My Own

Young Bleed finds a new sound for himself after leaving Master P's No Limit label, moving towards a smoother style of hip-hop that accentuates his lyrical delivery. This album's production, courtesy of Da Crime Lab, looks back to the soul-drenched sound of classic '70s funk (Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes) for its inspiration, laying down a sedate layer of beats with the subtle inclusion of quick, scattered electro-style beats. With music such as this to rap over, Young Bleed keeps his quick, Southern-accented lyrics flowing at a relentless pace in a hushed tone that emanates a sense of calmness. In a way, this album sounds like a Southern version of the West Coast G-Funk featured on the albums of rappers such as Too Short, Warren G, and DJ Quik. Furthermore, Young Bleed raps on the majority of his album, resulting in a refreshing alternative to his guest rapper-polluted affair on No Limit. The Southern rapper is good enough on the mic in terms of delivery, lyrics, and personality to hold his own on this album, which stays succinct at only 12 strong songs rather than 20-some tracks that rehash the same motifs over and over. By 1999, most Southern hip-hop artists still sounded a bit amateur, but My Own finds Young Bleed sounding like a veteran on some truly fresh beats.