MC Breed's relationship with Wrap Records came to an end with 1997's Flatline, which ironically happened to be one of his best albums, featuring big-name producers like Ant Banks and Jazze Pha. When Breed returned in 1999 on Power Records (based in Atlanta and distributed for a while by Roadrunner), things were different. First of all, the label didn't have the budget that Wrap did, meaning that there weren't going to be any more big-name producers on Breed's albums. Secondly, the label didn't have nearly the marketing push that the artist was used to having, meaning that, after nearly a decade of moderate success, the Atlanta-by-way-of-Michigan rapper was suddenly an underground rapper. Third of all, the Dirty South movement was in full bloom by 1999, with labels like No Limit and Cash Money having changed the game, flooding record stores with more down South rap than stores could handle. As a result, Breed was in an awkward situation on this album, though he tries to dismiss the pressures he faced by titling his album It's All Good. Well, Breed can call his album what he likes, but all surely wasn't good for the rapper, and he was entering a frustrating era that would find him falling off the map for a few years, working with a limited budget, and trying to adapt to overnight trends. As the No Limit/Cash Money circa 1999-looking album cover may lead you to presume, Breed unfortunately jumps on the bling-bling/thug trend of the time. You can tell he's uncomfortable trying to adapt to the sound of the time, but he was in a dire situation. For instance, when Breed opens the album with a remix of his five-year-old pre-Death Row 2 Pac collaboration, "Gotta Get Mine," you know he's trying too hard. The aura of desperation that underlies the "It's All Good" facade makes this an awkward album and one to avoid in favor of Breed's many better, and much more sincere, albums. ~ Jason Birchmeier