Obie Trice, another of Eminems cred-building street rappers, debuts with a solid album. Cheers has a few mediocre songs, but the only track that really deserves outright cutting is the painfully generic and melodramatic "Never Forget Ya, which also fulfils the requirements for requisite thug love track. "Follow My Life has great potential but the beat falls flat by one dimension, and "Hands on You is a simple beat thats only saved by the beat box. When it comes to production, all of the contributors are hit-and-miss, but more Timbaland ("Bad Bitch) wouldnt have been a bad idea. A few of Eminems beats are derivative, but "Got Some Teeth, "We All Die One Day, and "Outro are inspired. Dres "The Set Up and "Shit Hits the Fan, as well as Emiles "Hoodrats, are also standouts. The guests are strong, and even Bizarres simple audacity is endearing. To top it all off, Eminem channels some Slim Shady. Unfortunately, occasionally Obies flow is uncomfortably similar to Ems, especially on "Lady. Plus we shouldnt forget the plethora of disses to Jah Rule from almost everyone on the album: Obie, Dre, Em and D-12. Cheers isnt a standout album, but its certainly no black mark against the Shady empire.
(Universal)Obie Trice
Cheers
BY Thomas QuinlanPublished Nov 1, 2003