Very Best of B.W. Stevenson

If hip-hop were to draw a line between East and West, it'd have to be the Mississippi River. Site of all kinds of action, from St. Louis (Nelly, St. Lunatics) to New Orleans (Master P's No Limit), the Big Muddy acts as a kind of catalyst for a new kind of rap. Call it The Dirty Middle. And smack in between lies Memphis, home of the Hypnotize Camp Posse.

Led by the crew that is Three 6 Mafia, Hypnotize Camp now delivers Project Pat, whose latest regional salvo - Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin' - bodes well for their bid to make Memphis a mecca for hip-hop.

Most notably featured in Triple 6 Mafia's "Sippin' On Some Syrup" (When the Smoke Clears), Project Pat is no rookie to the game, and this his third lp, proves he's no mere Triple 6 knock-off either.

Mista Don't Play kicks off with "Chickenhead," a laid-back, give-and-take between Pat and La Chat. The song, which aims to be a Southern rap update of Otis Redding and Carla Thomas' "Tramp," is a comic attitudinal adjustment for every person - boy or girl - who ever thought they were all that. More, it's a supreme example of Project Pat's self-assurance, a quiet confidence that marks each and every track.

Protectionist politics are the subject of "If You Ain't From My Hood," another example of Pat's prowess. Unilaterally committed to his 'hood - in this case North Memphis' Whitehaven (nee Blackhaven) - Pat is suspicious of newcomers, be they a potential snitch from the 'burbs or a rival from another part of town. Either way, their appearance on the scene is seldom seen as a good thing.

Mista's second single, "Don't Save Her," (with 3-6's Crunchy Black) bumps up the beat a bit and pounds down the truth. A cautionary tale that argues against the intervention by others in the life of a wayward woman, Pat counsels the men to steer clear of the obvious hazards.

Project Pat claims to have been inspired by the storytelling tactics of Scarface - and undoubtedly the street lit of Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines - and nowhere is this more in evidence than in tracks like "Gorilla Pimp" and "Life We Live." In fact "Pimp," all '70s rock and roll chorus and dark side imagery over a no-nonsense this-is-how-it-is could've come straight out of an Iceberg novel. While "Life," less about swagger than harsh reality, is a kinda new urban Alex Haley (another Memphis native) roots progression.

It's only fitting that the town that brought the world Piggly Wiggly, Stax Records, some cat called Elvis, and - arguably - the blues (check W.C. Handy's 1909 classic "Memphis Blues"), would deliver an act as conveniently here for the long haul as Project Pat. And with the backing of Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul and Juicy "J" (the producers), this'll be an exceptional chapter in M-town history.

By John Hood