Beanie Sigel Albums (5)
'The Broad Street Bully'
Release Date 9/1/2009
Tracks 12
Label Siccness
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Coming out of seemingly nowhere, Beanie Sigel's effort The Broad Street Bully could be mistaken for his promised album, 2009's The Focus, but the Siccness label delivered the release with the message that it is "not an official studio album," further stating "It's like a mixtape." That explains the disjointed feel and the rocky flow, but that's worth overlooking for the fans who want the hard Beanie, the one who dominated the mixtape game for a spell with his vicious rhymes. Here, there's no ringtone rapping or superstar R&B ballad to spoil the show, just Beanie rocking the ominous sounds while threatening "Any disrespect, the weapons is drawn/Like artwork/Superman was Clark first/So heroes end up like Chris Reeves" (the aptly titled "Sicker Than Your Average"). Best of this jumbled bunch has to be either the reggae-fied "Run to the Roc" -- which gives Rocafella fans their 2009 fill of gossip -- or "Where's My Opponent" which combines blaxploitation beats with fine, boastful lines for an intimidating ring-entering theme. Production is credited to the Beanie Sigel Production Team while Beans himself gets an odd "concept" credit on every track save "The Ghetto." ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Facing incarceration on a federal gun charge, rapper Beanie Sigel got to work big time and quickly finished the album he had promised for years, The B.Coming. Rather than rushed, the album feels tense, like all these songs were attacking Beans and he was trying his damnedest to let them all through. It's a hectic, exhaustive listen, and on first encounter, cluttered. The mastering of the album sounds like a mixtape: dense, tight, and maxed at times. It takes some getting used to since Beanie's lyrics are better and expectedly bleaker than ever, and could benefit from something more crisp -- so make sure you've got the headphones ready and told all your friends to beat it. You wouldn't listen to an audiobook with everybody hanging around, and with The B.Coming being a journal set to beats, you're best off going this one alone. One thing to know is that it's not a linear journal. Instead, it consists of fragments from here and there that deal very little with situations and more with mindsets. The Neptunes-produced "Don't Stop" spits bitter venom at those "softer than a Reebok classic," with Snoop playing a simple, supportive role, something Beanie's other guests -- and there are plenty -- could learn from. Twista and Peedi Peedi take the twitching party of "Gotta Have It" to a new level and Bun B is a good hangout buddy for the spliff-puffing, sizzurp-sipping "Purple Rain," but when Beanie gets serious, you'll want Redman or whoever else out of the way. Course, everybody wants to hear Beans and Jay-Z trade lines, since Sigel and Jay go way back, and as "It's On" displays, the powerful chemistry is still there. The spiteful "Bread & Butter" ("So blind/I didn't see the Robin Givens in you"), the humble one minute, vicious the next "Lord Have Mercy," and the pensive "Look at Me Now" add to the pile of highlights. Those looking for a direct story of how Beanie earned three years in the clink will be somewhat disappointed, but these chunks of insight into the man's turmoil -- and the couple party tunes that go with them -- add up to one hell of an album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Arguably the hottest thing to come outta Philly since the Roots, Beanie Sigel had hip-hop heads from coast to coast bobbing along to the infectious beats and dark inner-city tales of his impressive debut, The Truth. But while emotional songs like "Mom Praying" make The Reason a solid enough follow-up, it essentially boils down to more of the same ol', same ol'. Sigel's familiar streetwise persona shines through on cuts that are more concerned with hustling and hanging out than glitz and glamour, but the repetitive tales of thug life and gangsterisms grow a bit redundant by album's end. The production is consistently banging, and songs like "Tales of a Hustla" and "Think It's a Game" (featuring Jay-Z) more than live up to the promise first glimpsed on The Truth. But ultimately, Sigel's sophomore effort isn't so much an artistic step forward as it is a step sideways. ~ Bret Love, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1998, Philadelphia native Beanie Sigel was just another hungry voice in the crowd. However, after an impromptu verse on the Roots' Adrenaline, he caught the attention of Jay-Z, who quickly inked the young MC to a deal with his Roc-A-Fella empire. While the momentum of a few dazzling collaborations catapulted his meteoric rise up the hip-hop ranks, more importantly it showed an MC who was on the cusp of greatness. Beanie's debut, The Truth, is the culmination of that promise. While Beanie's monosyllabic flow is methodical and offers little variation, his lyrics are remarkably detailed. "What Ya Life Like" is such a frightening depiction of incarceration that it warrants inclusion in any Scared Straight documentary. Also, Beanie ingeniously parallels the life of a drug dealer to that of video-game characters on "Mac Man." Although Beanie is not ready to supplant his esteemed mentor, Jay-Z, he is one of the most intriguing lyricists to emerge in the post-2Pac era. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide
