Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire [PA]

Performer: E-40
Artist: The Click; Lil Wayne; Celly Cel; Fat Joe; B-Legit; Juvenile; B.G.; Jayo Felony; C-Bo; Sauce Money; Baby; Too Short; Otis; Shug; Levitti; Suga-T; D-Shot; The Mossie; A-1
Engineer: D-Whiz; Bosko...
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: E-40, The Click, Celly Cel, B-Legit, B.G., Juvenile, Lil' Wayne, A-1, D-Shot, The Mossie, Suga T, Too Short, Baby, Sauce Money, Jayo Felony, C-Bo, Shug, B-Legit, Levitti, Kavio, Trayce, Mr. Kain, Omeezy, (vocals); Bosko (various instruments, programming, scratches, talk box); Ant Banks (various instruments, programming); D-Wiz (guitar); Nutt, Warren Mceanna (bachground vocals). Producers: Ant Banks, Rick Rock, Bosko. Principally recorded at the Cosmic Slop Shop, Sacramento, California and Chicken & Beats Studios, Los Angeles, California. Though West Coast wordsmith E-40 has been working his particular brand of Too Short-influenced hip-hop for more than a decade, BLUEPRINT OF A SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE makes clear that his formula hasn't lost any of its luster. Most impressive here are the arrangements--busy, jazzy soundscapes, rife with quick snippets of vocal overdub that add subtle shades of meaning to the rotund MC's street-influenced narratives. On "Ballahollic, he brings a welcome sense of levity to his lyrical tough-guy posturing ("If you see me in a fight with a bear / Don't help me, help the bear!). While "Get Branded" may remind listeners of DOGGYSTYLE-era beat backdrops, the song is marked by psychedelic Rick James-like incantations. "Look at Me" bears the closest resemblance to the West Coast playa style, with its dry and trebly drum-machine beats, vocoder flourishes, and pitch-bending keyboards. Fans of self-aggrandizing West Coast hip-hop at its most hyperbolic won't want to miss BLUEPRINT OF A SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE.

Vibe (12/99, p.261) - "...a pixilated excursion through E's playa lifestyle: parties, pretty women, and paper....leaving you with a...good idea of how an 11-year vet can make a hip hop album that doesn't sound stale..." The Source (12/99, pp.242-4) - 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...E-40 is one of [Oakland's] most respected prophets....[He] weaves disturbingly vivid tales of the Bay Area's underworld, spit with his trademark slangtionary and a hint of humor....40 manages to hit a homerun nevertheless..."

As a solo performer, label owner (Sick Wid It Records), and member of hip-hop outfit the Click, rapper E-40 has been representing the often underappreciated Bay Area hip-hop scene since the early 1990s. E-40 is credited with helping the Bay Area hyphy movement (something of a West Coast version of crunk) gain national exposure and is well known for his legendary flow, which incorporates one of hip-hop's most extensive and developed slang vocabularies--a considerable amount of which was created by E-40 himself. His MY GHETTO REPORT CARD was released in 2006 and once again showed why 40 is one of the most respected gangsta rappers in the game.

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.3

Shipping Options and Policies