Hot Boys LET EM BURN (EXPLICI

Personnel includes: Hot Boys, Big Tymers, Lac, TQ.
Recorded at Patchwerk Recording Studios, Atlanta, Georgia, American Sector Recording Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana; Festival Recording Studios, Houston, Texas; Horizon Studios, Chicago, Illinois.
Personnel: Charles Pettaway (guitar); Mannie Fresh, Barewolf (keyboards).
Audio Mixer: Leslie Brathwaite.
Recording information: American Sector Recording Studios, New Orleans, LA; Festival Recording Studios, Houston, TX; Horizon, Studios, Chicago, IL; PatchWerk Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; Studio 7303.
A cursory listen to LET 'EM BURN might leave the listener with a mental image akin to the prototypical doo-wop scene: a bunch of friends hanging out a street corner, reveling in their skills and making music influenced by whatever happens to be passing by. Unfortunately, in the New Orleans ghettos where the members of the Hot Boys grew up, what's passing by is often likely to be murder, robbery, and drug dealing. This doesn't prevent B.G., Juvenile, Lil' Wayne, and Young Turk from making the most of their abilities, however, and LET 'EM BURN is a testament to what can happen when several immensely talented rappers are secure enough with their own skills to practice artistic generosity. The album also makes a great compare-and-contrast project for those interested in seeing different artists' approaches to the highly distinctive style that is New Orleans Dirty South hip-hop. Mannie Fresh's production puts a somewhat more jaunty spin on the usual G-funk grooves, which proves a perfect foil for the lazy-tongued rhymes of the Hot Boys.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop