Back 2 Da Basics [PA] (CD - 2006)

Audio Mixers: John Frye; Leo Goff; Slice Tee; Fabian Marasciullo.

Recording information: Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN; Broady Music, Memphis, TN; Hit Factory, Miami, FL; IE Studios, Memphis, TN; Intravision Studio, Atlanta, GA; Quad Studios, Nashville, TN; Slicse Of Life, Memphis, TN.

Photographer: Alan Spearman.

The fifth release by Memphis-based rapper Yo Gotti is sharper and packs more punch than the artist's previous albums. BACK 2 DA BASICS still traffics in Dirty South hardcore, with plenty of narratives about drugs, sex, thug life, and hustling on the street delivered with Yo Gotti's intense, menacing style. Yet the whole comes across with more confidence, while guest appearances from the likes of Bun B., Lil Wayne, and high-profile producer Scott Storch keep things interesting. Fans of Dirty South-style thuggery will definitely want to check this one out.

Two big things came into Yo Gotti's life since his last effort, 2003's overlooked Life, was released. First there was his hooking-up with the Cash Money label by way of Gotti's group the Block Burnaz, and then there was his brush with the big time when his fantastic track "Full Time" made an appearance in the film Hustle & Flow. These two events must have given the rapper the framework for Back 2 Da Basics, a solid effort that's cold, hungry, and ambitious without ignoring the weekend and the party time that comes with it. Suggesting the next Robin Hood might be in the crackhouse pushing bricks of drugs , the "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"-styled side of the album is satisfying and acknowledges hard Southern hip-hop's success with respect and a little "it shoulda been me." Tough love abounds on "Cold Game" while "A Part of Thugs" is a gripping tale of heartbreak in the hood, implying that the drug war and intercontinental military wars cut equally deep into relationships. The bolder, Cash Money-flavored tracks are best represented by "I Got Them," which modernizes Baby and Mannie Fresh's "Big Tymers" track into a 2006 crunk attack with help from Lil Wayne. "Gangsta Party" utilizes Bun B, 8 Ball, and a Marvin Gaye sample without squandering any of them, while "That's What They Made It Foe" finds Yo Gotti delivering a T.G.I.F. anthem with help from Pooh Bear and hot producer Scott Storch (Gotti fesses "I paid like ten bricks for this one!"). Some redundant filler towards the end keeps this from being a classic, but Back 2 Da Basics is well rounded and has enough heat to turn this hood-respected rapper into a more high-profile hustler. ~ David Jeffries minimize