This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
J-Kwon opens the track "Welcome to tha Hood" with the declaration "I ain't tryin' to change hip-hop." That may be true, but the 17-year-old rapper certainly knows how to start a party; with a crackling drawl uniquely his own, he connects right out of the box with the infectious top-10 crossover smash "Tipsy." That track unquestionably owes a considerable debt to the swirling production of the Trackboyz, but it's J-Kwon's unusual perspective and boundless energy that propels the club hit.
While many rappers can claim street cred, J-Kwon actually lived on the streets since he was 12 years old, a hustler's existence that permeates his debut record, HOOD HOP. The title track, "U Ain't Gotta Like Me," and the aforementioned "Welcome to tha Hood" display rapid-fire wit, fierce bravado, and a certain wisdom beyond his years, as he chronicles an alluring yet randomly violent world. The St. Louis native also reveals a knack for slurred, sinister dance-rap as evidenced on "Show Your Ass." A potent introduction to the promising rapper, HOOD HOP is payoff for J-Kwon's hard-lived early days.
