Review Summary: B.G is DETERMINED to convince us that he’s “still keepin’ it real,” all the while being “the best.” He fails.
B Gizzle is back, after several push backs, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood was released December 8th, 2009. It was originally set to be released in February. I'm glad he waited this long to release it. Active since 1993, B.G's rap career is akin to that of Benjamin Button, and on this album, it shows.
As usual, B.G’s flow is on par with the rest of the mainstream rappers, sometimes exceeding the normal threshold of flowing talent, sometimes being content with just doing the bare minimum. Most of the time it’s the latter. His voice is still pretty iffy, at times pretty likable (F*ckin U Right,) at other times being incredibly annoying (I Swar, any time he’s just speaking.)
While the beats are serviceable and listenable, they get pretty repetitive. The common formula of frequent drums and snares, boop synths, and high bass levels with random claps thrown in – although good for the individual tracks – destroys the cohesiveness of the album, and when B.G attempts to switch it up, he switches to an R&B/Pop feel (F*ck Thang, Ya Heard Me, bonus track Closer) which is at best decent and at worst terrible. The majority of the production serves well to B.G’s style, but the severe deficiency of variety is extremely detrimental to points in the production department.
When he was a Hot Boy, B.G was pretty good, but still was never the astounding lyricist. He relied on his gangsta lyrics to compensate for his sub-par punchlines. Now, B.G finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place lyrically. B.G is DETERMINED us that he’s “still keepin’ it real,” all the while being “the best.” He fails. His typical I-run-the-streets theme lacks the support of some good punchlines and/or story telling are the downfall of this album, as seen on just two of his unconvincing “I’m a gangsta” tracks My Hood on which he rants about he still gets love from his hood and how he hasn’t changed and I Hustle on which is basically annoying reiteration of the word hustle seemingly thrown around like a trailer park in a tornado. The fact that he has songs dedicated to money and riches (Back To The Money, My Wrist Game Is Sick!) doesn’t help his case for keeping it real.
As for a Hot Boyz reunion…with the real gangsta, Turk locked up for nine more years and B.G, Juvenile, and Lil Wayne all doing their own thing nows, they don’t meld at all as a group, as seen on the frustrating track Ya Heard Me featuring Lil Wayne and Juvenile. The Hot Boyz would be a mere shadow of what it once was, with a bunch of fake street thugs collaborating all together.
Despite what the album title insinuates, B.G is just another uber fake Hollywood rapper which does nothing great in terms of creativity and doesn’t particularly excel in any aspect of rapping. Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood is just another failed attempt at good rap, the epitome of the phrase ‘lack of originality’ and a perfect example of falsifying street cred.
