After years on the fringe of hardcore Southern rap thanks to label problems, the pipe-packin'
Grandaddy Souf finally got his big break in 2007 when his wicked weekend number "Keep Em Coming Back" exploded with the help of some major-label push. The album it lands contains plenty of reasons to pull for this serviceable rapper who combines the spirit of
Goodie Mob,
Scarface, and
David Banner into a believable street persona. First there are the club cuts like "Run It," which matches "Keep Em Coming Back" as far as excitement, along with the hooky "Fun Girl," which is pure, unashamed sleaze. The poignant "Gospel" wins thanks to
Souf's vivid words that help raise bold, controversial questions ("They got the brains to send a man to space/So you can believe they got a cure for AIDS"), but on the other hand, the ambitious title track falls flat thanks to no hook and a step down in the lyrics department. It's less surprising that the trunk-rumbling party numbers get redundant once past the highlights, and even if it's admirable that the guest list is empty,
Souf can't carry the album on his own, at least not with this B- and C-list set of producers. Still, the album never goes soft, doesn't pander to what's hot on radio, and feels like it's fresh off the streets the whole way through. With its allegiance to the down South dirty-dirty, fans of luxury cars and the gangsta lifestyle will have an easy time ignoring the low points. [
Chasing My Dream was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries