Big Shug is no rookie, no new jack, no newbie….period. To
para-phrase the immortal words of B.I.G., “He’s been in this game for years and it’s
made him an animal!“ Funny enough when “Exposed” (one of songs off Shug’s
new album Street Champ) was previewed on this site early July ’07, one
visitor (obviously not impressed by the track) quickly wrote him off as another
new kid on the block who was ‘talking real loud but ain’t saying nothin’!’
Unfortunately for him, this dude got Shug confused with the
hordes of ‘studio gangstas’ the current Hip Hop mainstream is bombarded with,
instead of the highly dedicated and aggressive emcee veteran, founding member
of the Gang Starr Foundation and unquestionable street soldier
who presence on radio was felt most with his commanding cameo on 98’s Militia
from Gang Starr. After serving time, he finally got his shot
at a solo career with ’05 Who’s Hard and two years later, he’s back
with the aforementioned Street Champ. In a rap climate dominated by
the best and the absolute worse in club friendly southern music, it’s
encouraging to witness an artist attempting to excel in his/her given lane.

Fans of Big Shug’s music shouldn’t expect any unwarranted
surprises here. This album is the soundtrack for back alleys, city dwellers
rocking beaten down Carrhart jackets and unlaced timbs and those dirty project
hallways engulfed in thick weed smoke throughout the NYC. It’s a point made
crystal clear with “Legbreakers,” a menacing posse cut with the raspy voiced Big
Twins of Infamous Mobb and the always stellar Sean
Price. They team up to declare that they will throw you in the ocean, smash
up your furniture, definitely whup yo’ ass and of course…break your legs if
you don’t have their money…pronto! “Spitfire” finds Shug
sharing mic time with Dre Robinson and Singapore Kane
over extremely ominous pianos as they break down the ways the bring the ‘heat’
verbally, mentally and physically. Truth be told, Shug may not
be the most skilled lyricist in the world, but what he lacks in technical
dexterity, he more than makes up in sincerity, authenticity and passion, making
most of his verses on this record a dope listen. Of course DJ Premier
handing your production on a track or two doesn’t hurt either and when the
legendary producer and his longtime running mate get together, the results are
magical. “Play
It” is a prime example of that, with Shug
addressing radio play imbalance with some fiery verses and yes…some decent
crooning to boot over Primo‘s gorgeous string samples.
Other examples reach even greater levels of insanity with “It Just Don’t Stop”
and the banging “Street Move.“

However, over the course of 18 tracks some hiccups on this LP begin to
appear. When doing duets on Street Champ, Shug seems
more invigorated and focused in his delivery but he is often outclassed by his
collaborators, case in point is “Warpath” where Shug definitely comes off,
but not nearly as much as guest rapper Termanology (a.k.a. Mr
‘Way too dope to be still unsigned!!!’) who once again ‘bodies’ the living
daylights out of a certified street joint. When left to carry the track on his
own the quality in Shug’s obvious skills are somewhat
inconsistent. Then there’s the fact that Premier’s work is
only relegated to three songs as opposed to the 9 contributions on Shug’s
debut, leaving the bulk of production duties to Moss.
Being the gifted producer on the rise that he is, Moss
should’ve taken this opportunity and used it to his advantage but instead he
gives Shug a B minus effort instead of coming with his A game
behind the boards, with the exception of “Warpath.” The biggest culprit has to be
the aforementioned “Exposed,” a song that suffers with a semi-decent groove and
a lazy chorus.

In the end Street Champ is a lot better that the insipid garbage
being mistaken for hip hop nowadays and definitely deserves attention and
support for being a good album. At the same time Street Champ only
hints at what great NYC Hip Hop can be and it’s far from being the street
centered masterpiece Daily Operation, Lifestyles ov da Poor and Infamous or
Ready to Die was. Let’s hope that Big Shug continues
to develop and maximize his potential for his third salvo.