Styles - A Gangster & A Gentleman
Reviewed By: ULTIMATECDLINK
Album Rate: 4.25 out of 5 Stars
Styles P. of LOX follows in Jadakiss's footsteps with his new solo album. The album features LOX members Jadakiss, Sheek, and Ruff Ryder labelmate Eve, along with Swizz Beatz, Pharoahe Monche, Lil Mo, and Angie Stone.
1. Intro
2. Good Times-- this has to be one of the hottest songs of the summer 2002. Swizz Beatz comes with some tight beats on this song about gettin "high, high, high". Most of you have probably heard this one unless you've been livin in a cave for the last 6 months. Very nice song and good way to start the album.
3. Ya'll Know We In Here-- the beat on this one sounds a little like the first single from Drag-On's debut album. Styles comes hard on his lyrics on this one. Pretty tight song.
4. A Gangster & A Gentleman-- Styles tells the story of the struggles of his life. The track is basically how he is torn between living on both sides of the road of life. I'm feelin this track.
5. Black Magic-- this track features Angie Stone who adds some background vocals and sings the hook as well. Styles drops some deep verses about
battling the demons that the poor and dope fiends face every day. Nice song that I could see being released as a single.
6. Daddy Get That Cash-- this track has a nice mid-tempo to up-tempo beat that sounds like vaguely familiar. Lil Mo does a pretty good job singing the hook. This track will have ya head bobbin to beat.
7. Lick Shots-- this track features LOX members Jadakiss & Sheek. The beat on this one has got a bunch of gunshot going off in the background as LOX names off different people who they would lick shots for. It's an all right track but I ain't really feelin the beat.
8. And I Came To-- this beat on this track reminds me of an annoying mosquito buzzin around ya ear. Eve drops a verse about how she had to prove herself in the rap game. Styles and Sheek drops decent lyrics too but the beat starts to get on your nerves after a while.
9. Get Paid-- this track has kids doing the hook "can I get paid"...seems like you can't have an album these days without kids doing a hook. Styles does drop three pretty tight verses.
10. Ass Bag-- skit
11. I'm A Ruff Ryder-- this track has got a real slow gangster, piano beat going on. Styles drops the first two verses about how people don't wanna fuck with him or else he'll take ya out. Jadakiss drops the hook "I'm a Ruff Ryder/weed smoker/heroin supplier". This is definitely a song worth checkin out.
12. Soul Clap-- Styles does a decent job with his flows on this one but I ain't really feelin it. The track just feels out of place to me on this album.
13. We Thugs (My Niggas)-- this track starts off with a little piano beat.
Styles, Jadakiss, & Sheek all drop some nice verses on this one. Decent track.
14. Styles-- this track has a nice hard hittin bass beat. Styles and Jadakiss drop verses about smokin and sellin dope and drinking. This is a bumpable track.
15. Barbershop-- skit
16. Listen-- this track has a blues/guitar beat. Styles reminisces over his life and wonders what he'll ask God if he dies. I think this song would have been better over a different beat that was slower.
17. Niggas Flippin-- skit
18. Ya'll Don't Wanna Fuck-- this track features the newest member of Roc-A-Fella, the rap group M.O.P. This is another track with some hard lyrics from both Styles and M.O.P. Tight track rapped over a mediocre beat.
19. Shit Done Changed-- skit
20. Nobody Believes Me-- this track starts off with another piano beat. Styles drops some deep lyrics about how he hears stories from his knife, gun, money, etc. Bumpable track worth peepin here.
21. Dedication-- skit
22. My Brother-- this track is another deep track about Styles brother who has passed on. Styles spits lyrics about how he would bring him back if he could, how he's watchin over him from heaven, and how eventually we're all gonna die. Deep song.
23. Outro
24. The Life (bonus track)-- this was the first single released from the album which was also featured on the Rawkus Records "Soundbombing III" compilation released earlier this year. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. I like the beat and the lyrics by Styles & Pharoahe Monche are tight.
Overall, I thought this album was better than I expected. Styles comes with some deep lyrics on some of the tracks and hard lyrics on the rest of them. There are no real tracks that I would call commercial (which I was fearing after watching Jadakiss become a media favorite). For the most part, if you think about it, his breakout hit is about gettin high. I wouldn't really call that commercial. Swizz Beatz comes with some tight beats but he also drops some that I'm not feelin as well. The album is one that I expect most people to sleep on but it's worth checkin out because most of the tracks are bangers.
Styles - A Gangster & A Gentleman