Esham

Dead Flowerz finds the prolific Detroit rapper Esham honing his self-described acid rap style, leaving behind many of his more disturbing lyrical themes in favor of more traditional themes. Many who have come to expect the usual shocks will loathe his maturation, just as those once turned off by his outrageous need to be overtly perverse may finally manage to stomach his music. Either way, look at this album as the turning point. Assuming this, it should come as no surprise that his production sound has evolved beyond gritty, lo-fi, sample-based beats in favor of a polished sound. Still, there is enough sleaze on this album to distance this album from any other late-'90s rappers, so even if Esham does clean up his act here, it's still far too outrageous for mainstream audiences. As he continued to evolve his cultist fan base, certain compromises had to be made involving how far he could take his exploitation, and this album is proof of what compromises were made. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide