C-Murder:
The Truest S**t I Ever Said

Release Date: 22 March 2005

Reviewed By: Usman Sajjad

1. Intro

2. My Life

3. Skit

4. Stressin'

5. Won't Let Me Out

6. Husta's Wife - ft, Junie Bezel

7. Holla @ Me

8. Skit

9. Y'all Heard Of Me - ft, BG

10. Betta Watch Me

11. Did U Hold It Down - ft, Bass Heavy

12. I Heard U Was Lookin' 4 Me

13. Back Up

14. Camouflage & Murder

15. Started Small Time

16. Mama How You Figure

Beanie Sigel - The B Coming
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It may seem disturbing to even a rap star to go from waking up in a large king-sized bed with the women of your dreams one month, to an early rise in a jail bed the next month. C-Murder’s questionable murder conviction still seems to hang over his head, and the New Orleans rapper, along with Shyne and many others, had to make a transition from living in mansions to jail cells quickly.

C-Murder first burst onto the hip hop scene as a member of TRU, a trio super-group that also featured his brothers Master P and Silkk The Shocker. In the spring of 1998, he finally released his solo debut, ‘Life or Death’. In 2000, C-Murder reached superstar status, first with his appearance in the 504 Boyz smash hit, ‘Wobble Wobble’; then with his third and most successful album yet, ‘Trapped In Crime’, propelled by the commercial success of its C-Murder/Snoop Dogg/Magic collaboration, ‘Down for My N's’. His 2000 release, ‘Tru Dawgs’, was preceded by tragedy when C-Murder was arrested and sentenced in a controversial nightclub shooting. "This record is real street; I'm kickin' it back to the streets. It's about the trials and tribulations of my life. People will be able to relate to it" – that’s what the record represents according to the incarcerated rapper. ‘The Truest Sh*t I Ever Said’, which features Corey Miller apparently using vocals recorded off a Dictaphone, features appearances from Capone, Soulja Slim, Akon, B.G. and many more.

This release is almost crafted into a dark chapter of a novel, detailing about a character who may never step out of prison again. Judging from the seriousness and length of the bid he is serving, things do not look too good for the New Orleans rap star. The album features the first single off the album and a highlight, ‘Y’all Heard Of Me’, in which both C-Murder and B.G. rap toe to toe over a Southern feeling beat, reminiscent of the tracks No Limit was pushing around on the underground scene in the early 90s. With his deep, monotonous voice, C-Murder reluctantly details the listener about his past activities: “I sold rocks/ Robbed blocks/ Murked clowns and done time/ I’m a full boy/ I’m willing to die for mine.” An assist from the late Soulja Slim on ‘Holla @ Me’ sees Murder’s deep voice ride the beat perfectly. However, on ‘I Heard U Was Looking For Me’, an awful beat and a lackluster flow from C-Murder leaves a really sour taste in the mouth. Things go from bad to worse, with Murder’s apathetic flow and poor timing to a beat on ‘Back Up’ make the track easy to skip.

Murder’s album shows great similarity to that of Shyne’s release, ‘The Godfather Buried Alive’, released on Def Jam last year. However, the more current nature of the content on this album gets across C-Murder’s thoughts. On ‘Stressin’, we see a former street ‘hustla’ watching his back, whilst his performance on ‘Mama How You Figure’ fails to attract anything special. Miller dedicates ‘Hustla’s Wife’ to his girl over Southern keyboard synth sounds through the track.

From the release, the C-Murder we heard a few years ago while on top of Southern rap seems to have disappeared into the night, and his jail sentence is evidently lowering his lyrical fire. However, with the album possessing under-par production and signs of the release being extremely rushed, ‘The Truest Sh*t I Ever Said’ falls into the same trap as Shyne Po’s second release did released in 2004. His intention to switch to a mood of trying to break free and watching his back seem to disadvantage the Southern rapper, as more focus should be put on his lyrics and beats if he’s looking to strengthen his career whilst inside. Let’s hope Lil’ Kim does not repeat these mistakes if she releases an album while serving a possible prison sentence.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Top 3 Tracks
9. Y’all Heard Of Me featuring B.G.
7. Holla @ Me featuring Soulja Slim
6. Hustla’s Wife

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