J. Wells & Kurupt: Digital Smoke

J. Wells, one of the most slept on and diverse producers to hail from the West, teamed up with lyrical phenom, Kurupt, of DPG fame, to give fans of classic West Coast hip-hop something quite nice to smoke on. This collaborative effort/compilation style CD, titled Digital Smoke, is by no means bammer or that stress. Nothing about this album is mainstream; there are some great singles on the album, but this CD clearly states long nights were spent in the studio by the producers and the lyricists to make this album the tour de force it is. Is it the Chronic? No, but it is just what you need to maintain a levelheaded high throughout the day.

From the onset of the album, you'll be ready to grab an Auto Trader, purchase an Impala, Cutlass, Glasshouse or El Camino, throw some hun'ned spoke D(s) with the mustard and mayonnaise tires on that bitch and get it rolling down "The Shaw" or your local cruising street. Kurupt's lyrical skills on Digital Smoke are nothing shy of classic and stellar, while J. Wells assumes his position along side this legendary wordsmith, holding his own. Keeping a close connection to his roots, Tha Alkaholiks appear on the CD, but long gone are J. Wells' days of being just one of the members of the Likwit Crew, he is now standing alone as a one man entity. His rhyming skills aren't as seasoned as the guests on the album, but he does a great job finding chemistry with the music he creates.

The guest appearances read like a who's who of West Coast underground greats -- Kokane, Roscoe, James DeBarge, Butch Cassidy, Knoc-Tur'nal and Gail Gotti, Kurupt's wife. As the lone raptress on Digital Smoke, Gail's wordplay puts her in class all by hersel. On the laid back cut, "Summertime," Gail displays her way with words with lines like, "We the Gottis, paper chasing together no matter the situation / Our mission is liberation, no matter the critics and litigations, limitation, intimidations." Gotti, Roscoe, Tri-Star and the rest of YA should make Kurupt, a.k.a. Young Gotti, very proud as they resurrect the sound and delivery Kurupt made classic, with excellence. Upon the first couple of listens, Digital Smoke clearly sounds like a homage to Kurupt's influence, while giving an ear to the individuality each artist brings to the tracks. Tri-Star is the biggest standout; he is just that, a star ready for the bubble. When record companies start looking toward the West Coast, again, for burgeoning talent, he needs to be readily available.

Have no fear, when the new ride is fresh from the paint shop and gassed up, the Parliament Funk-A-Delic sound that George Clinton made famous, hits you like your first toke of the Digital Smoke. On "I Came In The Door," a song that in a lot of ways pays homage to the Eric B and Rakim track, "Eric B for President," Kokane does his thing with lines like, "I f--- up your system like 7-UP and Pop Rocks / push more weight than leopards and cheetahs got spots, " giving Digital Smoke that space age feel. As J. Wells and Kurupt continue to make their mark in the business of making great music, as a duo or apart, Digital Smoke is proof that the West has not lost its way and is still very relevant in hip-hop. This CD is a must have for your musical library; lovers of hip-hop and fans of any of the artists featured will not be disappointed.

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