Artist: Yung WunTitle: The Dirtiest ThirstiestRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Shawn Lawrence James
For the better part of 2004, Hip-hop broadcasted its current object of infatuation, Altanta as the synth heavy alternative to the beef oriented platters served from virtually every other region. Boasting multi-platinum big wigs such as Lil Jon and the Eastsideboyz and Ludacris whom of which soldiered the movement, their upbeat brand of Rap has helped them introduce a new epicenter where hit records originate and continue to dominate radio waves and pop charts alike nationwide. Ironically in the nick of time, the fine folks at Full Surface finally decided to release Yung Wun’s long-awaited debut The Dirtiest Thirstiest (Full Surface/J Records). Instead of riding the wave and enlisting crunk councilmen Lil’ Jon and Jazze Pha to man the boards, Yung opted to play it safe and fuse the majority of his slum-italic lyrics with the up-tempo bounce of his mentor and Full Surface general Swizz Beatz. The result: a 12 track collection of violence, poverty, club hopping, and imagination as a universal attempt to achieve the same love as his A-Town comrades.
Listening to this LP is like anticipating the detonation of an emotional time bomb. He opens the album with the solemn “I Cant’ Take It No More”. He compliments the groggy synth and buzzing guitar riffs and uses his raw brand of lyrics like gloves to a punching bag. He steams his frustration with lines like, “Its been 8 years, 5 months, 6 days and 9 hours/ I’ve been in and out of studios and I’m just coming out?/What type of s### is that?…” He quickly alleviates the tension on the cut-and-paste made-for-radio banger “I Tried To Tell Ya”. But that’s as far as he goes. He seems to lean more on the bleak compositions of his former environment. On “Sad Song” he uses his razor-like vocals to carve out a track that is outlined by a mid pace nod that’s occasionally sprinkled by a light piano loop. This track is a standout because it doesn’t rely on cliché one liners and actually has him in his purest form, spitting “Every ghetto has a sad song” while getting into the particulars of his.
This review is certainly not complete without noting the album’s fair share of missteps. On the dry “Yung Wun Anthem” he comes off extremely plain as to the instrumental whose funky horns sounds like a cartoons. He adds insult to injury by lacing the song with unimaginable lines like: “Yung come through with 100 guns” The same goes for tracks like “Starvin & Robbin” and “Let It Bump”
Though he is a MC with a load of potential, The Dirtiest Thirstiest lacks that persistent punch of lyricism that would have otherwise garnered him a higher rating. He did plaster through some good songs for radio (“Walk Like It, Talk Like It” Featuring DMX, Lil Flip & David Banner, “Cadillac Doors”) and some street gems (“One More Day In The Hood” Featuring Cassidy, “Load ‘Em Up”) to content the average listener.