B.G. Albums (15)
'Life in the Concrete Jungle'
Release Date 8/26/2008
Tracks 17
Label Asylum
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What The Critics Say
Life in the Concrete Jungle finds BG's Chopper City Boyz whittled down to two; Gar and the rechristened Snipe who was known as Sniper on the group's debut, We Got This. The good news is the Chopper City Boyz sound tighter and all the more satisfying as a duo, squashing previous complaints about clutter and lack of vision. Concrete Jungle is still a down and dirty, often cheap sounding affair that's not for everyone, but its appeal reaches beyond the BG fanatic and New Orleans hip-hop faithful. Most outgoing of the lot is "Bubblegum," a hooky strip club joint with Lady Dolla delivering the hood diva mating call like she was Olivia on 50's "Candy Shop" or Jha Jha on Jim Jones' "What You Been Drankin' On." Hurricane Chris injects some star power into the jittery and paranoid "Bizness," while up and comer Bloodraw fits just right on the grimey true streets story "My Life," a track that comes alive thanks to producer Cosmo Hickox's pure and simple four-note hook. Bass Heavy's name is all over the release with a production credit for the Kanye West sound-alike "I Like It" and mixing or mastering on almost everything else. The album's second half keeps it in the family with less guest shots and more from the crew's capo, BG, who sings the praises of the Boyz get it and spend it lifestyle. The curtain closes with "U Can Bleed Too" and its odd appearance from veteran thug C-Murder who sounds about an octave lower than usual. This a long haul over 17 tracks but those who love the down low dirty south won't mind the overstuffing much and will appreciate a Chopper City Boyz album worth playing repeatedly. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Hood Generals'
Release Date 7/29/2008
Tracks 25
Label BCD Music Group
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What The Critics Say
Released almost a year after it was announced that rapper B.G. was leaving Koch and setting sail on Atlantic Records, the B.G. & the Chopper City Boyz release We Got This landed on Koch with a whole lot of Chopper City Boyz and less B.G. than you'd expect judging from the artwork. Perhaps there are some contractual obligations to fill, or maybe this is a way to build a Hot Boys type empire from the street up since B.G. has declared that the Chopper City Boyz are designed to fill the hole left by the demise of his former group, who were likewise indie before they were major. It also took a couple albums before the members of the Hot Boys started to shine as individual personalities, and for this crew, it looks to be no different. Rappers Hakim, V.L. Mike, Sniper, and Gar are all well above competent, but picking a favorite is difficult since the highlights on the album are the tracks with the whole group and individual showcases are more like filler. Best of the group tracks is the chilling "Taking Over," a threatening number that begins with a sample of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin dropping some bleak words before the group lays out their tales of hood survival. "Make 'Em Mad" has a lean, tough, and instantly gripping hook courtesy of David Banner while the memorable "What I Like About Her" plays it smooth and polished, almost as if the Boyz were auditioning for Atlantic, proving they're ready for their R. Kelly team-up. Even if his initials are in a bigger typeface than they should be, this crew is so heavily influenced by their kingpin's style that B. Gizzle fanatics will get way more out of this up-and-down debut than the average hip-hop fan will. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Play It How It Go'
Release Date 7/11/2006
Tracks 16
Label CT Media LLC
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'The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2'
Release Date 3/21/2006
Tracks 18
Label Koch
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What The Critics Say
His lazy delivery makes him more like a narrator at times instead of a rapper, and 18 tracks of B.G. may be way too much for all but the most die-hard fan. Luckily, the bloated The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 has more thrills than Vol. 1, thanks in no small part to the bigger guest list. Producer/MC Mannie Fresh is the reason "Move Around" breaks away from the pack with the veteran rapper delivering the album's biggest hook and best chorus. The simmering "Deuces Up" with Paul Wall is worth noting if only for Wall and the rolling production from Pretty Todd, while "Ain't No Bitch" is a much better team-up, with Webbie and B.G. bouncing off one another with true fire. Going it alone, B.G. nails bravado and posturing on the short but excellent "Intro," then slips into too comfortable bragging before coming alive again on the dark "Kill or Be Killed." Then there's the bitter "I Ain't Got Nothing," which makes up for two or three of the filler tracks, but not the six or seven remaining. When B.G.'s snide swagger and his trademark "wahhhhhhh!" work, they work well and it's a shame the listener has to work so hard to find the gems here. Someone could compile a tight album from the two volumes of Streetz that would have the non-believers believing. More than half the material would come from Vol. 2, but as it is, B.G.'s post-Cash Money schedule of two albums a year is proving to be too much, too soon. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'The Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 1'
Release Date 5/24/2005
Tracks 17
Label Koch
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The highs are higher than usual and enough to keep the legions of B.G. fans happy, but The Heart of tha Streetz is another uneven album from the rapper who keeps verifying he's a "singles artist." The album's big problems are the same ones B.G.'s had a hard time overcoming ever since he left the Cash Money family: production and keeping the whole affair on point. On the ample filler, beats are still thinner than they should be, making B.G.'s whiny delivery even harder to take. He's not known as a wordsmith by any means, but B.G.'s sly skills and snide delivery deserve better. The good news is this time he gets just enough thick tracks to split the difference. The crunkified and sinister "Where da At" and his new anthem, "Chopper City," both smack harder than expected. The breezy "U See Why" and the Eminem-ish "Stalkin'" take B. Gizzle in directions he's never been before, while retaining that Southern gutter edge. More bangers make this a solid ten-song album, but without a finger on the "skip" button, the weaker cuts drag down this ominous ride through the streets. Taking this into consideration, fans of filthy Southern beats and rhymes should check the positive progression B.G.'s making, while everyone else can hold off until the next "best-of" collection. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Despite the title, this is the second album B.G.'s unleashed since leaving the Cash Money label, and whenever he's rapping about the split, his skills shine. The other topic that sets B.G. on fire is the rapper's late homey Soulja Slim, who B.G. portrays as fool, friend, and legend being disrespected by Cash Money -- all in the same album. You'll need a crash course in Cash Money and New Orleans rap history to figure out all the references on the album, but if you're hip to it, Life After Cash Money is fascinating. In B.G.'s eyes, Slim got punky and pushy, overstepped his thug-life boundaries, and paid for it hard. It's tough love and a rare warning from the street's inner circle, a place where one brash night at the club can earn you a price on your head. B.G.'s slow and lazy Southern style might make him seem flippant about Slim's untimely death, but longtime listeners can school you. B.G.'s role in the game leaves him no time for tears -- he's too busy "trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents," according to the excellent "Geezy Were U Been." He gushes out the respect for the man in the liner notes, and the party jam "Like That" is an excellent collaboration with Slim that wouldn't sound nearly as good if the duo weren't like kin. His comments on Juvenile's return to Cash Money are just as fascinating since he has absolutely no beef with the rapper. B.G.'s just too busy building his own Chopper City empire by any means necessary to care what Juve is doing, although he wishes him the best of luck. They're all refreshing viewpoints and proof B.G. is one of the most insightful rappers in the Southern thug scene. Too bad the production is often trashy or unimaginative and the rapper is way too high in the mix for most of the album. Outsiders might hear it as another cheap album from the South, but followers of the B.G. story couldn't really ask for more lyrically. It's like cracking open his -- most likely nonexistent -- diary and one of the most vivid examples of "don't hate the player, hate the game" on CD. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The follow-up to B.G.'s breakthrough album (Chopper City in the Ghetto, 1999), Checkmate is a more experimental effort that is fitfully entertaining. In particular, Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh pushes himself to come up with a fresh sound (e.g., "Bounce with Me"), which is good news, since by this point in time he'd been churning out beats in an assembly-line manner for several years for the numerous artists releasing albums annually on the label. B.G. sounds less fresh here, rapping as he generally does, but he is given a lot more solo space on Checkmate as guest features are kept to a relative minimum. There are some standout tracks on Checkmate, most notably "I Know" and "Hennessy & XTC," though nothing rivals the highlights of Chopper City in the Ghetto, which had been a stronger effort overall, if somewhat generic in retrospect. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
