Yung Berg

"Sexy Lady" jump-started Yung Berg's recording career, becoming a hit months before his debut album, Look What You Made Me, was ready for release. The six-track Almost Famous EP was presumably his effort to fill the gap with some product for his newfound fan base. The EP is unfortunately slight, highlighted by "Sexy Lady," a crude yet confident club track carried by Rob Holladay's rousing production and singer Junior's suave hook. A remix featuring Jim Jones and Rich Boy is included as well for those who can't get enough of the song. The other highlight of Almost Famous is "Painkiller," a Nikki Flores song featuring Yung Berg (opposed to the other way around, for the rapper is reduced to a guest verse here); notably, the song is a joint production by Timbaland associates Danja (aka DanjaHandz) and the Clutch (i.e., Ezekiel Lewis, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, J. Que -- no Keri Hilson credit here, though). Overall, the most redeeming aspect of Almost Famous is the productions, credited to Yung Boss Productions associates Rob Holladay and JFK, who make good use of samples to bolster their club-ready beats. As for the raps, they're unimpressive from a technical standpoint, laden with brash proclamations of sexuality and materialism and void of depth; for sure, Yung Berg won't impress any hip-hop purists who value craft and thoughtfulness over product placement and bad-boy posturing. As an added bonus, Almost Famous comes packaged with a certificate for a free "Sexy Lady" ringtone. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi