The club hit can be deemed a gift or a curse. It can be deemed a gift because it gives massive exposure to the particular artist. It can be a curse because the expectations are going to be set high for said artist to deliver a product that is up to par. D4L member and CEO Shawty Lo finds himself in that very same predicament. The single “Dey Know” has been a certified hit in the streets and clubs alike. Unfortunately, in terms of his entire product, Units In The City (Asylum) is an album filled with less than mediocre tracks, and with one hit cursed to be his memory.
The album starts off with the decent intro with the track “100,000.” The clunky piano and the snap drums give you the impression that this album has the potential of a banger. This leads into “Dey Know” and the momentum has hit a fever pitch. As soon as the song ends, the album begins to fail. Lyrically Lo won’t win many points based on originality. Even though his flow bares a clear similarity to Young Jeezy, he tries his best T.I. impression on “GA Lotto” which comes off as a bootleg version of “Rubberband Man.”
There aren’t enough words to describe the mediocrity of the rest of the songs on this album, but there are even a few that stand out as the worst of the worst. “Let’s Get It” is extremely redundant and lazy. “That’s Shawty Lo” is a song that makes you want to forget you own this disc. The children singing the hook only compliment the fact that Lo’s entire approach to his debut is elementary. “Got ‘Em 4 The Lo” may just be the worst production on this entire album, and that’s quite an achievement. It sounds as if the beat maker just sat with Fruity Loops that day and decided to become a producer.
This album has one hit wonder stamped all over it. Units In The City starts pretty well and then falls apart in the worst way. It features weak, simplistic production mixed with uninspired lyrics, and as it stands, it just adds up to a bad album. Do not let the single fool you into believing that this is a sixty minute party, when in reality it is a six minute disappointment.
Shawty Lo
“Dey Know”
Shawty Lo
“GA Lotto”
