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Bet Your Money on Blak Jak, You'll Come Out a Winner

Kalie A. Gipson | 01/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'll admit that before this month I've never heard of Blak Jak, an artist out of Atlanta, Georgia. For that fact alone I was skeptical on buying the album, because I'm just not feeling most of the music that comes out of Georgia. But I also remembered that Da Bak Wudz, Lil Scrappy, and Ludacris, among others from the A, had dropped pretty decent albums this year, so I thought why not. I have to say that I'm really glad I went ahead and bought this. It's refreshing to hear an artist from Atlanta who doesn't automatically hit the radio with a new dance move to get airplay. I'm also refreshened by the fact that he doesn't spit terrible lyrics over made-for-radio, banging beats. He balances out good beats with good lyrics (well, for the most part), and the resulting product is exceptional.



I think the best track on the album is the classic collaboration with that playa from north Memphis Project Pat, called "Ride & Swerve". Both Project Pat and Blak Jak hold it down over an exceptional beat by Shawty Red. "Ball Out ($500)" may not be that great on the lyrical side of things, but this club track is sure to make any one get up and dance. T-Pain, an artist I don't particularly care for, provides one helluva catchy chorus. "Luv U Blak" is a laidback, smooth song for the ladies. The beat by Don Cannon is superb and Blak Jak drops nice lyrics and provides a smooth chorus. "All I Know," featuring Rock City, has a nice chorus and Blak rhymes on how he doesn't really know any other way of life because of his circumstances growing up. "Pain I Feel" with Lloyd is another exceptional track. Lloyd sings nicely on the chorus, while Blak Jak raps about his troubled past. "Trap All Day" has a nice chopped and screwed chorus (is that what you call it?) as Blak spits lyrics about being a hustler. "G-S***", despite being the most overused title in Hip-Hop history, is a good cut. Blak keeps it gangster and it makes for one nice, street track. "How It Goes" is ok but Slick Pulla's verse is sub-par compared to Blak's. "Bobbin' My Head" is a banger that is sure to make you do exactly what the title says.



There are a few tracks that I'm just not feeling, however. "Showbiz" comes off as tired and boring. It's about how women just want to get with Blak because of his celebrity status, which is a topic that gets very worn out. The fact that the beat isn't that good doesn't help things either. "What's That Smell," featuring Broadway, can be catchy, but its subject is not something I really care for. A lot of MC's have their own ode to reefer on one of their albums and almost all of them receive a skip from me, and this one is no different. However, the chorus is pretty catchy and will probably get stuck in your head all day after the first listen.



Despite these two tracks, the album is pretty good in my opinion. I really like the fact that for the most part, Blak keeps it street instead of pop. None of these sing-songy hooks and crap. This also means that Blak will probably not get the success that he deserves, but nonetheless, the album should please most Hip-Hop fans. It may not be a classic by any means, but it's not wack either, which is saying a lot, seeing as many, many mainstream rap albums coming out lately are wack. I'd suggest you pick this one up if you're a general fan of Hip-Hop music. 4 stars

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