These R The Tales

*These R the Tales* feels a bit like a collection of odds and ends — especially following the highly focused *Daiquiri Factory* — but it nonetheless offers a number of Nickatina classics. The title song, replete with the circus-like undertones so beloved by the rapper, is a continuation of the legendary “Freaky Tales,” the epic song by Nickatina role model Too Short. Nickatina’s take brings the theme to outlandishly goofy heights, with names like Chamere, Sable, Dallion and Tessy. Other standouts include “CherryBananaPumpkinPie” and “Sey Hey,” both of which highlight the rapper’s formidable fast-rap skills. It wouldn’t be a Nickatina album if he wasn’t digging some new sonic territory. This time it’s the lo-fi Jamaican rhythms of “Rose” and “Saw a Gangsta Cry.” As hunchbacked as his reggae interpretations are, there is something about these rhythms that brings out the emotion in the rapper. Both songs are poignant, and the breakup detailed in “Rose” is arguably Nickatina’s most vulnerable moment on record.