Juelz Santana FROM ME TO U (EX)

Personnel includes: Juelz Santana, Cam'Ron, Freekey Zeekey, Monique Garnett, Jimmy Jones, Mike Peters, JR Writer, T.I.
Producers: Heatmakerz, Charlemagne, Self For Self, Chad Hamilton, Jazz Pha.
Recorded at Sony Music Studios, Quad Studios, and Baseline Studios, New York, New York; Big Bud Studios, Atlanta, Georgia.
"Dipset (Santana's Town)" was nominated for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
Personnel: J. Dolla, Opera Steve, Razah (vocals); Mike Peters (guitar, keyboards, vibraphone).
Audio Mixers: Eric "Ebo" Butler; Carlisle Young; Jazze Pha.
Actor: Mike Peters .
Photographer: Oluwayseye.
Cam'Ron's protege Juelz Santana goes it alone after debuting as part of the Diplomats crew on DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY. Here he steers clear of that crew's obsession with drugs, guns, and money--well, at least the drugs and guns part.
The key here is the keyboard-inflected "Why," where Santana runs down the reasons he's in the game, like watching ROCKY III when he was "a tiny little poppy seed, as grimy as I could be," and comes as close as any rapper ever gets to waxing philosophical about his life and motives. Furthermore "My Problem (Jealousy)"finds him apologizing for hitting his girlfriend, and getting into sticky relationship details to boot. FROM ME TO U is, therefore, no ordinary gangsta rap collection, and while Santana's flow might not be up to that of some of his contemporaries just yet, there's enough evidence here to point to some considerable talent lurking beneath the bravura.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop