Hell Rell

In 2004, Hell Rell was released from the Clinton Correctional Facility and one listen to New Gun in Town is proof that the American penal system is a failure. Rell is an encyclopaedia of gun knowledge; his favourite gun is a Ruger, as told on "Rugers in the Trunk” and many other tracks. In one skit, Rell asks his homie if he’d kill for him, and homie says, "On my mama!” That’s pretty much the gist of this CD. As a Dipset member, his creative violence puts most Diplomats to shame. For a perfunctory mix-tape, there’s no doubt that his debut album will thrive in the gangster rap world. On "Bloody Money,” he spits, "What you want man?/I’m not the front man/I’m the man that’s frontin’ the front man.” On "Young Gifted and Strapped,” he raps to a victim, "You screaming that Jesus shit/Where’s your bible now?” And this goes on for 18 tracks. If you really want something that appeals to your id, this is the album for you, but even N.W.A. recorded "Express Yourself” to switch things up. Rell is so enamoured by black steel that he comes off as asexual.