Album Review- "Super Gangster, Extraordinary Gentleman" - Styles P

I'm not exactly sure what to make of Styles P in 2007. His first album had the defining "Good Times" and not much else, and his '06 release "Time Is Money" wore off within days. Since then he's put out a bunch of mixtapes all of which were pretty insignificant so how would he step it up for a real album.


1. Intro

Styles pronounces himself better than all y'all mahfuckas

2. Blow Ya Mind (Feat. Swizz Beats)

The single featuring Swizz Beats ala every other mixtape rapper this year. I'd probably rather hear a loud synth beat from Swizz like he made on the second LOX album (not that he makes anything that good these days) than this soft piano sample but its not terrible. The song is about smoking, kind of like "Good Times" come to think of it.

3. Let's Go (Feat. Ray J)

Styles P raps about how he goes to the club with a gun and then wakes up hung over with the help of one of those R&B guys that performs after Sixers games.

4. Alone In The Streets

This kind of sounds like Kanye's "Homecoming" but with some sort of 808 snare (why?) and a gay voice sample. Styles just rhymes about being in the street on another uninspired track.

5. In It To Win It (Feat. Bully)

The hardest track yet and its not that bad. Styles kicks some quality shit for the first time on the album over a pretty grimey beat but this guy Bully drops possibly the worst verse evar.

6. All I Know Is Pain (Feat. The Alchemist)

The Alchemist does the hook and I assume the beat too which is pretty good but gets annoying after a while with the synth and the screams. You could take a stab at what the content is all about.

7. Got My Eyes On You (Feat. Akon)

This looks (and kind of sounds) like a radio friendly track but its actually not about a girl. Instead its about making sure kids on the block aren't about to pull some sheisty street shit on you. This Akon thing has to stop too.

8. Green Peice Of Paper

What does Styles P do for the paper? Make unoriginal rap music for one.

9. Holiday (Feat. Max B.)

This rolling guitar beat is just aight but the loud crashing snare gives it some thump. $20 for the first person who can tell me what the fuck Max B. is saying on the chorus.

10. Look @ Her

Styles raps about some chick he wants to bone over techno music.

11. Da 80's

Kid Capri, who he shouts out in the beginning and I assume does the track, kills it with the piano and the marching band drums. Styles P, who is pretty talented, fails to be the lyricisit he seems to think he is.

12. Interlude 1 (Feat. Comedian Tony Roberts)

Some guy imitating a stereotypical fake thug kid which is probably the most entertaining minute of this entire album so far.

13. Shoot Niggas (Feat. Raw Buck)

What a fucking mess! Oh, and Styles claims to have a white boyfriend. The fuck?

14. Super Gangster

This album continues to reach new lows of creativity, though Super Gangster would make for a compelling showdown with Spiderman.

15. Star Of The State (Feat. Ghostface Killah)

The "twin ghost experience." A pretty dope track and Ghostfaces' verse is funny as shit. Maybe someday he'll teach Styles how to do something like that.

16. U Ain't Ready (Feat. Beanie Sigel)

Styles and Beans go line for line on the best banger of the album.

17. Interlude 2 (Feat. Comedian Tony Roberts)

Didn't this guy get shot in the last interlude?

18. Gangster, Gangster (Feat. Sheek Louch & Jadakiss)

Finally, the LOX track. You can hear that "Make The Music With Your Mouth" sample flipped for the millionth time in there, and if this kind of thing interests you; Sheek>Jada>Styles on this.

19. Cause I'm Black (Feat. Black Thought)

A song about injustice and black power and that sort of shit so naturally Black Thought drops a better verse but still not much of a song.


Overall:

This album had its moments, but overall it was a piece of shit. I'd say that the beats were more lacking than the rhymes, but that isn't saying much since most of them sounded like anything some kid with a soundclick account could have made. My main problem with Styles here is that he's so damn unimaginative. I mentioned this a few times in the review but also note that his first album was called "A Gangster and a Gentleman" and that his last album had a song called "I'm Black".

Best Tracks:

"Gangster, Gangster", "Star Of The State"