For the vast majority the name will be foreign, but Rack Lo is by no means a newcomer to the rap game. For the last couple of years his Lo Life crewmate Thirsten Howl III has been shaking up a storm in the underground, with Rack Lo causing a bit of a stir of his own with his first album Thou Shalt Not Steal. Now with his sophomore release, Rack Lauren, is aiming to establish more of a name for himself.

By the sounds of it he should be able to do just that, his lyrics are solid throughout. If one were to have any misgivings about Rack Lauren it would only be with regard to the lack of consistency in production; however, this is not to say that there aren't tracks that hit the mark, some most definitely do. The most commercially viable of these is the melodic Love Iz Love, which arguably, features the tightest lyrics on the album. Rarely does an emcee sound as sincere as Rack Lo does here; but then again the topic is a wife that he obviously loves. This should not lead one to believe that Rack Lo is an overly sentimental, mushy kind of guy, indeed he is not with numerous tracks dedicated to everything from shoplifting to hustling.

Hustlah, is a song that grows upon the listener more and more each time that it's played, with most thanks due to the intriguing bassline. Merk is a humorous tale of escaping from sticky situations and features the best chorus on the album. Da Consti2tion, one of many politically motivated tracks will please, as well as Bad Habitz/Bad Lukk.

The main failings here come in the form of the lackluster trio, If It's Money Outside, Places To Go People To See, and Clash Of Da Titans. Rack Lo still has some way to go with putting out a more polished product, but overall this is a very solid effort. Even the skits are somewhat entertaining.