Shyne
Album : Godfather Buried Alive
Release date : August 10, 2004
Label : Def Jam

In contemporary rap, incarceration pays. Get locked up, and your aura grows—you soon become a ’hood economist, legendary and independently wealthy. When word leaked out that Shyne was negotiating multimillion-dollar record contracts from inside the big house, his fan base grew exponentially. It doesn’t matter that his self-titled debut was only so-so. Rather than take the obvious bait and dis alleged snitch P Diddy across these 13 tracks, he instead goes after media darling 50 Cent. Phoning in his verses (literally) on "For the Record," he charges that 50 is a snitch and studio thug. Now that’s gangsta.

There are a few hidden gems here among the rehashed beats and songs. Kanye West continues to make everyone sound good ; his brooding, string-laden soundscape on "More or Less" perfectly matches Shyne’s gothic vocal tone and declarations : "hip-hop ain’t responsible for violence in America/America’s responsible for violence in America." Beat baron Just Blaze does his part on "Diamonds and Mac 10’s," but most of the record is filled with muddy production. Nothing here matches the appeal of his debut’s "Bad Boyz" collaboration with Barrington Levy, but this is still a timely, topical release. —Dalton Higgins

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