Grey Skies
by Crooked Lettaz

This came out at a time when southern hip hop had finally began to receive some recognition it was long overdue, so I can't quite put my finger on the reason this escaped most people's attention. The production is willing to try different things without losing its main focus. They go for an energetic sound, which never gets aggressive or violent, trying to draw you in as it slowly but surely hypnotizes you. Also, I have the impression that live instrumentation is not that common in southern hip hop, but I'm not an expert on the topic. The rapping always maintains a nice balance, with the two MCs complementing each other, though I have to confess my preference to the flamboyant and almost erratic style of Kamikaze. Most guests did also add something substantial to the album. By the way, any idea who this guy Aliou Dialo is? For some reason I can't explain I know Saint Peter won't call my name he was the most addictive part of the whole album. To my surprise I noticed the lyrics being cited as one of the attractions of the album. I thought that for the most part you can safely ignore them without missing out on anything spectacular. They are mainly talking about typical stuff of the South ( "I'm the trillest of the trill, you the fakest of the fake Pussy-ass niggas in the club tryna playa hate While I'm standin here draped in diamonds I ride with made niggas, some choppin on blade niggas Survive enemies, Mississippi get paid niggas", or "We the last line Of defense That's why the South remain calm In all this nonsense They cloning sheep Next week Boi, they'll be cloning you Now while you steady claiming coasts With your silly crew I got stew"). Not that it matters too much. The lyrics are far from the reason you'd listen to such an album. In that sense, it forms a nice pair with the other album of 1999, which is heavily based on its lyrics. When it comes to picking a highlight, the album is characterized by its consistency, it's hard to find songs that stand out either in a positive or in a negative manner. The party oriented Get Crunk is definitely a great moment and we get to see another side in A Girl Named Cim, but as I mentioned earlier, Straight Outta Africa Interlude is hands down the most memorable moment due to its seemingly out of nowhere guest.