Revenue Retrievin: Day Shift & Night Shift (The 42 Trax Deluxe Pack)

To celebrate his emancipation from the major-label system, E-40 released two albums simultaneously, comprising an astonishing total of 42 songs. The volume of material on the pair of *Revenue Retrievin’* albums speaks to 40’s stamina and creative drive, but the consistency is what makes him an enduring artist. The unifying principle of these 42 tracks is bass — thunderous, unrelenting, magnificent bass. In the mid-‘90s E-40 was one of the primary architects of a Bay Area gangster-rap phenomenon known as “mob music,” and here he revives the bare-bones ferocity of that genre. The pairing of a sparse, stomping beat with 40’s twisty, unpredictable rhymes remains one of the great combinations in hip-hop culture. 40 gives guest spots to damn near all of the great Bay Area rappers, and the production duties are split between older masters — mainly the estimable Rick Rock — and a crop of younger beat makers that includes JHawk, Young L, and 40’s son Droop-E. *Revenue Retrievin’* is one big smorgasbord of goodness. Jump in anywhere and enjoy — just make sure you play it loud, preferably in a moving car.