Long rumored and much anticipated, reunites three of the West Coast's top rap artists --,, and -- and results in one of the most enjoyable albums to come from any of them to date. Know first, however -- if you don't already -- that isn't just another of 's many side projects; this is a full-fledged reunion. Way back in 1990 or so, these three superstars were young pups and decided to start a rapping-and-singing group. The Long Beach youths named it after their area code, 213 (which also comprised Los Angeles, Compton, Watts, and Carson), and a legend was born. Of course -- to make a long story very short -- shot to stardom alongside soon afterward, and and quickly found success themselves with their duet 'Regulate.' And that was the end of. Fast forward a dozen years, and while remained as popular as ever, 's and 's solo careers were barely afloat. ![]() The gold they'd struck with 'Regulate' had long since run dry. So it made sense for them to team up with again, and even a cursory listen to indeed affirms that. Simply put, this is the most enjoyable album of 's and 's careers to date, by a long shot, and it's among 's most enjoyable as well. And are both talented, but neither can carry the weight of an entire album by himself like can, so they benefit greatly from the team effort here. And contribute at least a verse each to every song, and usually delivers the hooks as well as some melodies and bridges. It's a perfect formula: plays the fool, interjecting his patented ad libs left and right and delivering first-rate raps every go-round; hasn't sounded this confident in years, if ever, rapping tougher and more gangsta than usual and rising to the heightened occasion wonderfully; and, who had become a token hitmaking hook-singer by this point, has never sounded like such a natural fit. And too, these guys have a great batch of songs to work with here. Almost every song is hand-delivered by a different producer, many of whom are fresh-sounding newcomers, and all contribute trademark G-funk jams. The few name-brand productions stand out most: DJ Hi Tek's album-opener, 'Twist Yo Body'; 's lead single, 'Groupie Luv'; and 's good-natured ballad 'Another Summer.'
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September 2018
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