So...it's here. The follow-up to Self Made Vol 1, which gave us some trunk-rattling summer music last year. After losing Pill to external factors (last I heard, he was never REALLY signed to the group), the Bawse re-upped with new editions Stalley (the more conscious type of rapper), French Montana (ignorance at its finest), and.....Omarion, now going by both Omarion and....Maybach O. Yea. Anyway, ignoring Mr. B2K's name changes, let's get into the second installment of what seems to be a series of summer music.
1. Power Circle (Ft. Rick Ross, Gunplay, Stalley, Wale, Meek Mill, and Kendrick Lamar)
A GREAT way to start this thing off. It's got that subtle energy that gets you vibing without getting too ridiculous too early. Considering the album itself though, it might have been better suited as an outro. Best verses come from Wale and Kendrick Lamar, but the most ridiculous (and thus best) line of the song comes from Rick Ross - "the square root of a kilo is me, nigga!" Never change, Bawse. - 4/5
2. Black Magic (Ft. Rick Ross and Meek Mill)
After the subtle (and dare I say semi-conscious?) "Power Circle," we jump right into the trunk rattling fare that we know Rick Ross for. It is an odd transition, which is odd for someone whose work is generally so well-sequenced. However, when you get past the placement, you find another Ross banger; a simple, infectious hook, verses about heaux and money, and a banging beat. It's no "Tupac Back," but it works. - 3/5
3. This Thing of Ours (Ft. Rick Ross, Wale, Nas, and Omarion)
Again, we run into some odd sequencing. After "Black Magic," a high-energy track, we get this much more mellow offering, complete with a hook from Omarion. I don't even have to tell you that Nas murks this shit, but I just did. When are we going to get a Nas project executive produced by Rick Ross? Anyway, "every male is not a man...so some of those that will hold out they hand won't understand." Real shit. Real track. I approve. - 3.5/5
4. All Birds (Ft. Rick Ross and French Montana)
Now we finally get into the truly ignorant shit. Honestly, I didn't really fuck with French until Self Made Vol 2. I didn't check for his own shit, and when I heard him on "Stay Schemin" I yawned. He's at home on beats like this one though. "Huddle up, Round Table, King Arthur shit"...lessons in British history from French Montana. An early favorite on this album...this shit gets you hype! That "haaanh" ad-lib is the shit, fam. - 4/5
5. Actin' Up (Ft. Wale, French Montana, and Meek Mill)
Continuing the trend of ignorance, we get more talk about hoes...in this case, hoes are acting above their station, and MMG laments the trend of niggas letting them do so. So...Wale, French, and Meek have come to remind us how to treat these hoes. It's good that they do so, because as French's verse points out....hoes be winning b. It's funny to hear Wale tap into his "The Manipulation" persona for this track...overall, I don't feel too strongly one way or another about this one though. - 3/5
6. Fountain of Youth (Ft. Rick Ross, Stalley, and Nipsey Hu$$le)
Ending the ignorant streak, we get to a more conscious number, with another non-MMG rapper from California, Nipsey Hu$$le. Ross knows how to pick out mellow beats as well as bangers, so it's no surprise that the chill vibe on this one is great. Stalley steers clear of the ignorant tracks, but he really shines on the more introspective ones. Of course, this is no surprise to anyone who has been tracking his moves. Nipsey comes through with a verse speaking on his pre-rap career, while Ross continues embellishing a past that we know isn't true. Despite that, this one is dope. It's a shame that Stalley doesn't get to spread his wings a little more on this album though. - 3.5/5
7. I Be Puttin' On (Ft. Wale, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, and Roscoe Dash)
We get a more club-oriented one here, with a Roscoe Dash hook that seems like it belongs in 2010 or something...anyway, it's a little hard for me to REALLY like this with the Roscoe Dash hook, but overall, this is head-nodding music (which you probably knew from Wiz's feature). Overall, I feel like tracks like these don't play to French's strengths though, and the track overall is kinda wack. The mellow vibe stops you from instantly skipping it, but honestly...I won't be rushing to play this track when I pop the CD in. - 2.5/5
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| My nigga....cut that shit out |
8. The Zenith (Ft. Wale, Rick Ross, and Stalley)
We get another track with Stalley on it here, so we know it's going to be more laid back, with less stuntin. You know Ross is going to do what he does, and Stalley actually indulges in a bit, but he ties it into his humble beginnings rather than simply boasting of newfound riches. Wale reminds us that people he used to be cool with aren't cool with him anymore, and overall, the three of them speak on their journey to where they are now. Overall it's a decent track, but man...how much better would it be to hear just Stalley and Wale rap on a conscious track together? I fucks with Rick Ross, but it just seems odd. - 3/5
9. M.I.A. (Ft. Omarion and Wale)
I won't front...I didn't like the idea of Omarion joining MMG. Personally, I felt that Jeremih could fill that void perfectly ("That Way" was the best track on SM Vol 1, don't debate me bro) and he wouldn't even have to join the label. This track changed that. You remember how Omarion was on So Far Gone? Oh...you don't? Oh...well anyway, at that time, I felt Omarion would join Cash Money and get his career back on track. For whatever reason, he didn't. Well, this is his coming out party on Self Made Vol 2. It's a soft track...as in Drake-level soft. You'd think it wouldn't fit on an album full of braggadocio from Meek and Ross, yet after the mellow track "The Zenith," this fits perfectly. Yea it's soft. Yea it's whining about chicks leaving him. I don't fucking care. The shit really gives you that So Far Gone vibe, and I don't care how you feel about Drake now, the odds are you were bumping that shit when it came out. Wale's one of my favorite rappers, and his verse is good, but I'd rather have this be Omarion's solo joint. Shit works. - 4.5/5; without Wale, 5/5
10. Bag of Money (Ft. Wale, Rick Ross, T-Pain, and Meek Mill)
This is the first track I had heard of from this album (not that I listened to it, but still). T-Pain back? Damn, I thought we were done with T-Pain hooks, but he's back...somehow though, it doesn't sound anywhere near as tired as that Roscoe Dash hook from earlier. This is a dope single, it's obviously geared toward the women...I will never be able to understand that shit, but whatever, I'm not a woman. Shit has that low-key bump...you've already heard the shit in the club, it works. Not a huge fan of the track, but it serves its purpose. Still feels like I'm in a time warp though. - 3/5
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| 3 CHAAAAAAAAAINZ |
11. Let's Talk (Ft. Omarion and Rick Ross)
Yo I didn't think I'd be saying this, but yes! Another Omarion feature! Fuck bullshit dudes who can't sing who use auto-tune. Just get a nigga who can sing. Has the B.I.G. sample, which you know I approve of. Ross also sounds at home on this, unlike Wale on "M.I.A." The hook is dope, and we already know Omarion can sing. Shit is nice. This part of the album is geared toward the women, but they really did this well. This and "M.I.A." are stand-outs thus far. - 4/5
12. Black on Black (Ft. Gunplay, Ace Hood, and Bun B)
Oh shit! I forgot Gunplay was aligned with MMG! Nigga finally showed his head after the first track. Anyway, I'd rather have French on this shit than Ace Hood, but what can you do. Like Nas on an earlier track, you know Bun B is going to kill it, and he did. Gotta pause that "put that thing up to his back" line though. Bun should know better! But yea, I don't really fuck with this one like that. I've been bored with Ace Hood for a while, and a French verse would have added a lot more "HAAAAANH." Which is always good. Also, where the hell is Meek Mill on this track? Why the fuck is Ace Hood here? I'll just skip to the next track. - 2.5/5
13. Fluorescent Ink (Ft. Wale, Stalley, and Rick Ross)
Oh what do you know? That idea I brought up earlier comes (somewhat) to fruition. This is a solid track, pretty much the only track that is focused more on rapping than anything else. Another head-nodding song, it's suitably placed near the end of the album. After listening to this one again...it's odd that Ross got what Wale was doing on this track, but Stalley didn't seem to. It's an introspective number that has Wale basically summing up all of his bars since he's been out, but Stalley spends his verse rapping about shit he doesn't normally rap about. Weird. - 3.5/5
14. Bury Me A G (Ft. Rick Ross and T.I.)
I guess that since Meek is working on his own album, he didn't have a ton of verses to spare for this album...which is cool, I guess. This shit bangs. T.I. has lost the swagger he had back when he dropped Paper Trail (you see what I did there?), but he still fits well with this beat. If you remember "9 Piece," then you know that Ross and T.I. on a track together works VERY well. Shit goes hard, and the album goes out with a bang. We get the (ridiculous) line of the album in the hook, with Ross emphatically stating "if I die today, I pray I get buried with clean drawers!" REAL NIGGA SHIT. - 3.5/5
Overall, this is one of those albums that kinda grows on you. The trash moments are trash, and there are few standout moments. It's mostly hovering around average, and after French departs from the album, it's lacking a certain energy. Overall, I give it a 3.5/5, but it's probably closer to a 3/5.
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