Life In the Concrete Jungle

Album Review

Life in the Concrete Jungle finds BG's Chopper City Boyz whittled down to two; Gar and the rechristened Snipe who was known as Sniper on the group's debut, We Got This. The good news is the Chopper City Boyz sound tighter and all the more satisfying as a duo, squashing previous complaints about clutter and lack of vision. Concrete Jungle is still a down and dirty, often cheap sounding affair that's not for everyone, but its appeal reaches beyond the BG fanatic and New Orleans hip-hop faithful. Most outgoing of the lot is "Bubblegum," a hooky strip club joint with Lady Dolla delivering the hood diva mating call like she was Olivia on 50's "Candy Shop" or Jha Jha on Jim Jones' "What You Been Drankin' On." Hurricane Chris injects some star power into the jittery and paranoid "Bizness," while up and comer Bloodraw fits just right on the grimey true streets story "My Life," a track that comes alive thanks to producer Cosmo Hickox's pure and simple four-note hook. Bass Heavy's name is all over the release with a production credit for the Kanye West sound-alike "I Like It" and mixing or mastering on almost everything else. The album's second half keeps it in the family with less guest shots and more from the crew's capo, BG, who sings the praises of the Boyz get it and spend it lifestyle. The curtain closes with "U Can Bleed Too" and its odd appearance from veteran thug C-Murder who sounds about an octave lower than usual. This a long haul over 17 tracks but those who love the down low dirty south won't mind the overstuffing much and will appreciate a Chopper City Boyz album worth playing repeatedly.