EBK4

iTunes Review

Sleek and more streamlined than Brotha Lynch Hung’s early efforts, EBK4 relies primarily on the understated, pensive beats of producer Phonk Beta. The album gets its energy from the juxtaposition of Lynch’s fang-baring delivery and the smooth funk of the beats. The silky groove of “Catch You” only serves to emphasize the viciousness of Lynch’s rhymes: “’Cause if life was free I would say ‘Fuck money’ / You can douse me in monkey blood / Fill my pockets with drug money and duck from me.” Lynch is best known as a progenitor of horrorcore, but EBK4 proves he is the consummate rapper’s rapper, as in control of his craft as the finest East Coast practitioners. His reputation is reflected in the guest list, which includes cameos from two perennial California heroes: Snoop Dogg and Keak da Sneak. It’s amazing to watch each rapper’s style come alive when placed within Lynch’s “sicc” world. Snoop’s Southern-fried drawl has never sounded stickier than on “Dogg Market,” while “Raw Meat” is the perfect venue for Keak’s rabid delivery. The latter song is a moment of over-the-top gusto on what is otherwise Lynch’s most restrained and stealthy effort.