Illuminati 2G

A half-decade after breaking through to the mass public as a cagey veteran with the smash "Slow Jams," the "world's fastest rapper" continues to consistently drop some of the most downright interesting records in the hip-hop universe. 2009's CATEGORY F5 is quite possibly Twista's tightest record to date. The album is both a whirlwind of language and a bloodletting, a reminder that the rapid-fire rapper possesses one of the most keen (and often underrated) wits in the game as well as one of its darkest minds. Twista is of the streets, but his task is not to extol the glory of the game, but to impassively chronicle the carnage through the 3-D glasses of his own messed-up mind. There's a born-into-it undercurrent to his narrative, his super-speedy flow acting as a subliminal machine gun, spit-firing words like "apocalypse" and "nauseous" into an already crackling air. And on it goes, reaching a high note on "Wetter," a sequel to an earlier beloved track, "Get It Wet," as Twista does what he does best, spitting furious about his Don Juan-level love for all the ladies in the world.

7.75 OUT OF 10

Near halfway through SOFT WHITE, his ninth record, Mack 10 drops the slick, `80s soul-jazz hearkening, smooth ballad "Hood Famous." It's both a catchy track and an apt summation of the Cali MC's place in the hip-hop world come 2009 - a legend of the West Coast Rap universe who's still unknown to the masses. Mack 10's got the usual balance of the street-hard playa jams ("Big Balla") and inspirational appeals to the kids ("It's Your Life"), but both sides of the ledger boast tremendous hooks and Mack 10's expert storytelling style.

7 OUT OF 10

C-Thug shows with this album once again that Arizona is going to be one of the big players on the west coast. With appearances from Juice, Glasses Malone, Young Buck and more, fans of west coast music have to add this to their collection. This cat got alot of attention the past couple years and unfortunately he is doing jail time right now. Definitely worth copping.

8 OUT OF 10

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