Words by Melanie J. Cornish Rating: 2.5 out of 5.0
When Swizz Beatz released his solo debut One Man Band Man, many hip-hop aficionados were secretly thinking "let the battle of the producers begin." Timbaland, Dre, Alchemist, Marco Polo, K-Salaam and 9th Wonder are all names of producers who are more than able to pull of a project produced entirely by themselves. Swizz had every right to be on that list. The only thing is that on this project, Swizz wasn't focusing on the production, he was stepping up to the mic and trading roles for a few.
Swizz, a.k.a. Kasseem Dean, has rarely faltered as a producer. His reputation was set in stone with tracks like the "Ruff Ryders Anthem" and "Money, Cash, Hoes" for Jay-Z. He is a prime example of being relevant for what he is good at, and that is production, not rapping. There are some things that are best left unsaid and Swizz Beatz' rapping is one of those. Fair enough, the odd hook here and there would never hurt, but a whole album devoted to Swizz spitting? Lines like, "Riding with my top down, with my jewelry on," do very little to validate Swizz' presence as a rapper. He constantly reminds us throughout the main vein of the album that he is getting money. But will he be making money from this album? Possibly not.
The production department on this album is occupied by Nottz, Needlz, Swizz himself and Neo Da Matrix, who has the best beat on the album. The sample-free "The Funeral" doesn't only shine for its creativity, but it also provides a comfort zone for Swizz to appear as a lyricist for a brief moment. The track offers a brief reprieve from the braggadocio that Swizz emulates on the other tracks. But with that being said, one joint isn't enough to encourage album sales in this day and age.
The self-produced "It's Me Bitches" is possibly the most mixtape friendly joint, along with the remix of "One Man Band," featuring Lil Wayne, R. Kelly and Jadakiss. Swizz knows who to feature on his album, but hot verses and hooks by that trio and Drag-On coming out of hiding to assist on "Bust Ya Gunz" kind of contradicts the title.
Swizz should know from a production standpoint that if fans wanted joints under three minutes, we would go buy a mixtape. Producing has always been the best fit for Swizz and after this attempt you can see why.
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