producers: harve "joe hooker" pierre, nashiem myrick, buckwild, ron "amen-ra" lawrence, p.diddy, deric "d-dot" angelettie, charlemagne, carlos broady, richard "younglord" frierson, others

guests: feat. cheryl pepsi riley, racquel, cee-lo, puff daddy, mark curry, g-dep, mase, lil' kim, joe hooker, the lox, mario winans, carl thomas, jennifer lopez

This album had more delays on released dates than the worst railway system. A phenomenon no fan truly understands, cause if an album gets 4 ½ mics in the Source (submitted to the mag about three months before it hit the newsstands), you better put the album out, cause people will cop it. But Puffy had other plans, or no plans anymore. However, the album didn't drop and the single "Whoa!" most likely was the saving grace that finally got this album it's release. And now it's out and while it will not be the album that is saving the sinking Bad Boy label, it is actually a record that deserves much more than a fast skip through.

After a unnecessary "Mrs. Barry (Intro)", the album finally opens with "Life Story". Referred to 'thugged out' on the cover sticker, it's actually a more or less thoughtful track about Rob's past and his moms. He rhymes "now I know then was even harder / especially for a single mother / raising me with no father / shit living up in this tenement / eating stale M&M's / talking wild shit to Spanish immigrants" or "had to be 12 son, had to make a profit / remembering robbed my moms wit no guilt / eating pork and beans or corn flakes wit no milk / in school I smacked cats in a hurry / moms didn't care she was getting drunk with misses Berry", but he also rhymes "hatred in my heart but inside I love you / see no matter what I will extend my arms to hug you", "I appreciate jail because it made me appreciate you" and "I remembered when you rushed me / the time you said you should of flushed me / I forgive you, Ma trust me". All of that over a Roy Ayers sample, as hooked up by Nashiem Myrick, as used before on an O.C. cut, but it gives the track a sad feel.

"Whoa!" has already blown up, with its Buckwild production, who offered one of his better beats of late, but that still can't live up to his past jewels. "Lookin' at Us" is a tale of murder and revenge. Black Rob suffers of having a very simple flow, that only works when he kicks "at the Radison over Madison / I'm imagining somewhere down the line I'ma have to use my gat again". And so it's Cee-Lo who shines most over this previously used sample, when he goes "what you want me to do? / who you want me to run over, and run through? / with my gun drew, and unleash my wrath upon you / we can battle, but nigga, but pay for the bad news is true / this nigga done did something that he can't undo / and anybody who came here with him deserves one too". The Bad Boy massive then kicks "Down The Line Joint", and you wonder who wrote "I highly recommend y'all bring your arms / this is no false alarm / they want to do us harm" for Puff. Listening to Mase rhyme, you are thankful again he quit, and funny enough he spits "money like that, why the fuck I need school". But everybody is outshined by Bad Boy's newest sensation by the name of G-Dep, him kicking quite a nice verse with quite a nice flow.

The collaboration between Rob and Lil Kim "Espacio" is one big un-quotable, until Kim rightfully kicks "listen to they rhymes and say didn't I say that? / damn, I'm the shit, it's like I'ma nigga they be biting my dick / get on some old school shit, bitch run your kicks / go on y'all can have my flow / I extort y'all hoes for all y'all dough / and by now I think all y'all know / who's the winner, still champ by TKO". Mario "Yellow Man" Winans and P.Diddy's beat suffers of 'I need to get in the club' syndrome, with the chorus especially going on your nerves. One listen to "You Don't Know Me" feat. Joe Hooker and you will know what success was intended to be repeated here. On "Can I Live" feat. The Lox, Jadakiss is dropping the probably funniest line on this album, when he goes "yo, this is a monopoly, niggas ain't stopping me / and we can't lose cause Puff set us up properly". But he gets outshined by Styles who kicks "truth will set you free, what will a lie do / niggas say I'm God, but I be getting' high too / can't love the money like the niggas beside you / cause when the paper gone, you gon' slide too / niggas wanna ball, but got to fall to rise / while the world spins around they wanna stall they eyes / close they ears my nose makes me oppose my fear / cause I can smell hell" and the last remaining Lox Sheek kicks "Italian cuisine, Linguine, while my diamonds like-shing / so when I move at night-time you might think it's light-ning". Black Rob can't even drop anything remotely like that, and so the last comment belongs to the nice sparkling piano as hooked up by Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie.

Charlemagne saves "PD World Tour" feat. Puff Daddy, it only having decent lyrics, but the beat is extra dope, if not to say the best on here. "Muscle Game" is solid, Yellow Man hooking up some nice sound effects, and Rob is trading the mic with Mark Curry in a back and forth type fashion. On "B.R.", G-Dep is again stealing the show, with flow and content and "Thug Story" seems blasphemous how it's a plagiate of Slick Rick's "Children Story". But in actuality, it's cool how Rob adapted the flow of the Ruler. The production on "Jasmine" has to be mentioned too, and by now you will have realized that while the album is lyrically okay, Rob is kicking some thug rhymes without blatantly glorifying them, but the production, probably too sample heavy and pop for some, is actually too dope to be just dismissed with one or two comments. And so, while many will be happy to hate this, just about as many will enjoy to pump this until Rob's next album. And with Puff's release policy, that can be a loooonnng time.