The Features, Vol. 2

Accompanying The Features, the first in the series, The Features, Vol. 2 presents both unreleased and previously released songs from Suga Free's catalog. Actually, the focus seems to be more on the "unreleased" tracks (though "Happy Featuring Marlon" did appear on an album from the same year, Just Add Water), especially those that involve guest artists. And being that Suga Free's been in the West Coast rap scene for a while now, he's managed to gather a fairly impressive roster. Snoop, Chingy, and DJ Quik all make an appearance on the record (actually a two-disc set), as well as Mac Mall, Nate Dogg, Kokane, and Mac Dre. Suga Free's also always been able to distinguish himself somewhat from those around him by the production. It's G-funk, but he and his producers are also unafraid to use plenty of organic instrumentation to fill in the beats, and though everything still has a definite "slick" sound, laden with keyboard noises and effects, it's more unique and interesting than a lot of gangsta rap. Maybe that's because Suga Free's not really a gangsta, nor does he pretend to be. He's a pimp — or at least he claims to be one — and as to be expected, his songs focus on that activity, sex, and women (and probably in that order, too). Though this can get a little tiresome, it's nothing out of the ordinary (in fact, a significant leap, more than a few tracks, into other topics might be more troublesome), and is what fans of Suga Free have come to expect and want from him. He's never pretended to be anything else, and from "That's What the Pimpins There For" to "Pimpin in the Year 3000," The Features, Vol. 2 proves that he hasn't let anyone down.