Over the years, Hip Hop music has for the most part proven itself to be very much youth orientated. So it is a rare case when a veteran artist is able to strive and survive amongst a sea of newcomers. San Francisco pioneer Rappin’ 4-Tay is attempting to do just that, similar to his counterparts E-40 and Too $hort, as the sounds of Crunk and Hyphy dominate the U.S. airwaves. Throughout his 8th studio release, 4-Tay pretty much picks up where he left off four years ago on Gangsta Gumbo.
Rappin’ 4-Tay’s flow and style is decidedly “old school”, however, his rapid-fire Bay Area infused delivery is still present after all these years. This approach works to fine effect on the triumphant posse cut Live From The 415, alongside fellow battle-tested lyricists San Quinn, Messy Marv, Big Rich and Seff Tha Gaffla. Also check the hard-hitting Full Metal Jacket to hear a rejuvenated 4-Tay. The proceedings change up slightly on the more laidback funk of If I Forgot Jesus, as he pays tribute to the people who have helped him throughout his life, the central theme being a topic not touched on very often in Hip Hop music, faith and religion. For some heavy slabs of that West Coast sound, don’t look past the up-tempo A Whole Nother Level and the sinister sounding Business Is Heavy.
The whole release, unfortunately, is not a grand return to form. One of the shortcomings is the lack of variation between the tempos and textures of the beats, as they all follow a similar template, which does lead to monotony. Tracks such as Charger and Helping Me Hurting Me, while not fundamentally weak tracks by any means, do sound a little awkward and structurally sound like they are trying to ape the current Hyphy phenomenon. The somewhat needless shout-outs during the course of the album to successful current artists such as Usher, Ludacris and Lil’ Jon tend to come off as attempts at trying to sound up-to-date and relevant as well.
That’s What You Thought, overall, comes off like an album that would resonate more with loyal fans than new listeners less accustomed to his brand of measured West Coast bounce. It’s a strong statement proving that 4-Tay still has enough gas in his tank and that California’s Hip Hop scene is still very relevant, from veterans such as himself to new jacks such as Clyde Carson. 4-Tay knows his fans very well and does an admirable job of feeding their appetite, but loyalists need not be the only ones that apply, it should have enough appeal to fans who get down to the sounds of everyone’s favourite name-dropping Doctor’s Advocate and other such artists. Hit those switches!
Available Through SMC Recordings
