Tony Yayo
Thoughts of a Predictable Felon
BY THOMAS HSIEH
urrently incarcerated Tony Yayo, a crew member of G-Unit, finally makes himself known on Thoughts of a Predicate Felon. Produced by G-Unit Records, you basically get what G-Unit is all about: unsub-stantive lyrics with occasional dance-floor-filling beats.
Thoughts starts off with—what else?—the sound of a jail cell opening and a warden shouting. Maintaining this death row aesthetic, the second song is called "Homicide." Nothing imaginative here, with lines like, "There's a clip in the nine/Bullet in the clip/Bullet in the chamber/Round on the ground/And that's why homicide all around." Yayo spits out the same old trash that pervades today's worst rap music. One track later, Yayo returns to the second-grade with "Tattle Teller." You'd expect inmate Yayo to be a tad tougher than telling his opponents, "I ain't your friend, you a tattle teller."
Immaturity seems to be the album's overarching motif. People will probably love the danceable "So Seductive," featuring 50 Cent, but its beat and lyrics are almost identical to Fiddy's "Candy Shop" or "Disco Inferno." One of the best songs on the album, "Drama Setter," features Eminem and Obie Trice. The beat and hook (courtesy of Eminem) make the song, but Yayo's referring to himself as "Riker's Island's Pokémon" is strange, even disturbing.
Another notable track is "Curious," featuring R&B singer, Joe. Here, Yayo digresses from tales of bitches and hoes and, instead, raps about treating women properly: "Her baby daddy is a killer/He hold weight in Attica/But every time he home/He beatin' her and smackin' her/Ma, you don't need your face black and blue/You need diamonds from Jacob that's black and blue." Joe's vocals and background melodies provide a nice blend of R&B and rap—proof that Yayo can produce meaningful songs outside the G-Unit mindset.
In a strange turn of events, pop music becomes an inspiration despite its being the bane of G-Unit's aesthetic. On "Love My Style," Yayo samples Britney Spears' "Toxic." Has Yayo sold out too soon? We'll see. Maybe he'll get kicked out of the Unit like the Game did. At any rate, Yayo saves the best for last, providing thoughtful lyrics as he talks about the harshness of street life and how he's trying to make himself better in the final track, "Live by the Gun."
All in all, Yayo does not have 50 Cent's charisma, Lloyd Banks' gruff, or Young Buck's flow. He spends too much time yelling his laughable lyrics and trying to be G-Unit instead of himself. Yayo is not a solo performer; he does much better appearing in others' songs and mix tapes. If you're dying to hear G-Unit, get the albums of the other members, excluding 50 Cent's The Massacre. Otherwise, send this record back to where it came from, and keep it locked up. (Interscope)
http://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=4320
Thoughts of a Predictable Felon
BY THOMAS HSIEH
urrently incarcerated Tony Yayo, a crew member of G-Unit, finally makes himself known on Thoughts of a Predicate Felon. Produced by G-Unit Records, you basically get what G-Unit is all about: unsub-stantive lyrics with occasional dance-floor-filling beats.
Thoughts starts off with—what else?—the sound of a jail cell opening and a warden shouting. Maintaining this death row aesthetic, the second song is called "Homicide." Nothing imaginative here, with lines like, "There's a clip in the nine/Bullet in the clip/Bullet in the chamber/Round on the ground/And that's why homicide all around." Yayo spits out the same old trash that pervades today's worst rap music. One track later, Yayo returns to the second-grade with "Tattle Teller." You'd expect inmate Yayo to be a tad tougher than telling his opponents, "I ain't your friend, you a tattle teller."
Immaturity seems to be the album's overarching motif. People will probably love the danceable "So Seductive," featuring 50 Cent, but its beat and lyrics are almost identical to Fiddy's "Candy Shop" or "Disco Inferno." One of the best songs on the album, "Drama Setter," features Eminem and Obie Trice. The beat and hook (courtesy of Eminem) make the song, but Yayo's referring to himself as "Riker's Island's Pokémon" is strange, even disturbing.
Another notable track is "Curious," featuring R&B singer, Joe. Here, Yayo digresses from tales of bitches and hoes and, instead, raps about treating women properly: "Her baby daddy is a killer/He hold weight in Attica/But every time he home/He beatin' her and smackin' her/Ma, you don't need your face black and blue/You need diamonds from Jacob that's black and blue." Joe's vocals and background melodies provide a nice blend of R&B and rap—proof that Yayo can produce meaningful songs outside the G-Unit mindset.
In a strange turn of events, pop music becomes an inspiration despite its being the bane of G-Unit's aesthetic. On "Love My Style," Yayo samples Britney Spears' "Toxic." Has Yayo sold out too soon? We'll see. Maybe he'll get kicked out of the Unit like the Game did. At any rate, Yayo saves the best for last, providing thoughtful lyrics as he talks about the harshness of street life and how he's trying to make himself better in the final track, "Live by the Gun."
All in all, Yayo does not have 50 Cent's charisma, Lloyd Banks' gruff, or Young Buck's flow. He spends too much time yelling his laughable lyrics and trying to be G-Unit instead of himself. Yayo is not a solo performer; he does much better appearing in others' songs and mix tapes. If you're dying to hear G-Unit, get the albums of the other members, excluding 50 Cent's The Massacre. Otherwise, send this record back to where it came from, and keep it locked up. (Interscope)
http://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=4320
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