Stack$ – Crazee N Confused (CD)

Individuals may know Stack$ as the owner of Sobe Entertainment (the label that released “Crazee N Confused”), along with releases by Brooke Hogan and signing luminaries such as Jah Cure. Bouncing back from a June injury that could have left eir dead, Stack$ looks to reach an entirely new plateau with “Crazee N Confused”. Where a number of newer rappers’ releases are ignored by the mainstream because they do not have enough in the way of “name power”, “Crazee N Confused” includes collaborations with Fat Joe, Beenie Man, Swizz Beats, and Lil Wayne. “I’m Ripped” is one of the more solid tracks on “Crazee N Confused”, leading from a skit-styled introduction into a groove that blends together the best parts of acts and rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube into a package that can be appreciated equally by the older and younger set.

There is a little grittiness present to “I’m Ripped” that meshes perfectly with the funky backdrop that is present during the track. “In My Zone” is another stellar track on “Crazee N Confused”, giving listeners a little bit of a reggae influence to the touch-guy image that is portrayed throughout the album. The lighter/harder elements touched during the track are more than enough to get a wide array of listeners tuned into “Crazee N Confused”, and ensures that they will stick to the album until the last strains of “Thank You..” wrap things up. The effort by Stack$ eirself is strong enough, but the same thing holds true for “Crazee N Confused” that holds true for countless other rapper albums – there are a few tracks here that should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Note well that this does not mean that these efforts were weak, but rather that the resulting album would have been that much stronger and more cohesive if three or four of these cuts were reserved for bonus tracks on a greatest hits or similar type of release. However, in a time where one cannot change the station and not here Lil Wayne, Akon, or Young Jeezy, Stack$ is a breath of fresh aid, and hopefully can continue to be in the months and years that follow.

Top Tracks: I’m Addicted, Move Over

Rating: 7.7/10

Stack$ – Crazee N Confused / 2008 Sobe / 15 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/stacksmusic /