B.G.
Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood
Chopper City/E1/Atlantic

loading...

Beats: L
Lyrics: L
Originality: L

It’s hard to imagine mistaking B.G. as anything other than a street-wise Southern rapper who keeps it 10 toes down in the hood. Nonetheless, his eleventh solo album, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood—his first since 2006’s The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 (I Am What I Am)—aims to prove he hasn’t lost his edge to create unapologetic cuts for the hood.

Keepin’ that edge is absolutely a good thing for B.G. Showcasing his trademark laidback Southern drawl, B.G. pledges allegiance to his city on the triumphant Mannie Fresh-produced “My Hood.” Elsewhere, he agrees to abide by the G-code on the delightfully ominous “I Swar” and promises repercussions for anyone that wants to step to him on TH2BH’s other Mannie Fresh production “Chopper City Is An Army.” He even teams up with Lil Wayne and Juvenile for a much-anticipated Hot Boys reunion (minus the incarcerated Turk) on the Cool & Dre-produced “Ya Heard Me.”

Of course, keeping it real does go wrong a few times. Specifically, B.G.’s cheesy attempts at pleasing the females on raunchy R&B-tinged tracks like “Fucking U Right” and “Fuck Thang,” which are both monotonous and unnecessary. But even when he misses the mark, B.G. manages to keep his street cred intact. And there’s no better example than the celebratory “Keep It 100,” where he takes an oath to stay true to the streets. “I’ma a hustler, a triple O.G.,” he raps, “I’ll never let the money or the fame change me.” True, indeed. —Chris Yuscavage

More From XXL