Beanie Sigel – The Broad Street Bully (9-1-2009)

Posted on Sep 08 in Reviewsby adminPrint

Beanie Sigel has always been one of those rapper’s rapper type of cats. Since his early days with the Roc Beans never really seemed to care for the glitter and fame the way that some of his compadres did. Even so he still maintained a sweet level of respect within the industry but not so much that the streets lost any love for the Philly bred rapper. 2005 saw the height of Beanie’s career coincide with a few of the lowest points of his life. His album The B. Coming garnered Beanie’s biggest hit while he was locked up for some parole inconsistencies that were only overshadowed by his stepfather’s murder later in the year.

After a slip-up of a start with “Why Wouldn’t I” Beans quickly gets things on track with the piano laced encore effort “Tear Drops.” Beans goes on to invite a couple of his old cohorts, Freeway and Omilio Sparks to speak alongside him on the not so appeasing “Where Is My Opponent.” Just as he did at the beginning of the collection he quickly redeems himself on the Young Chris and Freeway assisted “Ready For War.”

Things seem a little more straight and narrow on the old Roc reminiscent “All For It” as well as the soulful and Freeway laced standout “Sicker Than Your Average.” Young Chris and Omilio Sparks assist Beans in reaffirming their independence from the now defunct Roc-A-Fella records on the somewhat somber “Run To The Roc.” The collection hits a high point when Murda Mill and Beans combine on the west coast gangtsa shit inspired “Bang Bang.”

Though efforts such as the Young Chris guested “Return Of The Chain Gang” as well as the dreary “You Over Did It” aren’t the album’s highlights they both still prove to be very solid additions to the collection. The album closes out with the average at best sounding first single “The Ghetto.” After listening to the entire album its clear that Beans had a few other tracks he could have and should have chosen to be the lead off joint!

The Broad Street Bully doesn’t really clock enough time to be considered broad which magnifies the few mistakes that are made along he way by Beanie Sigel and some of his help. Clocking in at just over 40 minutes naturally there wasn’t hardly enough room for just one slip up of an offering and as we all know by now the album started off in a not so hot fashion. What The Broad Street Bully does do is show and prove that Beanie Sigel still has the ability to make quality music with or without the big help from corporate honchos like Roc-A-Fella, and Def Jam.

VERDICT – 13 / 20
LYRICS: 3
PRODUCTION: 4
DELIVERY: 3
CONSISTENCY: 3