Sunday, December 10, 2006

Mixtape Review: Hollywood Cole presents I’m The Juggernaut

By Shawn Parikh

He is Steve Austin. He is Hollywood Cole. He is The Juggernaut. He is "the baddest [MoFo] in the world." Identity crisis? Not really. He is just setting the tone for his overconfident style which is, for the most part, defended by an abundant 26 tracks.

From the first few tracks, he makes it a point to explain how much of a badass he is. He first states his theme in the cocky, but catchy "I'mma Beast." To give cred to this bold statement, he spends the next track explaining his buffet of women, with "Everyday." From these opening tracks, I thought I had the flow of the CD figured out, but once "Bring It to Me" and "Ready Now" play (both featuring Peaches), he shows he can slow down the pace and provide cool R&B tracks.

Another track that stands out is the funky "Heartbeat" (featuring Pikahsso). It is a very different style from the beginning of the album that is reminiscent of the Black Eyed Peas minus the Fergie. "Mr. Mee Tew" (featuring Knesecary) has a very smooth, subtle beat with a very calm rap to compliment it. Austin also throws in tracks where he remixes nationally known artists, such as Usher, Revy Ma, Ludacris, and Beyonce. Ones that stand out are "She Says She Loves Me" by E-40 and

"Lick" by Joi. The slower pace of these two tracks alters the mood of the album yet again.

His final song, "Awwright Owhkaye" (featuring Troy Gilmore) has an uplifting 70s gospel feel, which leads to the conclusion that he proved himself. His arrogant attitude is distancing in the beginning, but he shows his successful versatility with R&B, remixes, funk, freestyle, and rap. By the end of the album, he appropriately earned his third name: Juggernaut.

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