During the three-year gap separating
Redman's previous album,
Doc's da Name 2000 (1998), from
Malpractice, the crazed New Jersey rapper became a bona fide superstar thanks to his collaboration with the ubiquitous and ridiculously recognized
Method Man. It now seems that the same sort of excessively brash attitude that somewhat burdens
Method Man's superstar ego has become a staple of
Redman's as well. That sort of lazy overconfidence often leads to effortless redundancy -- this is a problem that creeps into
Malpractice. After nearly a decade,
Redman's countless skits and his ever-wacky but still-the-same antics just don't seem as fresh and amusing as they once were. Furthermore, with his newfound
Method Man-like arrogance, his old tricks seem even tougher to stomach. It'd be different if
Redman took a
Missy Elliott-like approach to
Malpractice and made an effort to continually flip styles and keep things fresh with each album. That's not the case, though. Rather, he turns in a repeat performance of his last few solo albums.
Erick Sermon again crafts a number of the beats, and
Redman returns to many of the same lyrical motifs that fueled his past work. So, in a sense, you can commend
Redman for his consistency; after all, his rhymes are always a grin and he even produces a good chunk of
Malpractice. Unfortunately, if you've heard his previous albums, this is going to feel very familiar. It's guests like
George Clinton and the aforementioned
Missy Elliott who keep things fresh, and there's no shortage of guests here, but even they can't salvage the record's déjà vu feeling. It's not easy criticizing
Malpractice, since it is a relatively strong album with some nice moments such as the lead single, "Let's Get Dirty." But being
Redman's fifth solo album, you expect a little more growth; instead you get what feels like a repeat performance. [This album was also released in a clean version that censors any moments of profanity.] ~ Jason Birchmeier