Dull Moments Are Rare With C-Murder

This member of the multi-platinum group TRU has long been a fixture of the No Limit Records empire. Unlike his labelmates, however, Master P’s younger brother makes only token appearances on the majority of the company’s releases. This low profile has made the New Orleans native with a voice that has been widely compared to 2Pac’s one of No Limit’s prime attractions.

C-Murder’s solo debut album, 1998’s “Life or Death,” sold more than 800,000 copies and was widely regarded as one of the year’s best gangster rap albums. C-Murder’s eerie intonations, uncompromising words and assaulting production catapulted him to stardom.

This second collection (due in stores Tuesday) veers sharply from the faceless, assembly-line No Limit production sound and keeps cameos from unqualified rappers to a minimum. With largely sample-free tunes and a choice mix of street themes and social commentary, the 28-song set has few dull moments. Rowdy collaborations with Master P, Snoop Dogg and Goodie Mob explode from the speakers, and C-Murder sounds more comfortable than most hard-core rappers when he is discussing the nuances of personal relationships. It’s a solid, heartfelt release from one of the genre’s most intimidating figures.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.