In the five years that passed between his debut, , and his third full-length, , Brooklyn rapper 's sound changed a lot. Angrier lyrics were already starting to show up on his sophomore release, , but it was nothing in comparison to . Not that the themes are fueled by testosterone and rage here (and not that they were on , either, though there was a great deal more vitriol), but the overall feel of the album -- which has by now moved past the boom bap old-school beats into fuller, gloomier production that more aptly represents the mid-'90s East Coast sound -- is much darker, with slower, heavier songs that ponder life in the ghetto. But the record's not an attack on the system that has caused the poor conditions of inner-city existence; rather, it's more of a collection of sketches that show it in its entirety, both the good and the bad. The whole crew ( , , and ) is present here and does a good job -- along with , of course, whose flow and lyrics combine to show him off at his best -- at adding depth and realism to the album's 16 cuts, interludes and all. It's a formula that clearly works well: boasted the MC's most popular songs, (which was also included as a bonus track on ), and the title track itself, but the other material -- -- is equally as interesting, and makes the record a very worthwhile addition to a collection. ~ Marisa Brown