Young Doe / Welcome to the Maze City Hall / Elite Entertainment Young Doe makes himself at home on his City Hall debut Welcome to the Maze. Known primarily for its penchant to push Bay Area independents, Doe’s arrival as a product of Denver, CO, suggests The Hall’s healthy appreciation for the 5280’s growing music scene. To boot, Bay factors such as Messy Marv (“It Ain’t No Thing”), Jacka (“I Don’t Wanna Sign”), Killa Tay and legendary Sac rappers C-Bo (“Codes of the Movement”) and Marvaless (“One”), bless Welcome… All but two of the tracks boast features, including Denver’s Mr. Mannish, Colfax Cac and Innerstate Ike, which at times work to submerge Doe deep off into the Maze. Still, he escapes to deliver a solid piece of work. – N. Ali Early The Jacka, Rydah J. Klyde & Fed-X (of the Mob Figaz) / Mob Trial 2 City Hall / Million Dollar Dream In the second installment of its kind, Mob Trial 2 picks up where the original left off. As the only constant in both versions (AP9 and Husalah), The Jacka continues to show why he is one of the West Coast’s most slept-on artists via solos “Reign God” and the bouncy “Go Hard Is All I Know.” When the three featured Mob Figaz members share the mic, the results are similar, proving an indefensible aesthetic among the multi-member (five) collective. Radio-ready ditties like “Got To Make Her Mine,” featuring AP9, Mike Marshall and incarcerated Mob member Husalah and “The Same Thing Everyday” maintain balance under their tumultuous circumstances. – N. Ali Early Demolition Men Presents: Zion I / Hustle Hard Collection While the Bay Area’s Hip Hop scene is synonymous with rap gods E-40, Too $hort and now a host of youngstas that woke the world up to “hyphy,” Amp Live and MC Zion, collectively known as Zion I, arguably encompass what has come to define the most independent rap genre in the game. Underground as a duo can be, they’ve survived a decade by creating their own lane and pushing their brand to the throttle – beneath the surface. Their version of the Hustle Hard Collection with Bay Area mixtape kings Impereal & Devro a.k.a. the Demolition Men is that and more. With appearances by the self-proclaimed freestyle king Mistah FAB (“Hit Em”), Turf Talk (“The Bay”) and Too $hort (“Lose Your Head”), socially aware rhymes over live acoustics meet traditional slap for a headbobbing blend that works. – N. Ali Early
Doey Rock, DJ Koday & DJ Boy Wonder /The 40/40 Club Sacramento emcee Doey Rock holds nothing back on The 40/40 Club mixtape. From the opening track “I Said It” to the last cut “Not Thru,” Rock lyrically goes the distance with sharp bars and hooks throughout 29 tracks. On “Legend” he stakes his claim as a “young legend in the making” while paying homage to the greats like Bob Marley and Muhammed Ali. He proves that New Yorkers aren’t the only ones that can spit hard 16s as he goes bar for bar with Raekwon the Chef on “Toe To Toe.” Both political and street savvy, he throws a middle finger to the attacks on Hip Hop on “Not Guilty” and serves as a street ambassador on “Take a Ride Wit Me.” With only a couple tracks that feel out of place, Doey rocks his latest offering in true Sick Wit It fashion. — Randy Roper Smigg Dirtee /The Resume / Black Armor Smigg Dirtee must have called every rapper he has ever met for a reference/appearance on The Resume. Although Smigg D leans on his West Coast homies, he does show rap skills as he collaborates with Killa Tay and C-Bo on “Yey Yey” and trades street tales with I-Rocc and A-Wax on “Live This Life.” But some tracks would have been better off without outside verses. A few subpar verses and god-awful hooks look more like minuses than pluses on Dirtee’s resume. Dirtee’s album feels more like a compilation than a solo album. But tracks like “It’s Like That” and “Last Dance” and help from Mistah FAB, Messy Marv, Daz Dillinger and B-Legit, has his Resume looking good. — Randy Roper Various ArtistS /Omina Bust / Sosla This compilation coming straight out of the Omina Laboratories features new, unreleased music from some of the best the West has to offer. Although some tracks should have remained locked away in the Sacramento studio, there are enough bangers to warrant Omina Bust some spins. B-Legit, Turf Talk and Skurge start things off the Bay Area way on “Smashmatic” and Tone Malone smooths things out with Doey Rock on “I Won’t Hurt You.” While those tracks make for solid cuts, “Shake ‘Um Off” with Keak Da Sneak, B-Smoove and Jae Synth is the exact opposite. And someone made a mistake by give Ron Artest a microphone to spit a 16 on “Music Box.” Nonetheless, Omina compiled enough quality tracks for fans to enjoy. — Randy Roper
OZONE WEST // 25