In Brief

** 1/2 Fiend, “Street Life,” No Limit/Priority. Known for high-voltage guest appearances on sets from the No Limit Records family, this New Orleans rapper delivers a largely rowdy, rock-tinged collection on his second Master P-backed album. Fiend’s husky voice works well with the layered, undulating production backing him and his gritty street tales. Still, a little fat could have been trimmed from the 17-song release.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).