Boosie Badazz TOUCH DOWN 2 CAUSE HELL

Recording information: Nightrydas Studios; Trill Studios, Atlanta, GA.
Photographer: Diwang Valdez.
At 19 tracks long, Boosie Badazz's 2015 LP is a bit overstuffed, but this post-prison release is a serious step up for the rapper, offering a more weighty and informed outlook while retaining both the party-time attitude and gangster stance of his previous work. Best example could be the infectious "On That Level," where the snarling rapper offers a more metaphorical version of his usual strip-club talk ("I got that look in my system/Someone's gonna be my victim"), while "Hip Hop Hooray" with homeboy Webbie comes with a chilling threat to all those who claim the hood but have no proof ("You don't know the first steps on how to whip a brick/You too tender dick that I'm a trying to pimp a bitch"). Raising the bar to a level that seemed unobtainable before, "Black Heaven" looks to the sky and is both proud ("Biggie Smalls prolly swagged out, laid-back/Him and Eazy talkin' bout how it was way back") and poignant ("I know Dr. King still preachin' about togetherness/But probably looking down sayin' it's irrelevant") about those who have left this earth. Still, it's the closing "I'm Sorry" that shocks the most as Boosie lists all those who he's done wrong, including those he cared for deeply but betrayed by not being available while on lockup. File this one next to C-Murder's Truest $#!@ I Ever Said as it's a gripping prison album that is embracing freedom upon its release, but know that this is a much more polished effort. Polished enough that it can hold guests like Keyshia Cole, Chris Brown, and T.I. plus superstar Rick Ross, who shamelessly bellows "Shout-out to my ego!" during the great "Drop Top Music." ~ David Jeffries

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop