The RBX Files

Many of the hip-hoppers who heard RBX's cameos on Dr. Dre's The Chronic and Snoop Dogg's Doggy Style recognized the L.A. rapper's potential and asked, "When will this guy have an album of his own out?" But regrettably, RBX's first solo album, The RBX Files, ended up being delayed a few years because of the MC's problems with Dre and Snoop, both of whom he vehemently attacks on the single "A.W.O.L." Accusing Dre and Death Row Records of exploiting Warren G and others, RBX makes no attempt to conceal the anger he felt for the influential producer/rapper at the time. But RBX's attacks on Dre and Snoop aren't the main things that make The RBX Files noteworthy — the thing that brings the CD to life is RBX's distinctive rapping style. With influences ranging from West Coast gangsta rap and East Coast Afrocentric rap (especially Professor X and the X-Clan) to Jamaican dancehall, RBX has an impressive technique — and that technique serves him well on this interesting, if uneven, debut.