Trip'n 4 Life

A member of J Stalin\'s LiveWire crew, Philthy Rich is a young but fast-rising Bay Area rapper who spits pretty much exclusively about murder, mayhem, and drug dealing, and apparently has the street credentials to back it up (he was featured on the Discovery Channel\'s *Gang Wars: Oakland*. Though his subject matter is admittedly limited, the combination of his rough-around-the-edges flow and hyper-visual lyricism makes for some great songs. The 18 tracks here range from felonious bravado to surprisingly sensitive tales of never-ending struggle and love for all his dead family and friends. The production throughout is appropriately Bay-centric, with ample slap and lots of percolating keys, plus solid guest appearances by the usual suspects: J Stalin, Lil Blood, Lil Kev, etc. A strong follow-up to his debut album *Funk Or Die*, *Trip\'n 4 Life* finds Philthy maturing as an MC while still staying true to the streets.