In a lot of ways the kid, Jacka, is reminiscent of a young 50 Cent with his choice in production and sound. The same way 50 used the mixtape to showcase his ability to create music over all kinds of sounds and samples, Jacka uses The Street Album to demonstrate that his potential goes beyond head knocking hip-hop like most upcoming MCs. I mean son made a name for himself out in the Cali, so he’s gotta be doing something right, right? He’s ambitious on his tracks and brings you into his world to make you feel his mood just like 50 in his heyday, na’mean.

Like the way he uses “Aspen” to harmonize his style with a R&Bish beat while he speaks of a lavish lifestyle that involves skiing (And I don’t mean with the kind of snow that Flaco got down the block in the summer). And he made a pretty decent club/party banger with the futuristic electronic sounding “All Over Me.” Them joints show that he’s seeing past the street and is reaching for a broader audience.

But his true self lies in the street cuts where he speaks with such grunts that sometimes it’s hard to make out what he’s saying. It sounds like it rhymes, but only he and his true followers know for sure. I know he spoke about killing snitches, guns, money, and violence. Joints like the “Dopeman” sampled “For The Mob,” and “Crown Me” were hard as 50’s nipple on that GQ cover (Pause like meno).

The best way I can describe the Bay Area MC is to say he’s a diamond in the rough. I definitely see the promise but would I put the muthaf*cka in a ring and propose to wifey? Naw! His flow is cool, but doesn’t ride the beats as insane as most new comers out now. And some of the beats he chose showed that weakness. But he showed he was capable of taking his flow to a rapid speed with “From The Streets,” and a more animated style on “A Million.” So I know the potential is right there to be realized, it’s just not being utilized enough.

But ultimately what kept this mixtape from being what Jacka was trying to make it be was himself. You could tell by the sounds of the beats and samples used like on joints on “Fed Up,” and “Not Me” that he wanted to make music and not just rip the mic, but his inability to completely throw his inhibitions to the wind like a virgin on Prom Night and go all in as far as being as creative as he seemed he wanted to be is what made this project suffer. Tracks like “For The Block” reeked of effort and sounded out of place on this joint, while “Drug Life” sounded too simple. They just didn’t help advance this album at all. Take that into account along with his lack of wordplay and vocab and you’ll see my beef.

Now I’m not knocking the dude, I like where he’s coming from and what he’s trying to do. He’s way ahead of the curve and it’s pretty evident that homie’s gonna become that dude sooner or later. But while this was an aight project that you could stroll through the hood listening to, it wasn’t something that would motivate you to ride. -The Infamous O

Hottest Joint: “For The Mob”

Weakest Joint: “Fuck Everybody”

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