The sophomore jinx is usually something reserved for artists
that just come out of nowhere with a smash hit. But sometimes even
well-established artists run the risk of getting hit with the
“bad-second-album blues.” Bizzy
Bone
runs this risk with his most recent release, but comes out somewhat
unscathed.

After delivering a lackluster performance in Heaven’z Movie, Bizzy
attempts to show a little more polish with his latest offering, The Gift. This album was good, but it
could have been great. It was missing one major element: consistency. From the
first track, it was obvious that this was gonna be a rough ride. The production
on Schizophrenic was just that, a
confusing mix of opera music and electric sounds, but at least Bizzy had some sense of identity.
Staying true to his Bone Thug roots,
he mixed a little of his lightning flow with a dash of harmonic wordplay. He
even took a little time out of the song to throw a couple of lyrical jabs at Twista and the Speedknotz (as if that feud was still valid).

Bizzy gets back in sync with Never Grow. Armed with a thick bass
guitar, he lets his incredible vocals & thuggish-ruggish delivery carry
this song. On Still Thuggish Ruggish,
the production is awesome, his delivery is clean, and his singing actually matches
the feel of the song. But after speaking on his situation with Bone on Don’t Doubt Me, (Shit, it
ain’t no mystery/ n—– is pissed off, they say I ain’t showin up to shows/
but the people don’t know/ I ain’t makin’ no money, so what am I workin for?/
Baby, what are we searchin for?/ Restitution/ Little foster kids give me
contributions/ So you can wring out the towel/ and watch who’s payin me now
),
it looks like Bizzy‘s about to slip
back into mediocrity on Time Passing Us
By
. But looks can be deceiving, and Bizzy
proves this while letting us know how hard life can be in the chorus: As time keeps passing us by/ in my
community, watching the children die/ b—- made police/ and they brutality/
Prozac and Ritalin, that ain’t what we need/ And you’re wonderin’ why the kids
keep smokin weed
. This song is a serious one, and Bizzy gives us a lot of answers to that statement. It’s definitely
a song that needs to be heard.

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Finally, after his current single, Father,
he leaves us with Jesus, a beautifully
produced song that asks the simple question, Don’t Jesus make you feel good? Not only is this a good song to put
on after a long day, but it’s also a fitting song to end this album, bringing a
sense of peace to a somewhat rough ride. Overall, The Gift is a pretty well- balanced disk, but as with many
presents, a little bit more thought should have been put into it.