Fans of Big Shug's music shouldn't expect any unwarranted surprises here. This album is the soundtrack for back alleys, city dwellers rocking beaten down Carrhart jackets and unlaced timbs and those dirty project hallways engulfed in thick weed smoke throughout the NYC. It's a point made crystal clear with "Legbreakers," a menacing posse cut with the raspy voiced Big Twins of Infamous Mobb and the always stellar Sean Price. They team up to declare that they will throw you in the ocean, smash up your furniture, definitely whup yo' ass and of course...break your legs if you don't have their money...pronto! "Spitfire" finds Shug sharing mic time with Dre Robinson and Singapore Kane over extremely ominous pianos as they break down the ways the bring the 'heat' verbally, mentally and physically. Truth be told, Shug may not be the most skilled lyricist in the world, but what he lacks in technical dexterity, he more than makes up in sincerity, authenticity and passion, making most of his verses on this record a dope listen. Of course DJ Premier handing your production on a track or two doesn't hurt either and when the legendary producer and his longtime running mate get together, the results are magical. "Play It" is a prime example of that, with Shug addressing radio play imbalance with some fiery verses and yes...some decent crooning to boot over Primo's gorgeous string samples. Other examples reach even greater levels of insanity with "It Just Don't Stop" and the banging "Street Move."

However, over the course of 18 tracks some hiccups on this LP begin to appear. When doing duets on Street Champ, Shug seems more invigorated and focused in his delivery but he is often outclassed by his collaborators, case in point is "Warpath" where Shug definitely comes off, but not nearly as much as guest rapper Termanology (a.k.a. Mr 'Way too dope to be still unsigned!!!') who once again 'bodies' the living daylights out of a certified street joint. When left to carry the track on his own the quality in Shug's obvious skills are somewhat inconsistent. Then there's the fact that Premier's work is only relegated to three songs as opposed to the 9 contributions on Shug's debut, leaving the bulk of production duties to Moss. Being the gifted producer on the rise that he is, Moss should've taken this opportunity and used it to his advantage but instead he gives Shug a B minus effort instead of coming with his A game behind the boards, with the exception of "Warpath." The biggest culprit has to be the aforementioned "Exposed," a song that suffers with a semi-decent groove and a lazy chorus.

In the end Street Champ is a lot better that the insipid garbage being mistaken for hip hop nowadays and definitely deserves attention and support for being a good album. At the same time Street Champ only hints at what great NYC Hip Hop can be and it's far from being the street centered masterpiece Daily Operation, Lifestyles ov da Poor and Infamous or Ready to Die was. Let's hope that Big Shug continues to develop and maximize his potential for his third salvo.