Saturday, September 22, 2012

Just Tryin' Ta Live (Rap-A-Lot, 2002) by Devin the Dude

This album ranks up there with The Fix, Aquemini and Ridin' Dirty as some of the best music in the history of southern hip hop.  "It's a Shame," with pronounced dark pianos in the beat (production courtesy of Dr. Dre) and a hook from Pooh Bear, is one of the albums early cuts but also one of the greatest in the set.  "R & B" is a very funny song that involves weed, alcohol and a redneck.  Nas and Xzibit make great contributions to "Some of 'Em" and DJ Premier doesn't disappoint behind the boards on "Doobie Ashtray."  Devin is a great writer, rapper, storyteller and singer.  With Just Tryin' Ta Live, he has assembled a great collection of individual songs that also fit together nicely to form a cohesive album.  Not to take anything away from a current artist like Drake who also sings and raps, but Devin did it before him and he did it a little better.

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