Reality Check [PA] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Juvenile (rap vocals); Brian McKnight (vocals); Skip, 8Ball, Fat Joe, Kango, Ludacris, Mike Jones , Paul Wall , Redd Eyezz, Wacko, Trey Songz, Bun B (rap vocals).

"Keeping it real" has long since become a cliché in hip-hop vernacular, but New Orleans-based gangsta rapper Juvenile doesn't really know any other way to keep it. While the former Hot Boys MC rose to prominence on the Crescent City's Cash Money label, 2006's REALITY CHECK finds him on a major with his street credentials fully intact. In fact, Juvenile is as angry and brash here as ever, saving his most blunt lyrical cudgels for the Bush administration and post-Katrina politico hustlers. The album's three singles--"Animal," "Rodeo," and "Get Ya Hustle On"--already make REALITY CHECK a winner, but the rest of the disc holds up to the promise of those stand-out tracks. minimize