by M.F. DiBella
The Philly native and Southern California transplant's second solo venture minus Daz Dillinger (though Daz supplies production and makes a few lyrical appearances) is hardcore West Coast rap dripping with funk and violence. Kurupt, a truly talented and versatile lyricist who appeared on Pete Rock's Soul Survivor, prefers to downplay his wordplay in favor of confrontational flows on Streetz Iz a Mutha. This is an angry and somewhat controversial record, mainly on the strength of the damning &Calling Out Names.& Streetz represents true new-wave SoCal gangsta rap. Daz drops a few LBC funk tracks, namely &Your Gyrlfriend& and the title cut. Dr. Dre provides a signature track and guest emcees on the laid-back &Ho's a Housewife.& A philharmonic track provided by Bink Dawg lights up &Trylogy,& and Kurupt teams up with the legendary Blastmaster KRS to show his more abstract side on &Live on the Mic.& Production is slack in places, and those looking for anything but hardcore may be a little disappointed. This is a very listenable joint, swelling with an updated G-funk sound, but the lyrical content is not for the faint of heart. A veritable who's who of West Coast rappers make guest appearances, including Jayo Felony, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Xzibit, Warren G, Dr. Dre, T-Mo from Goodie Mob, and KRS-One. Fans of Tha Dogg Pound and L.A. hardcore will definitely dig this. Unspectacular but solid, this was part of a late-1999 West Coast revival.