Heart of Tha Streetz, Vol. 2

Album Review

His lazy delivery makes him more like a narrator at times instead of a rapper, and 18 tracks of B.G. may be way too much for all but the most die-hard fan. Luckily, the bloated The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 has more thrills than Vol. 1, thanks in no small part to the bigger guest list. Producer/MC Mannie Fresh is the reason "Move Around" breaks away from the pack with the veteran rapper delivering the album's biggest hook and best chorus. The simmering "Deuces Up" with Paul Wall is worth noting if only for Wall and the rolling production from Pretty Todd, while "Ain't No Bitch" is a much better team-up, with Webbie and B.G. bouncing off one another with true fire. Going it alone, B.G. nails bravado and posturing on the short but excellent "Intro," then slips into too comfortable bragging before coming alive again on the dark "Kill or Be Killed." Then there's the bitter "I Ain't Got Nothing," which makes up for two or three of the filler tracks, but not the six or seven remaining. When B.G.'s snide swagger and his trademark "wahhhhhhh!" work, they work well and it's a shame the listener has to work so hard to find the gems here. Someone could compile a tight album from the two volumes of Streetz that would have the non-believers believing. More than half the material would come from Vol. 2, but as it is, B.G.'s post-Cash Money schedule of two albums a year is proving to be too much, too soon. [The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.]