Amid the break in Dipset, cult leader Jim Jones stepped up unscathed with a well received solo album and a debut from his new crew Bryd Gang entitled M.O.B The Album (Asylum). Byrd Gang attempts to fill the shoes of Dipset in their prime, with their easygoing hustler swag and cocky bravado that Jimmy brought from Harlem to the rest of the world.

The first single, “S.P.L.A.S.H” encapsulates the crew’s uptown braggadocio. Jim spits: “Blackberry messages new Ferrari jus speeding just thinking ‘bout / All the f***ing bread I get / Goddamn my arm froze / Slammin’ them Bentley doors is all a young ni*** knows.”  The beat is bouncy with bold trumpets that give the song a big attention grabbing sound, which is fitting for the title’s acronym: Swagg Personifies Lavish Arrogant Sheik Hustlers.

This is a bittersweet effort after the death of Stack Bundles, the superstar of the group, who was killed last summer. Stacks is featured on two cuts and mostly likely would have been on all the tracks if it wasn’t for his tragic death. On “Only 17” Stacks rhymes, “A good hooptie / Tints on the V / Stash in the whip it ain’t easy being G / At the light keep the car at an angle / Roll up too fast I’m nervous I might bang you / And I know it can happen to me / But I’m a keep being a G until it happen to me.

NOE the newest member to join after Stack’s passing stands out on his verses, though he’s a good mc, not because out his prolific lyricism.  He sounds just like Jay-Z. He’s not mimicking Jay’s style, he simply sounds identically like him: the alto voice, inflections, accent. The resemblance is uncanny and ironic given Jim and Jay’s prior disagreements.

All the members of Byrd gang can hold their own at every turn. From Chink Santana’s southern drawl to Mel Matrix’s dirty, gritty delivery, Jim Jones’ newest outfit doesn’t fall short on talent.  Despite a few flaws, like the computer blips and buzzes that make up the “Throwing Bg’s” beat or the 10 minute long “She’s So Gangsta” that goes from thug love song to bad 90’s R&B, M.O.B will get plenty of play in the ride. It’s full of the quirky hood talk that made Dipset famous and has a couple singles that can usher Byrd Gang into mainstream territory.