Smooth Da Hustler
Once Upon A Time In Brownsville [Profile]

Strength:

I can't say how this lp is being recieved back East where Smooth Da Hustler and his brother Trigger Tha Gambler are from..however when they dropped that cut 'Broken Language' a lot of folks out here in the Bay kinda slept on it.. Oh yeah there were some headz who represented like collage radio and The Pirate DJs..but for the most part it never blew up here the way it did back East...

I'll be honest I slept on this kid myself..but once I awoke I was with him..I wasn't a fan of his follow up single 'Hustler's Theme' which was a reworking of Freddy's Dead from the Superfly soundtrack but the b-side 'Murderfest' was the bomb... It's gritty underground NY style feel was worth checkin' for..

This new album..is pretty cool.. Smooth has madd skills as he speaks on inner city life in many of his songs. Standout tracks include.. the head bobbin' piano ladden track 'F*ck What You Heard'.. Dollar Bill is nice as they either replay or creatively sample from Issac Haye's Theme From Shaft... Neva Die Alone is a hip hop remake of the old classic song Sonny... There's a politically social cut called 'Food For Thought'... which is laid back and jazzy..Finally the new single 'My Brother My Ace' is some material to defintely roll with....
Overall The Smooth Da Hustler lp is ok... GRADE=B-

Criticism:

I can't front.. everybody is on this kid's dick. I'm sorry about that, but I call them as I see them.. and this album is kinda wack. His first song Broken Language was ok..but after awhile Smooth and chitter chatter rap style becomes annoying. This lp is some typical East Coast stuff that no one around the 'Town' is checking for.. . Everything sounds gritty and ominous.. to me it becomes to damn repetative. To me this album is strictly fast forward material.. I don't know what all the hype is about...GRADE=C

Big Tommy Jenkins
5/27/96

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