Perfect Timing (Edited)

Chicago hip-hip duo Boo & Gotti have shown their skills on other artists' records for some time now. Big playas like R. Kelly, Jermaine Dupri, Ja Rule and the Big Tymers, to name a few, have seen the benefit of getting the highly talented twosome to rap on their records. Three years of highly successful collaborations have spawned the oft-asked question: "Hey, when are you guys gonna put out your own record?" The answer was always, "When the time is right." Well, titled Perfect Timing for that very reason, here's the much-anticipated debut album for Boo & Gotti. And, it is, in a word, outstanding.

These guys know their way around rap, and this record is an unusual confluence of styles -- East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South -- that finishes up being something entirely fresh and completely unique. Easy grooves and tough raps along with rhythmic flows and rock-steady beats. This one's got it all covered.

It all comes together on cuts like "Chi-Town," a tribute to B&G's home town. Featuring guests Tateeze and Mannie Fresh, it's a sexy boy-girl-vocal number with a choppy beat, brass bleats, soul keys and whipping synth. An easy dance joint with a distinctive flavor. In a similar vein, the lead single, "Ain't It Man" (featuring Lil Wayne), is a cool groove with a sing-speak flow matched up with straight rapping. The title is Chicago-rap slang and Lil Wayne hooks on it in a big way each time the chorus comes around.

"Dear Ghetto" (featuring fellow Chicago native R. Kelly) brings together gritty subject matter and Kelly's R&B croon to stunning effect. The lyrics are in the form of a letter from heaven, calling on friends in the 'hood to hang tough no matter how hard things get. The guys switch tracks for "Baby Girl" (featuring TQ), a club-R&B-rap-pop-Latin mix! It's all swirled together in a perfect, radio-ready brew in which the soft acoustic guitar and falsetto harmonies stand out. They head south of the border again for "Girls Be Trippin'" (featuring Gilly), rhyming over an accentuated beat and flamenco guitar. But for the pure street stuff, check out "Gangsta," which is everything the title suggests and rolls along like a lowrider over a thumpin' bassline.

Boo & Gotti have indeed timed their debut album perfectly. They've honed their chops and got their own thing happening -- in other words, they got game. You have to hear this one: it's one of 2003's best rap discs.

By Adrian Zupp