B-Real – Smoke N Mirrors (2-24-2009)

Posted on Feb 20 in Reviewsby adminPrint

Since bursting onto the scene in 1991 by way of his Cypress Hill click B-Real has more or less been a staple in the west coast hip-hop scene. Its only been eighteen years in the making and for some reason he feels that the time is right to release his first solo project Smoke N Mirrors. Most could rightfully assume that Cypress Hill’s time has had time to come and go a couple of times and yet B-Real loves the art of hip hop so much that he still feels devoted enough to drop in these crying times.  

Scoop Deville’s clever reworking of some kids vocal makes the album’s opening effort “Smoke N Mirrors” immediately capture the listener’s attention. On the Xzibit and Young De assisted “Don’t Ya Dare Laugh” the three west coast MCs delve deep into specifics of the often-sticky California lifestyle. B-Real sounds a little confused on the Sick Jacken produced and guested “Psycho Realm Revolution” where the two mingle between Hispanic, retro, and hood influences for the tracks sound.

Warning, if you attempt to smoke any type of weed as you listen to the Damian Marley assisted “Fire” you will probably feel compelled to drive your car off of a really really tall bridge. If you survive, even The Alchemist can’t offer enough operational expertise to add any real flare to this album. His production effort on “6 Minutes” falls flat on its top. When B-Real breaks off efforts such as “10 Steps Behind” and “Gangsta Music” he sounds a little like his old style, yet its still not enough to warrant any further discussion these days.

Things seem to pick up a little bit on the Babydoll Refresh assisted “Get That Dough.” Producer J. Turner handles his business on one of the album’s undeniable standouts “Stackin Paper.” Even though B-Real gives his best shot at the art of storytelling on the J. Turner produced “Dude Vs. Homie” he still fails to convince the listener to take a second gander at the meaning behind the average track. B-Real manages to end his first album off with a bang as he invites Kurupt and Too Short to spit some triple X rated game on the J. Turner produced “When We’re Fucking.”

For what its worth, B-Real’s obviously put a lot of effort, time, and planning into his debut effort; eighteen years worth to be exact. Unfortunately for B-Real his efforts fall severely short in a state of hip-hop where people really don’t care about the 90s anymore. Smoke N Mirrors isn’t necessarily filled with loads garbage it’s just that none of the tracks excel past an average standpoint. It must suck to know that this is B-Real’s first album and it very well might be his last!

VERDICT – 10 / 20
LYRICS: 3
PRODUCTION: 2
DELIVERY: 2
CONSISTENCY: 3