Jeru the Damaja

Produced entirely by DJ Premier, Jeru's sophomore LP finds the intellectual Brooklyn emcee spouting wisdom over an array of mellow samples and neck-snapping beats. While not an instant classic like his debut, this album still sports plenty of dope tracks. Check out "Whatever," "One Day," and the hit single "Ya Playin' Yaself."

No metaphor, fantasy, or conspiracy theories--just straight postgangsta dope ("Tha Frustrated N*gg*," "Tha Bullsh*t") (Grade - *)