In the early 90's, hip hop was aggressive and in your face. This collaborated with mainstream appeal of gansta rap. One of the pioneers of this aggressive genre would be the group called ONYX. This intense trio, introduced the urban world to gritty lyricists named Fredro Starr. Firestarr is the debut release of this rapper turned actor.

For you listeners of sentimental and conscious hip hop acts like Common and Black Eyed Peas take a step back and remove Firestarr from your listening ear. Starr's new album does not abandon the Onyx blueprint which entertained audiences and listeners across the nation. Lyrically raw and thugged out vocals are his selling power and forte. This album is definitely an extension of the onyx era and mass underground appeal. The only distinguishing factor is the progression of Starr's new vocal onslaught.

Firestarr is highlighted by the controversial thought provoking anthem called What If, where this mic wizard displays his enhanced vocal style. This clever track is a potential classic and it is definitely holding weight. Breathtaking lines like Yo, what if Pac was still thuggin/ What if he was alive/ Would all these niggas still be screaming out / Ride or Die? . What if Eninem was Black/ Would he have sold five mil / or would he be one out of five million rappers with no deal. The other notable cut would be Perfect Bitch where the Starr indulges in an untouched novelty, by lyrically constructing his own tenderroni. The sleeper track of his debut would be Shining Through which features the sultry background vocals of SUNSHINE.

Some of negative aspects to Fredro Starr's debut would be that the collabos are inconsistent and fall short from captivating the embodiment of the album. Polished Stars like Cuban Link, Capone-N-Noreaga and Ice-T only cause confusion to Firestarr. The musical production on cuts like Soldier and I Don't Wanna are not up to par and are puzzling edition to otherwise decent album.

Firestarr will make you reminiscence on the glory days of intense straight up hip hop that was representing the streets and the underground radio. Fredro Starr has definitely made a positive transition from movies, to sitcoms and back to the hip hop game. However, his maturity would be the obvious key for his future success in the rap game.

In the early 90's, hip hop was aggressive and in your face. This collaborated with mainstream appeal of gansta rap. One of the pioneers of this aggressive genre would be the group called ONYX. This intense trio, introduced the urban world to gritty lyricists named Fredro Starr. Firestarr is the debut release of this rapper turned actor. Continued on page 2 »