Since he got hit with a life sentence,
C-Murder
's prison albums have run the gamut from fascinating (2005's
The Truest $#!@ I Ever Said
) to forgettable (2009's
Calliope Click
). In 2014, he and fellow inmate
Boosie Badazz
dropped the mixtape track "Came2DaCan," a vicious, hooky attack on
Master P
and others who allegedly turn their backs on any incarcerated friends. Now 2016 finds
Boosie
on a roll with numerous conceptual releases, including this collaborative album with
, where "In the Pen" acts as "Came2DaCan"'s dire sequel. It's a monster highlight, but the key cut has to be the riveting "Dear Supreme Court," where
pleads to have his case reconsidered while giving the listener an insanely infectious song to boot. Later there's
Snoop Dogg
's appearance and clever cuts like "Miller Time," and while the Louisiana State Penitentiary investigates how these tapes made it out of the pen, there's still the bitter aftertaste that as
claims he's innocent in his compelling style, it doesn't change the fact that someone murdered the 16-year-old victim, Steve Thomas. ~ David Jeffries