Anarchy

is undoubtedly one of the best and most distinctive rappers of the '90s. He's also one of the most prolific; , released in the summer of 2000, is his fourth album since 1996. Each one has been jammed full of material and also a little erratic, packed not only with great singles and tongue-twisting performances but also filler that gets by mostly on 's personality. Clocking in at around 78 minutes, is no exception to the rule. Its best moments are as brilliant as ever, but there are also signs that 's winning formula is starting to show a little wear and tear. has the insanely rapid-fire delivery of 's which sums up the difficulty of in a nutshell: no matter how incredible it is, we've heard much of this from before. Of course, the converse is also true: a lot of it is still incredible, no matter how familiar, and there are a few intriguing production touches. But, perhaps for the first time, 's singular yet now familiar style isn't quite enough to carry the weaker material, which often feels too tossed off. It doesn't help, either, that follows the same sort of millennial-apocalypse concept that enlivened . (and, to a certain extent, ); it's a little disappointing to hear such an inventive rapper retreading familiar territory. It seems almost impossible that could produce a true failure, but by this point, a growing number of fans may not salivate over a new album nearly as much as the inevitable best-of collection. ~ Steve Huey