When it comes to the West Coast some of Hip Hops biggest legends and best Mc’s come to mind. Names like Ice Cube, Ice -T, Snoop, Xzibit, Ras Kas, Spice-1 , Jurassic -5, Tash, Dr. Dre , Warren G, Dj QuiK, Mc Eiht, Tech N9ne, Cypres Hill, Crooked I. But even with such veterans , legends and a record of proof its always been hard for the West to get proper respect or props. Not since the death row days has the West collectively held the nations attention for a long period of time. A few have tried and done so for a spurts but nothing quite like since that time, ad we can blame a number of reasons, record companies trying to put the west in a box, medias lack of coverage, fans fickle taste, west coast feuds over unity etc, etc, etc
All of these factors have left a void unfilled that a new crop of Mc’s from the west hope to service. In walks a young cat Jay Rock, with his debut serving Follow Me Home to see if he can fill the void and build on the momentum.
Follow me home starts off quite cinematic setting up a scene in Nickerson Garden to allow you to not only know but feel where Jay Rock comes from followed by a perfect intro track “Code Red” . From that moment on Jay Rock shows that he is to be taken serious, the album is traditionally west coast, but not stereotypically west coast. I appreciate the fact that its not pre-crafted to appeal to any specific audience, it just is what it is and wil do what it will do, no short cuts, got to respect a man willing to do what he wants and is willing to grind and hustle it out. Follow me home is full of solid album cuts but the one that will probably have the best chance for radio play is “Westside” featuring Chis Brown. While there isn’t a wack or wasted track on the album there are some that will have to grow on you or that you have to understand the culture to appreciate “Elbows” or “Say Wassup”. The albums strongest serving and best song without a feature is “ All I know”, the most balanced cut is “ Hood Gone Love it “ featuring Kendrick Lamar. The standout cut is “Just Like Me” for its positive messages and reality based message about our community, one could only hope that a song like this would get any type of exposure, it makes you look at and appreciate Jay Rock in a new light and appreciate his versatility. The album ends in similar perfection as it opened, with “ All My Life” featuring Lil Wayne and Will.I.Am, which will have you wanting more.
Final analysis, its a good album worth checking out, its good ride music. Its perfectly balanced , almost to a fault. Its a perfect middle, it has no real complaints but nothing that makes it stand out completely either, the good thing is that it a first offering and leaves room for improvement. Lyrically, sonically, production wise and song making qualities are all good. Has a similar sound to The Game and a Mobb Deep street feel that should be well received.
If Jay is going t capture the nation its going to require that he be a master at something rather than just a jack of all trades. I give Follow me Home 3 stars out of 6
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