Upon listening to Juelz Santana’s debut album, “From Me to U” – the one thing you come away with is that this kid definitely has a lot of promise. With noteworthy appearances on Camron’s monster radio hits “Oh, Boy” and “Hey, Ma,” and a show-stealing performance on the certified street heater “Dip Set Anthem,” the time was definitely right for the baby boy of Harlem’s Diplomats crew to strike out with his solo joint.
First, a few words of advice: for those of you who are fans of responsible, conscious, rap acts like Dead Prez and Common, this album is not for you. The subject matter is mostly your regular street fanfare: flossing, hoes, getting money, and keeping it gangsta. That said, let’s continue …
The highlights of the album occur when Juelz is paired with rowdy, riot-inspiring tracks that incite an audience to want to start something when listened to at high decibels. A perfect example of this is the first single “Santana’s Town” where Juelz blazes through two scorching verses over a jarring, syncopated track that would make even the most nerdy cat want to suit up in fatigues and wild-out.
The other gems on the LP surprisingly occur when Juelz backs down momentarily from his cocksure “I don’t give a fuck” persona and shows some real heartfelt emotion. Tracks like “One Day I Smile” where Santana reminisces on the loved ones no longer with us, and the equally introspective “How I Feel” where he speaks on his deep regret for losing control and hitting his girl, show that this kid might be deeper than he gives himself credit for.
The forgettable points on the CD occur when Juelz lapses into zones already tread by so many gangsta rappers before him. Examples are the obligatory skit of a groupie giving head and the re-enactment skit of an out-of-control crackhead trying to get his medicine off the thugs slinging on the street corner.
The other blemishes on the LP are the numerous tracks on that album that make use of sped-up 70’s soul samples over blaxploitation sounding music – the formula that Kanye West and Just Blaze tweaked to perfection on Jay-Z’s Blueprint album. The in-house production team of the Dip Set, “The Heatmakers,” seem to have adopted this style as their own and revisit it ad nauseam throughout the LP. On some tracks like the aforementioned “One Day I Smile” this production style works and adds to the emotion of the song, and on other tracks like “Down,” the formula sounds trite and redundant.
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Overall, Juelz holds his own throughout his debut outing. He may not be the most lyrical cat, but his bubbly confidence and distinctive flow more than make up for any deficiencies in his lyrical arsenal. With some more experience under his belt, and a better, more well-rounded selection of beats at his disposal, Juelz’ next album should see him inching closer to his full potential.
