Controversy and trouble has a way of following B.G. The New Orleans dweller came to notoriety as a member of Cash Money Records’ Hot Boy$ crew and blessed the Hip-Hop community and the Oxford dictionary with the hit “Bling Bling,” off his first major label debut, Chopper City in the Ghetto. A year later, B.G. released his last album on Cash Money with Checkmate, and left the famed label for alleged money discrepancies-a move that left many of Cash Money fans disappointed. Moving on to Koch Records, where he released several albums under his Chopper City brand, B.G. kept the music coming for his fans, but often found himself in the press for his rancid drug use and run-ins with the law instead.
Now with the dark clouds slightly behind him (he still has a pending court case) and a new deal with Atlantic Records, B.G. is back to what he does best on, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood. The album lives up to the hype throughout, as B.G. provides street clad lyrics over grimy production, making Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood one of B.G.’s best releases to date.
Beginning with a bang Gizzle boasts, “The wait is over/ everybody is all ears/ I hit the stage everybody is all cheers/ they just don’t know I’ve been ready to get the ball/ now that I got the ball beware of the underdog,” on the effective into “Fu*k the Game Up.”
Not one to play into the mainstream B.G. effortlessly gives away supreme cruddy bangers like “I Swar,” “Chopper City Is an Army,” and “Keep It 100,” while sticking to his sluggish flow and unadulterated subject material. Not to be outdone, one of the enjoyable cuts of the album – “Hit the Block and Roll,” stand out with its guitar riffs and B.G.’s welcomed energetic flow.
Containing street anthems galore, B.G. sticks to the game plan when he brings top notch guests to the block party. T.I. steps into the fold on one of the only tracks fit enough to be played on radio on “4 A Minute.” On “I Hustle,” Young Jeezy and B.G. spew off gutter talk over heavy drums, making it one of the LP’s highlights. Although the line-up of Juvenile, Lil Wayne and B.G. is enough to keep Cash Money fans all ears on “Ya Heard Me,” fans would be disappointed, because the track lacks a great beat and stales in comparison to what you expect from a partial Hot Boy$ reunion.
For those fans who were waiting for a B.G. album, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood, is reason to believe B.G. is a generous gift giver for the holidays. By sticking to his comfort zone and playing to his street wise strengths, B.G. has proved that he has the know how and awareness to produce what his listeners want, all the while creating one of his best efforts to date. Let’s just hope he never goes Hollywood.
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