Review: E-40 - Revenue Retrievin

Released on March 30th 2010, "Revenue Retrievin" is the second double disc of Bay Area legend E-40 after his 1998 effort "The Element Of Surprise". This one though, was released as two seperate discs: "The Day Shift" and "The Night Shift"

Since the parted company with Warner Bros. after his last album "The Ball Street Journal" he stated that he recorded over 60 tracks with his son Droop-E alone. Other producers on this LP include Rick Rock, Jazze Pha and Daywalk. It was obvious for him to give his fans a large amount of that now that he's back at the independent route and please them with nothing else but modern day mob music.

That's what this album is: A bass'd out, upgraded version of what "40 Water" always has done. His lyrics are way improved compared to his last 2-3 records and his flow is partially back at its weird "flamboastin" style. Many people claimed this to be "just another Hyphy record" but it's far more than that. The Hyphy topics are not important on this CD and although the music is filled with rattling basses, heavy synthesizers and freaky, sometimes psychedelic melodies, it feels more like the "old" E-40 is back.

He starts off with "Back In Business" and proves that he hasn't lost anything.
"In order to do some right you gotta do some wrong / Got hella shit goin on / The dusty, the dirty, the smirk / I ain't paranoid I am prepared I ain't nervous / When you cookin birdies in the kitchen / Can't be slippin like a transmission gotta be on your peezin toes / It's hard to make a honest livin when your kids ain't got no clothes"
The beat is somehow like the definition of a subwoofer and comes dangerous with the sample. Droop-E did a major job on this one.

I can't go into every track, that would take several hours, but what I have to say is that 40 even brought the guest appearences back to their best - maybe besides Snoop Dogg and Clyde Carson. Mistah F.A.B. is still able to show his unique and hilarious style on "Outta Control":
"40 the ambassador and Fabby is the prince / I shake your hands but hold up pimpin' please no finger prints / Bossy, flossy, groovyer than groovy / A walkin reality show a box office movie"
and Dem HoodStarz prove why they were considered a dynamic duo before Scoot Dog went to jail last year on the same track.

Ya Boy goes hard on "Wet" even though he still claims himself a rockstar but you can't deny lines like "Say we ain't the dopest, nigga whatchu smokin? / Gotta be da sherm, if it ain't money then it's not in my concern / Money to blow, matter fact money to burn / See her money is mine but my money ain't hers" and he handles a hell of a hook on the psycho-like gangsta track "Knock 'Em Down Music". That is the track where even Turf Talk can shine with his weird-as-never flow and insane sounding voice as he raps:
"He was a friend of mine, then he changed up / He used to be a Crip, now we flamed up / They say I'm loco, crazy, a lunatic / Serve these monkeys with the whole banana clique" (I should post the whole verse but I go with this only). Cousin Fik has two nice appearences on both track as well.

San Quinn may have a strange voice but his lines on the minimalistic-electric "Power Up" are sharper than ever: "Energy of the Hennessey / I spit H1N1, you'll never be as sick as me / ... / If I had a piss test it'd put me in the penetentiary".
Keak Da Sneak is stupid on this track but yet again in a positive way.

E-40's cousin B-Legit "makes love to the block and kisses the corner" on "I Get Down" which sounds crumbling and droning, just typical for a nice Droop-E production.
Too $hort has a funny as always verse on "Bitch" which contains the obvious sample but sounds just as relevant as you need. "You see the shadows, you hear the sounds, but you don't do nothing you just turn back around like a bitch / feelings hurt ready to cry, you can't believe everything she said was a lie"
Even though I just quoted a lot of lines (and I still haven't mentioned 40's best efforts) there are way more lyrical experiences worth checking for and this is just an example of how entertaining this album is. Musically you'll find a lot of which you think it might sound similar in the first place, but you'll recognize it's anything but a monotonous record. E-40's delivery helps much to avoid such an impression. I'm going to list a few of his funniest lines below:

"I'm a boss, but I drink like Hasselhoff" (Power Up)
"I'm feeling like I'm 'posed to be and sober is my enemy, Bailey's and Landy - that's the remedy / Money and power that's a friend of me / Chain lickin like a Mini-Me / Campaignin like a Kennedy / They ain't got no idea where this finna be" (Wet)
"Sometimes I wonder was I planned, maybe / Or was I a accident mayne, a oops-baby" (Streets Keep Callin Me -> awsome hook by Krizz Kaliko)
"I got a million dollar mouthpiece, she got a million dollar vagina / I throw a bitch in the sky and break her 'fore she hits the ground / They call me send-a-bun, send a snow bunny just like a tax" (Attention)
He takes a little shot on the new generation as well:
"I take it back to the 80's when I was servin your momma, the reason why you're crack babies / Which I don't really like to brag about, I had style before they brought 'swagger' out" (Dem Boyz)

This album is not only heavy bass 'bay slap' music, you can also find more instrumental kind of songs. A very appropriate example would be "Let Go And Let God" which is a family collaboration between soul singer Lenny Williams (E-40's father), 40 himself and his son Droop-E on the boards.

This double album is a really great entertainment and the music doesn't sound rushed even though you get so much of it (2:42h of music - no (!) skits, not even an intro or outro). Plus the music is very proper recorded and mixed, it requires a good stereo to unfold its true value. Support the ambassador of the Bay, buy "Revenue Retrievin".

New Jamiroquai videos / New Terrace Martin videos out

Jazz-funk day on my blog today - 4 new videos!

Jamiroquai is ready to gear up for their by now 7th studio album entitled "Rock Dust Light Star". To promote the highly anticipated record they've just dropped two brand new visuals to the first single"White Knuckle Ride" and "Blue Skies", which can be seen on their official YouTube channel.

The videos aren't really special or remarkable, just vehicles on the freeway, whatever this intended to show us; but as the videos are not really important to me I'm a little whistful to say that the tracks aren't that special either.

"White Knuckle Ride" is pretty decent as for the production but the song overall is just average. "Blue Skies" simply sounds boring to me and is not satisfying after this 5-year break.
I hope the album turns out to be better and more jazz-funk orientated than these two tracks. I rather listen to Terrace Martin's new album "Here, My Dear" right now which is really exciting - believe it or not: free download again. Be on the look out for more information on "Rock Dust Light Star" and a full review of Terrace Martin's "Here, My Dear".

Check the prelude videos so far: