Gemini: Good Vs. Evil [PA] [Limited]

Performer: Krayzie Bone
Artist: Wish Bone; Layzie Bone; Bizzy Bone
Producer: Lil Jon; L.T. Hutton; Big Rush
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: This release includes a bonus DVD featuring behind-the-scenes footage. Personnel: Krayzie Bone; Layzie Bone, Wish Bone, Bizzy Bone. While his Bone Thugs-N-Harmony brother Bizzy continues to live on the fringes of hip-hop, Krayzie goes for the charts while keeping his feet in the hood. Making Twista sound sluggish, Krayzie rattles off one of his most aggressive raps on the opening "Get'chu Twisted," one of the greatest singles ever to come out of the house of Bone. The infectious, Lil Jon-produced single gives way to a fairly tight album, one that's well planned out and just a skit too long. Tracks like "All I'm Hearing" bring back reminders of the sweet soul that Bone could effortlessly ride their raps on, while Wish, Krayzie, and Bizzy's appearance on the "Twisted" remix hints at how hot the proposed reunion by Cleveland's greatest crew will sound. It'll whet any bud smoker's appetite, but the high-quality, Krayzie-only tracks justify any sluggishness the man had agreeing to relive the old days. He just had to get this album out -- or at least that's the way three-quarters of the tracks feel. The inner turmoil hinted at by the album's title is vital and urgent whether Krayzie is crying out for peace in the hood or mercilessly thugging his way to the top. "Let's Live" is his "Crossroads" for a sunny day, while "Mangled" is the vicious number that always seemed to be hiding out in Bone's basement. Lil Jon is the big name here, but Ball'r Records have rounded up an inspired group of B-list producers and laid out the tracks with a good flow. Some weak, sing-songy choruses get worked to death in hopes to re-create the firm handshake "Get'chu Twisted" made with radio. It knocks the album down a peg below the masterstroke that was 2001's Thug on da Line, but it's still an exciting album and worthy of attention. ~ David Jeffries When records get postponed for retooling, it's generally not a good thing. However, in the case of GEMINI: GOOD VS. EVIL, the third album from Cleveland, Ohio rapper Krayzie Bone, the delay was positive, borne out of the chance for Krayzie to record new material with his fellow Bones--Layzie, Bizzy and Wish--as a likely prelude to a Bone Thugs-N-Harmony reunion. The outcome of those sessions includes classic Bone vocal trading on a remix of the album's opening track, "Get'chu Twisted." The original version finds the nimble-tongued rapper on top of his game, taking the simple hook and waiting for a bit, before unleashing a torrent of lyrics both reverential and righteously arrogant. Early in the record, Krayzie uncorks a line about being "caught up in the rapture," which pretty much defines the singular MC's style when he gets in the groove. On "Put It on Y'all," he slips from casual delivery into hyperactive rapping without effort. On "Nuthin' But Music," Krayzie develops one of the more original hip-hop-history songs, starting with the West Coast rap movement before blissfully recalling almost every significant 1980s rap moment. A few tracks later, Bone shifts to the evil side on the horror-rap, alternative-metal sampling "Don't Know Why," revealing the range of GEMINI: GOOD VS. EVIL.

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