Renincarnated

Sometimes life just isn't fair, and in the music industry, that's even more apparent. MC Ren was a founding member of seminal gangsta crew N.W.A, but when the group disbanded, while Cube, Dre, and Eazy all went on to successful solo careers, Ren faded into relative obscurity. He still put out new records, but seemed to make less of an impact with each subsequent release. He hasn't really had a hit since "Mayday On the Front Line" (from his excellent 1993 album Shock of the Hour and included on the CB4 soundtrack), and other than the ill-fated N.W.A reunion project, he's been out of the spotlight for a long time now. But, like boxers, rappers are not known to retire gracefully, and Ren comes looking for one last knockout with Reincarnated, his sixth solo album since 1992. Vocally, he's still got it, but the production leaves something to be desired. Regardless, there are still some solid cuts on here (check out "Showtime," "West Coastin'," and "Return of the Villain"), and old-school fans should be happy to hear new music from a shamefully underrated pioneer.