Big Shug

With the pugilistic overtones of the album’s title it’s not hard to guess what to expect on Big Shug’s sophomore album. Having been a veteran member of the Gang Starr Foundation, Shug could always be counted on to deliver an occasional hard-hitting verse on a Gang Starr posse track. But his solo debut, Who’s Hard?, confirmed the suspicions that Shug was best digested in small doses. Unfortunately, Streetchamp does little to dissuade that opinion. Big Shug’s rudimentary rhyme delivery and limited subject matter mean the attention span wanders quickly and tracks like "Warpath,” featuring one-to-watch MC Termanology, only serve to underline his underwhelming mic presence. Big Shug’s efforts to change things up with his excruciatingly corny singing interludes fall embarrassingly flat. Even with Brampton, ON’s MoSS acquitting himself admirably as the main producer, with his foreboding, gritty sound, alongside the legendary DJ Premier, any dopeness on this album surfaces despite the involvement of Big Shug, unfortunately meeting expectations.