The Shocker (Explicit)

by Leo StanleySilkk had worked with a number of gangsta rappers -- including Down South Hustlers, Tru, West Coast Bad Boys, and Master P -- before releasing his debut album, Shocker. Perhaps he should have continued his apprenticeship a little longer, because Shocker is an unfocused, uncaring slice of West Coast gangsta rap. Sure, there are a handful of strong backing tracks and Silkk is a competent rapper, even if he isn't particularly distinctive. But his calculated violence and his rampant misogyny ("Hoes Ain't Nothin' But Hoes" just about sums it up) make Shocker nearly unlistenable. If he had something special to say or a unique way of saying it, Silkk's various shortcomings would be acceptable, but as it stands, his average music and his desire to exploit all the commonplace gangsta themes makes him nearly intolerable.