If you’ve just tuned in to Ed O.G, you might see a pattern just from his first 12-inch. He gets a dope lineup of producers, in this case DJ Supreme One, Xtreme, and Pete Rock, who all lay down hot instrumentals, some better than others. Next, Ed O.G invites other Boston-natives, in this case Guru, to spit on a track with him. What’s the end result, you ask? A good beat, a nice guest appearance, and mediocre lyrics, at best, from Ed O.G, who spends his two minutes on every track trying to prove that he’s really a thug, and not some run-of-the-mill studio gangster. “Work For It” brings a nice message, and has Guru calmly rhyming so much better lyrically than Eddie. Not only does Ed try to irrelevantly throw in amateur wordplay that doesn’t go with the song title or chorus, for an entire verse, but when the time comes in his second verse, he really kicks out a set of bad lines. The lyrics step up on “Extreme”, a more soulful track featuring Deric Quest on the hook, but don’t expect good MCing on the chorus because it’s not happening. The heat turns up dramatically with “Situations”, a Pete Rock-produced song with amazing cuts and samples in the chorus. Even if you get tired of Ed O.G’s endless claims of being a thug, you won’t get bored with the production. Overall, you won’t find any style of MCing or content that hasn’t been used five or six years ago. Some good rhyming, but nothing to really grab your attention. To some, Eddie’s a watered down Kool G Rap, and to others, he’s just another respectable MC.
Reviewed By RhymeLife.Com for HipHopHotSpot.Com
