The bass lines thud, and the lyrics "go dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb." Or at least that's how E-40 lays down the hook for the single "Tell Me When To Go" from his new album, "My Ghetto Report Card."
E-40 is a West Coast rapper — "The Ambassador of the Bay" — with straight A+s in hustlin', tycoonin', hoodshop and music, says the CD jacket of "My Ghetto Report Card." But what E-40 forgot to grade himself on was originality, in which he gets an F.
He raps about muscle cars with flashy rims, drinking Hennessy and 40s of brew, keeping an eye out for the police and degrading women. Yes, it all sounds more interesting than homeroom in high school, but is nothing new in the world of mainstream rap.
It's background party music — nothing more, nothing less.
But I did have to bust a phat move when E-40 referenced my last name in the first song on the album, "Yay Area." The spicy line goes, "Like McCormick's, I'm seasoned, I run my reason." I really felt E-40 at this point because as he's a seasoned rapper, I'm a seasoned music reviewer.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn't resonate with any sense of innovation. The lyrics are lackluster and deficient of any well-established purpose.
For example, the line, "Ooh. Jesus Christ had dreads, so shake 'em/I ain't got none, but I'm planning on growing some," from "Tell Me When To Go," is trying to communicate the message of pride in one's self, but it's like associating Mother Teresa with "The Rachel."
Regardless of whether Jesus had dreadlocks, it isn't the best image to use when tackling the issue of self-worth.
E-40 does have moments of poetic flare, but these lyrical dazzles are rare and spread out. On the 14th track, "I'm Da Man," E-40 spits out the appealing line, "The game got it in my grip like a catcher's mitt," but this is only after the sad lyric, "I'm in the V.I.P 'cause I'm very im-por-tant."
The most unfortunate aspect is this is E-40's 13th full-length album, and he still isn't able to construct concise and purposeful rhymes. He seems to be more concerned about trying to come up with some weird new slang terms and fitting into the current rap scene.
Why isn't he using some of the wisdom from his 15 years in the rap game to boost the appeal of his rhymes? Well, the outro for "Tell Me When To Go" says it the best: "Go stupid, go (dumb, dumb)."
E-40 seems content in staying immature and keeping with the clichés of mainstream rap. And why would he change when he's making enough loot to drive pimped-out rides and drink high-class booze?
Maybe there's nothing wrong with the player — E-40 — but it's got something to do with the mainstream rap game.
