Jermaine Dupri presents:
Young, Fly and Flash vol.1

Release Date: 19 July 2005

Reviewed By: Arif Amin

1. I'm Hot

2. Gotta Getcha

3. Kodak Moment

4. I Think They Like Me

5. So What - ft Young Capone

6. Throw'd Off - ft T Waters

7. Just To Fight

8. Grown Man

9. 10 Toes

10. Put Cha Hands Up - ft T Rock

11. Young, Fly & Flashy - ft Young Capone

12. Throw'd Off (Multimedia track)

The Game - The Documentary
Read Review

He has been in the game for a long time, so long that he even guided Kris Kross to go platinum not once but four times! I only need to mention his initials J.D. for you to recognise him by now. Yeah… I’m talking about the Atlanta based rapper/producer/songwriter/record mogul Jermaine Dupri.

So with such a respectable title, does the self-proclaimed ‘biggest baller in the game’ deliver on ‘Young, Fly And Flashy Vol. 1.’? To be honest, this album is a big disappointment from JD, especially after the hot ‘Instructions’ back in 2001.

‘Young, Fly and Flashy’ begins with ‘I’m Hot’ with Young Capone and proves to be a good starter, with a beat so hot that you would accept the hype surrounding Dupri without questioning it. ‘Gotta Getcha’ is the first to be given a video off this album, and the video is as heavy as the track - the way it’s been going down in the clubs speaks volumes in itself. With ‘Kodak Moment’ following, you probably think that you’ve purchased the hottest car joint of the year, as every artist on ‘Kodak Moment’ tears down each verse to their optimum; it’s to no surprise they had to do the remix. This version features the talents of Bun B, Kavious and Pastor Troy.

However it is after this that the album starts to slip. ‘I Think They Like Me’ with Dem Franchise Boyz has a whole feel to it that Young Gunz pulled off on ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop’, but the beat on this just doesn’t seem to be in sync with the artists’ styles, despite throwing Da Brat, Bow Wow, Kid Slim and even Dupri himself to spit on it.

The album’s production does not disappoint; however, getting half way into the album, the beats start to strain and become repetitive. Even when T. Waters does his verses on ‘Throw’d Off’ to a Timbaland-like beat, the lyrics fall short on quality. On top of that, Catos drops a poor chorus on ‘So What’ with rookie lyrics such as, “You thought you did somethin’/ You did nothin’” constantly repeating, shadowing the album.

Females Miss B and Torica also appear on the tracklisting, but can the ladies pick this album up on ‘Grown Man’? The whole style of their rhyming and vocals is good, adding a touch of variety, but in parts the song falls into the trap of novice lyrics, which frankly could have been written by a 6-year-old girl trying to get into the game!

Coming to the end of a short album, you’d think J-Kwon, Daz and Anger Management support act Stat Quo could collaborate to put a twist on this disc and produce a spectacular ending to this album, but I guess at this stage it’s maybe asking a bit too much, with the hook on this song being, “10 toes/ 10 toes/ 10 toes on these hoes’” – a prime example of the lack of innovation on this album.

So where did this album go wrong with such a good predecessor in ‘Instructions’? In my eyes, it’s completely to do with the consistently poor lyrics and the reliance on a good beat for every track on this album. Featured artists drop verses below standard, which was not the case on ‘Instructions’ where artists such as Usher and Ludacris changed the album just like they did for Lil’ Jon on ‘Crunk Juice’. Also the lack of Nate Dogg explains why ‘Instructions’ had better choruses, as Nate has always been consistent in flow. Jadakiss’ absence is also felt on ‘Young, Fly and Flashy’, as he always comes up with breath-taking verses like on ‘Hate Blood’ from the previous album, which also featured ‘World Is Yours Mine’ with Jagged Edge, which brought talent and soul into tracks, all which are needed make this tragic album a hit.

Rating 1.5 out of 5

10) Put Cha Hands Up
8) Grown Man
1) I’m Hot

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z