MC Eiht was tearing up the West Coast long before The Game knew how to say "Dr. Dre." The veteran emcee has been making albums since the 80's and hasn't stopped since. With time, some emcees gain momentum, improve and learn how to adapt to the audience's changing tastes. Others do like athletes and deteriorate with age. Luckily, Eiht hasn't completely deteriorated but sadly, this album isn't exactly showing signs of growth either.

Born Aaron Tyler, he gained his notoriety as the front man of Compton's Most Wanted; a group that made some of the dopest music on the West Coast in the early 90's only to be overshadowed NWA and later Death Row. "Representin'" shows Eiht keeping with his gangsta roots. Mostly, the production is the same, with all tracks featuring some sort of West Coast feel. "Livin' Like Gangstas" shows off the typical Westside keys combined with a vicious bump. Scratches also enhance the tracks by adding vocals from Busta Rhymes and the Beastie Boys. But beats aren't enough to save an album.

Lyrically, the man's still a G. Weaving through stories about a gangster's lifestyle and booty lovin' enthusiasm, Eiht falters by sticking to the same old songs. Hood Certified? "This is Compton." Cash lovin' track? "Get Money." Drug-Trafficking? "Slang my Keys." The drug/money/hoes stuff gets old, and at 40, a different kind of growth should be expected.

Tracks like "What You Like it Like" and "Them Niggaz" display this lack of growth quite well. It's sad to see some weak punch lines from Eiht as well.

"Cram like Golden Graham" - "100%"

"All in together now, like Limp Bizkit."- "Representin'"

Those lines are enough to make anyone question whether his time has passed. Still, he manages to create something better with "Then U Gone" as he shares words of wisdom with the youth of today and plans for a brighter tomorrow. "All Around the Hood" also gives us more talented offerings from DJ Quik's old rival. I can't help but think that these are the types of songs Eiht should be leaning towards 20 years into his career and fully exhausting anything he can possibly say at this point about his life as a gangbanger.

I'm not going to fault his to sticking to his guns, but I will fault him for failing to come close to the rhymes he spit on album's like "Straight Check'n Em" and "We Come Strapped." It's great to hear the West Coast legend, but it's hurtful to see him rhyme in this unimaginative, cliché manner over largely average production. While Representin' a slew of folks in the community, he also let some down with this release.