting bassline on the beat. Money Mike and Kingpin Sean both rap about what the title suggests--takin yo azz off the streets sniper style. It's an a decent track but starts to drag along the further you get into the song.
4. Real Niggaz-- (f/ Shakwon, Panama, & Scut)-- this one has a really nice laid back darker beat with the trademark deep bassline. Nice effort from everyone on this track. It's just one of those tracks that makes you bob ya head and picture someone getting their ass murked. Tight song.
5. Legz Open (Roaster)-- this one has a simple deep bassline beat before the hi-hats and deep breathing background starts in. It has the feel of one of those classic N.O. beats that makes shorty wanna twerk somethin. Good if you're up in the strip clubs but the hook is a bit corny. Other than that, you take the track for what it's worth. Some will bump it over and over while others may skip it altogether.
6. 2 Ninez (remix) (f/ Panama, Marty Graw, & Scut)-- this one has a space age pimpin synthesizer beat with a bassline beat with yellin in the background that would make Lil Jon proud. It's a really tight track that takes a while to warm into but once the 101 Crew starts flowing, you know you'll be hittin repeat on the CD player. Really nice track.
7. O.T. Run This (f/ Marty Graw & Panama)-- not really feelin the beat on this one. The production almost takes a backward step as it is a lot more raw than the previous track. The hook on this one goes "who run this bitch, we run this bitch, O.T. muthafucka, so fuck yo click". A decent effort on the mics but the raw production really makes it tough to listen to.
8. My Ballz & My Word-- no this song doesn't feature New Orleans rapper and former No Limit Soldier, Young Bleed, who made the "My Ballz and My Word" more synonomous with the South back at the height of the popularity of Master P's label. But it does feature a nice piano and heavy, heavy bassline beat that will knock yo pictures off the wall. Money Mike starts it off with a lazy flow that will remind you off Bleed's flow but he manages to pull it off and make it his own. Kingpin Sean also does a nice job on the track as well. Definitely worth checking out.
9. Streetz (Lost Version) (f/ Scut)-- this one has a basic midtempo snare bassline and hi-hat beat. Money Mike, Kingpin Sean, and Scut rap about how they run the streets and they ain't afraid to stuff ya ass in the trunk if you step to them. It's a decent track you may enjoy.
10. Spinnin Time (f/ Jon Doe)-- this one has a really nice darker, horrorcore beat. The hook goes "rollin down the block, my rims don't stop, they spin like a clock, tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock" and doesn't really fit the beat of the track. I wish they would have gone a different direction as far the content of the lyrics since there is so much they could have done here with a nice beat like this instead of a song about a car with spinners on it.
11. Piff (f/ Shakwon, Nesco, & Marty Graw)-- the Alabama-NY connection shows up here as the title "Piff" suggests (made famous by Cam'Ron's crew the Diplomats). They take a shot at the Dip Set too by calling them faggots and said that they are the original Taliban. That's a big shot coming from a lot of unknowns still trying to make a name for themselves in the rap game while their counterparts have major deals with Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam Records. The good thing is that this version of the Taliban doesn't really give you any of that off the wall wordplay like Cam'Ron's crew does.
12. Fuck Wit Us (f/ Young Walley, & Marty Graw)-- this one has a laid back midtempo bassline beat. Connection raps about how it's done in the Dirty South and how people don't wanna fuck with them. Marty Graw comes with a nice verse on the track in his heavy southern drawl. Overall, it's a nice track you'll be able to bump in the whip.
13. Blac Lex (f/ Dutch)-- this one has a bass guitar and keyboard beat with the snares on the bassline. There's a bit of mixin and scratchin in here as well that kinda takes you back to the old school but for some odd reason, it doesn't really fit well at all. But that's just on the hook, so other than that, it's a decent track worth checking out.
14. Slow Down (f/ Marty Graw & Mrs. Mariah)-- this one has a real East Coast feel on the beats and the rapper's flows on the mics. Everyone knows that we're not really a fan of having the female runs on the chorus and that's no different here. But other than that, it's a song just to sit back and vibe to. Nice effort.
15. 2 Ninez (radio version)
16. Piff (chopped & screwed)
Overall, the production by Nesco, Ballistic, Jon Doe, Kingpin Sean, and Big Dre was on point for most of the album. Some of the tracks were a bit raw but that's to be expected from a lot of the independent rappers who don't have the big label budget working for them. This album was a major step up from Kingpin Sean's solo effort which dropped last year in terms of the production and the mic skills. So overall, it's good to see these cats taking a step forward instead of making lateral moves or even going backwards from previous efforts. It will be interesting to see what improvements are made from here to the next album but we're pretty certain that it will happen. It's an album worth checkin out if you're looking for something new to bump from the Southern underground.
Gutta Generals - 101 Degrees Heat