C-Murder

C-Murder's compelling 2005 album, Truest $#!@ I Ever Said, communicated the bleakness, hopelessness, and horror of life in jail in such a manner that it seemed Master P's No Limit empire had impossibly spawned its own Iceberg Slim. On the 2008 release Screamin' 4 Vengeance -- recorded between murder trials and while on house arrest -- C-Murder chooses to return to gun talk for gun talk's sake, with primal rage, boasts of murder, and plenty of other lyrics that should have prosecutors taking notes. The deadpan, almost dead delivery that made Truest so chilling is replaced by a more aggressive, more everyday style, with featured guest stars ranging from Krayzie Bone to Slim Thug. Although talk about "Shawty's so fresh" from someone looking at an extended stay in lockup is incongruous to say the least, the beats from 2Saint and a handful of other C-list producers are serviceable, "Mihita" is an interesting metaphor for gun as girlfriend, and the singles "Be Fresh" plus "Posted on tha Block" have solid hooks. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide