Rise to Power

Give credit for breaking from records, perhaps realizing that if they were one of the many soldiers in the army, there was no way they could ever distinguish themselves. Unfortunately, -- their first effort for their own label , which is just a subsidiary of -- might as well have been released on , since it follows the same basic structure, sound, and style of a release. True, they try to mix it up a little, including a Spanish version of at the end (it might just be an alternate version, but the intention is noble), but the fact is, the music is generic and the rappers aren't distinguished. They happen to turn out a couple of good cuts, such as but they will only be of interest to aficionados of this genre -- much like most albums. may have been able to leave 's stable, but they by no means escaped. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine