Fresh from his small role in the 1993 film
Menace II Society
,
MC Eiht
followed
"Streiht Up Menace,"
his breakthrough hit single from the film's soundtrack, with
We Come Strapped
. The album may be his full-length solo debut, but
Eiht
was no rookie here. He had come of age as a member of
Compton's Most Wanted
, a semi-successful
gangsta rap
group, and brought along the defunct group's producer,
DJ Slip
, to join him. And that's pretty much all there is to this album,
and
Slip
. Make no mistake:
is a sparse and straightforward album, just
's ghetto rhymes and
's showering keyboards. And that's it: no extensive guest appearances, no
P-Funk
interpolations, no lavish extravagances, just
's rhymes and
's keyboards.
"All for Money"
is the album highlight. Here
rhymes gently about doing whatever it takes to get paid while
's keyboards hover alongside some smooth, jazzy guitar and "la-la"s in the distance. It's simple and laid-back, for sure, and it's distinct and evocative as well. Moreover, the same can be said about
as a whole. This is a bare-bones album stripped down to the
G-funk
essentials:
gangsta
funk
. Unfortunately, there's a lack of standout songs, and fresh ideas are few and far between. But it sure sounds good while it's playing. ~ Jason Birchmeier