E-40 – Ball Street Journal CD [Warner Bros]

"Tell Me When To Go" What do you immediately think of when I say that? I Hope its something with the words hyphy and E-40. This huge hit that showed the world a whole new movement in rap and introduced a whole new way to view the Hip-Hop world.

On the whole the album is pretty good and in my view could be a big seller when it's released over here and I’m definitely going to get me a copy!

Collabos with Akon, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Ice T, Gucci Mane and Shawty Lo among others brings familiarity to the album which could prove to be a big hit with mainstream audiences as well as Hip-Hop fans who like the Hip-Hop artists featured.

All of the tracks have been put together so that there's something different on each track rather than one stale style of rhyming and the same kind of theme or tone to the tracks which is why the album will appeal to a broad audience.

It's been a while since E-40's put out an album and I’m glad he did as this one brings back memories of That West coast vibe that the game has been missing for a while an although some people may be saying that West coast rap is played out or whatever, think again and take a listen to this and then say that it's played out.

The album as a whole plays on the experiences of E-40's life and it's carefully written down and placed with that effortless flow and put together as an album.

The album opens out with "The Ambassador" with a classic beat. Then E-40 comes in and spits effortlessly and you immediately remember why 40 Water calls himself the Ambassador. This track is a perfect way to start off "The Ball Street Journal" and listening to it I was anxious to hear what else was going to follow.

"I’m On One" samples Public Enemy's "Public Enemy No.1" you hear E bringing back an old track and lacing it with a new beat and new rhymes mixing that experience of being in the game for 20 years and combining it with a new beat that'll appeal to Hip-Hop fans from old to new its diversity and this is an evident theme within the whole album.

"Pain No More" brings back the West coast family to the album featuring Snoop and The Game. The track has a catchy piano hook and then E-40 comes in rhyming about California, and the track has that West coast feel. The line "Don't compare me to nobody unless you're talkin' bout Pac" referring to the great late rapper Tupac, which confirms 40's confidence in the game.

The end introduces the familiar trademark of West coast rap, the synthesiser this ends the track and its put at the end with no rhyming over it to show that although his style may have changed or the tracks may be a bit different the West coast element that we know is still there.

Number 6 "Tell It Like It Is" starts off by sounding like a Jeezy track then 40 start's rhyming like Andre 3 stacks from OutKast this shows the whole diversity. The diversity of the album and the different ways that E-40 rhymes and it works. He also mentions his 20 years in the game again, making sure that we know that he's experienced but listening to the album so far, I figured that out.

"Give Her The Keys" is the next track on the album and it features T-Pain. The track starts off sounding like an R’n'B track with Pain's classic vocoder sound and his shouting of Nappy Boy!

The track will appeal to T-Pain fans as he has a large part in this track singing the chorus and the tracks goes together with E-40's rhymes. This man is a lyricist and something like this can only be done by an expert who has experience.

The track in itself is an ode to women telling men to treat women right, which is rare as a few Hip-Hop artists tend to disrespect women in their tracks which does show them in a bad light. The track is says "Open up the garage, it's a big fat car with a big fat bow on top / it's a Bentley Coup with the roof let back, now Shawty you know that's hot / I’ma give her the keys" E says –"If you have a female that's got your back and is really there to care for you, you've got to really let her know that you care and that you recognize what she's done for you. This could be a motivational song for females and males, because dudes will know that I've been real with it".

The album is diverse, collected, delivered smoothly and doesn't sound the same throughout and overall is pretty hot with club bangers and more mellow tunes.

E-40 is back and he's bringing something BIG back to the game!

By: Nikhil Sharma | http://hiphopinformant.blogspot.com

• http://www.e-40.com
• http://www.myspace.com/e40