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 crews uptown braggadocio. Jim spits: Blackberry messages new Ferrari jus speeding just thinking bout / All the f***ing bread I get / G###### 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 titles 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 wasnt for his tragic death. On Only 17 Stacks rhymes, A good hooptie / Tints on the V / Stash in the whip it aint easy being G / At the light keep the car at an angle / Roll up too fast Im nervous I might bang you / And I know it can happen to me / But Im a keep being a G until it happen to me.
NOE the newest member to join after Stacks passing stands out on his verses, though hes a good mc, not because out his prolific lyricism. He sounds just like Jay-Z. Hes not mimicking Jays style, he simply sounds identically like him: the alto voice, inflections, accent. The resemblance is uncanny and ironic given Jim and Jays prior disagreements.
All the members of Byrd gang can hold their own at every turn. From C#### Santanas southern drawl to Mel Matrixs dirty, gritty delivery, Jim Jones newest outfit doesnt fall short on talent. Despite a few flaws, like the computer blips and buzzes that make up the Throwing Bgs beat or the 10 minute long Shes So Gangsta that goes from thug love song to bad 90s R&B, M.O.B will get plenty of play in the ride. Its full of the quirky hood talk that made Dipset famous and has a couple singles that can usher Byrd Gang into mainstream territory.