M.O.B.: The Album [Clean] [PA]

Performer: Jim Jones (Rap)
Artist: Chink Santana; Juelz Santana; Mel Matrix; Stack Bundles; NOE; Freekey Zekey; T.W.O.; Stack Matrix
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: After two successful street mixtapes entitled M.O.B. MEMBERS OF BYRDGANG, Jim Jones's Harlem-based group of upstart MCs present their debut studio album of the same name. Made up of the late Stack Bundles, Sandman, Mel Matrix, Freeky Zekey, Chink Santana, Noe, and Jones himself, Byrdgang throw together a slew of grimy, street-level narratives that detail the everyday trials of New York hustlers. Crewmember Chink Santana handles production on five tracks while DJ Green Lantern, Joe Black, Noyz, Majik, and Chad Beatz also contribute supplemental production-work. With Dipset brothers Jim Jones and Cam'ron showing little brotherly love for the past year or so, 2008 seemed the right time for Jones to face the "What color is your parachute?" question, because there's a chance it isn't Diplomats purple. Jones is in the weird position of being half hype-man, half rapper with a massive crossover hit -- "We Fly High" -- two years previous. He followed it up with the Dipset Christmas EP, a bad idea featuring a "We Fly High" remix, plus the underwhelming full-length Harlem's American Gangster. M.O.B.: The Album gets him back on track, not by aiming for the charts but by focusing on the hood and the quirky gutter rhymes that launched the man's career. Besides putting Jones in a comfortable, complementary setting, the album also introduces his crew, Byrd Gang, who are talented and hold plenty of promise. While listening to the on-point opener, "I'm the Man," and hearing lines like "We got money like the Reagan era," it's easy to imagine members Freekey, Chink Santana, Sandman, Mel Matrix, and the great NOE as an eventual replacement, or at least an alternative, to Dipset. They offer the addictive hits -- "Splash" and "Byrdgang Money," which originally appeared on Harlem's American Gangster -- along with the deep album cuts that bring some experimentation to street music. Jones' love of different sounds is found in the skittish, computer malfunction beat of "Throwin BG's" and the radiant "Money Right," a track brightened by Majik's innovative -- busy sequencer, slithering melody -- production and lines like "I feel like the constitution/I got the law on me." Producer Green Lantern brings a G-Unit flavor and nocturnal bump to the NOE showcase "Mobbin'," and Chink Santana helms a handful of tracks with skill. The album could do a better job sorting out the individual personalities within Byrd Gang, but a little overanxiousness is to be expected. Jones, on the other hand, is the big benefactor, proving he can return to the streets and thrive whether or not Cam and his purple gang still have love for this aloof, accidental platinum master of the ringtone. [M.O.B.: The Album was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries

XXL (Magazine) (p.109) - "Showing no signs of remorse, Jim and company remain unapologetic, flaunting their dirty cash on the feel-good 'Money Right'....Jimmy's clique manages to serve up an impressive debut."

A true NYC success story, Jim Jones's ascent to a spot among rap's quickest minds and keenest ears by the late-`00s is almost breathtaking in its deliberateness. While hip-hop history is littered with label architects whose attempts to grab the mic were tributes to vain mediocrity, the mercurial Diplomats co-founder is not one of them. Jones waited until practically every other member of Harlem's Dipset crew (Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, etc.) had had his turn before unleashing his solo debut in 2004. By 2009's highly anticipated PRAY IV REIGN, Jones revealed himself as a versatile budding star, as comfortable dropping an auto-tuner heavy single like "Pop Champagne" as elegantly reimagining indie-synth-popsters MGMT's "Electric Feel."

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