In Brief
On his debut album, this New York rapper effectively represents gritty, lower-class struggle, a drastic departure from the typically glossy, upbeat sound and attitude of his Sean “Puffy” Combs-owned label. Rob traverses familiar, violence-driven street tales on the 21 cuts, but his narrative abilities elevate his work. His characters have a depth and reality achieved too rarely in hip-hop. Dramatic, varied production from Buckwild, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie and others amplifies Rob’s intense imagery.
*
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.
*
Hear the Music
* Excerpts from Eels’ “Daisies of the Galaxy” and other releases are available on the World Wide Web. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
