Hell Rell isn’t a
name one hears too often. While he’s spent years with a familiar crew (The Diplomats), he is often outshined
or overshadowed by more widely known emcees. Ruger Rell is finally ready to step out on his own. Still, it’s
hard not to compare Rell to the crew
he loyally reps. Is that even a good thing these days?
Well, The Set has
had some success. Cam’ron, Jim Jones
and Juelz Santana have had
mainstream love and the rest of the crew was somewhat of an underground
phenomenon at one point. Similarly, Rell
is able to attain some praise here. Deep
in Love, You Can Count on Me, Streets Gon’ Love Me, and Life in the Ghetto are all nicely done
pieces. In fact, the cohesion between production and rhymes is actually dope,
and the overall feeling is something most people wouldn’t expect to receive
here. Rell is able to capture the
moods wonderfully and this portion of the album stands out.
Loyalty has also been a big part of The Set’s success and this is clear on this LP. J.R. Writer, Cam’Ron, and Juelz Santana all participate in this album
separately. Others who appear are Young
Dro and Styles P, for a highly
anticipated D-Block/Dipset collabo.
While some of these guest spots fall flat, others help boost the enjoyment of
the album in one way or another, for good or bad.
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Unfortunately, the enjoyment somewhat fades out. Much like Dipset, Rell falls to criticism that mainly blames boring material as a
deterrent. Show Off, I’m the Shit and
other throw away filler tracks simply take away from an LP that should be
shorter. It’s disappointing because he’s truly got a solid album on his hands,
without the filler joints.
Overall, the album is like The Diplomats in many ways. Sure, it is entertaining, especially if
you are into the killer/drug dealer voice. But, it is annoying and monotonous
if you aren’t. Lyrically, it is more impressive than some, but nowhere near
great or even that good. Most of it
lands on average. Sure, it shines at times, but it’s not enough to truly gain real
acclaim. In the end, some long time Dip
fans might enjoy it, but others may simply listen to it once and then throw it
away. You know, for the hell of it.
