Defsounds

There are two things that all fans of Hip Hop have learned over the past ten years. The first is not every rapper that is being hyped as the next big thing, is as good as advertised. The next is that most rappers who come into the game, will at one point in their career either try to put a friend or family member on. Beleive it or not, but these things almost always happen. An artist will pick up a strong following, and just when he/she is at the peak of his/her popularity they begin to mention this great new artist or group who's coming out under the artists personal label. From sheer loyalty to their favorite artist fans check out the artist or group, and six out of ten times left either dissapointed or disinterested. The artist or artists should have never stepped into a booth and it was clear that it was an attempt to get a little homie some money and popularity. But then you have those instances where the artist or group is actually pretty talented. This does not happen all of the time, but it has been known to happen. It happened with 50 and G-Unit, Cash Money  and Lil Wayne, and on some level for Eminem with D-12. So in a generation where there's more dissapointing new artist than standouts; the Horse Shoe G.A.N.G comes from the depths of California to offer what may possibly be one of the best group albums of the year.

Lyrics-9.0

The lyrical skills of artist over the years has slowly but steadily declined as time has gone by, to the point that an average rapper can be seen as a supreme being on the mic. This group is average by no means. Hailing from the west coast their rap style and flow have a mixture of east coast bravado with murderous punchlines and wordplay that is so potent you'll find yourself still going over the rhyme day's after you heard the album. The complexity of the rhymes are also on a level not seen by many artist as well. While some artist give you a basic rhyme then a hard punchline to finish the bar, this group gives you a constant serving of multisyllable metaphors, similies, punchlines and double entandres that would leave even the hardest of hearing fan blown away by the current track, while salivating for the next one up. On a comparison level they could go bar for bar with any active Hip Hop group right now, and either come out on top or at least put up a great fight.

Production-8.0

The production on this album is simply put, meant to bump in the speakers and accompany you in your ride. The kind of beats that are known to be a rappers best friend, because they are complex to the ears, but usually very easy to flow on. The group did a very good job with picking beats that complimented their styles. Artist tend to go for a beat from a producer that they know is very popular at the moment, although that producer may be whats hot at the current time. It dosen't mean that the artist/group and producer mesh together properly as far as direction and style. Sticking to what they know and what they do well with, the production complemented the album, perfectly with nothing out of this world but more then enough to rock with.

Songs-7.0

If you want to hear a group of rap dudes who's main purpose on the mic is to tear it into pieces, and who take pride in their lyrical skills then this is it for you. If your a fan of tough gutter talk, and feel that some of your old favorite rappers have lost their edge, then you will definitely love these guys, because Gangsta Rap is in full effect on this album. What hurts them though is their lack of content, most of the songs are based on the same topics, with the lyrics speaking about the same things just said in different ways. If your a fan of diversity in content you may find yourself losing interest in this album after a couple of weeks, while some of your other friends still cant remove it from their top play list.

Conclusion-8

Contrary to popular thought, putting together a solid album is not one of the easiest things in the world to do. Putting together a solid Hip Hop album, that goes with the times, has quality lyrics, relevant content and will appeal to a fan base is even harder. Then try to share bars with four other people while still finding space for a hook. Making a solid album is hard enough, these men made an amazing album. Easily one of the best albums of the year, and a group every real fan of Hip Hop should go out and support. A good group is hard to find, we've gotten two great groups in just the last couple of months. Horse Shoe G.A.N.G. is definitely the next hot group in Hip Hop.

The West Coast is officially back.