Review: Sean T - Ain't Playin'

SEAN T
Ain't Playin'
Get Gone Records (www.getgonerecords.com)
Produced by Sean T
AVAILABLE NOW

As a producer, Sean T pretty much established the Palo Alto sound and was the talented backbone of all the classic Murder One Records releases as well as being a hit maker for hire on countless albums throughout the years. But make no mistake about it, he was no slouch on the mic either as he had a powerful, commanding voice and delivered picture perfect street tales throughout his career. If you don't remember how menacing "All In A Niggas Look" was both musically and lyrically, you need to pull Straight From The Streets out of the vault. A true Bay Area OG in every sense of the term, Sean T returns with his new album, Ain't Playin', on his own Get Gone Records and lets it be known without a doubt that regardless of how long he's been in the game he is still in the upper echelon among Bay Area rappers and producers.

Ain't Playin' opens with a confident Sean T over an anthemic track that sets the tone nicely for the rest of the album. Sean still has that thunderous, slow rolling production sound that made his early work so memorable, but he's also adapted to the times and switches things up well as evidenced on "Punchlines," "We Don't Stop" featuring Keak Da Sneak, "Thas The Spirit" and "We Beastin'" featuring Turf Talk and Sand. "Scream At Me" goes back to the anthem styled sound similar to the intro and provides a solid backdrop for Sean to establish his name for those who may have forgotten and to check those out there who may be exaggerating a little too much in their raps. A memorable section of the song includes these lyrics: "...niggas layin' down fibs 'bout how they live/speakin' on the past tense on what they brothas done did/I wasn't born yesterday/I know who done what and do shit/who got the fake, who got the weight and who move kicks/I ran the streets with murderers and thieves/pullin' all nighters/didn't change my clothes for weeks/the game was good sometimes/but it wasn't always good nigga/got shot at then had to bust caps at a few niggas..."

The women and the clubs should love "In Yo Look" with it's good time lyrics and smooth hook work courtesy of Mike Marshall. New Get Gone Records artist, 18 from Hayward, is featured on "All We Do" and doesn't let the opportunity go to waste as he comes with a confident flow that should keep people looking forward to his upcoming album. "Rowdy" is easily the strongest track to me as Sean T delivers both the hardest beat and lyrics on the entire album. To me, the beat and the smooth, but aggressive vocals show just how hungry Sean T is even though he has already become a prominent figure in the Bay Area rap industry. Sean's quote, "...Sean T be a monumental figure in rap/and if I have to I'll put the whole Bay on my back...," instantly made me proud to have him as one of the people representing the Bay Area as it showed me that he really believes in himself and the other talent we have out here and is willing to do anything to get us to our proper place in the industry. PSD, one of my all-time favorite rappers joins Sean on "Down Ass B" along with Blu Chip. Another flawless, laid back production job from Sean almost takes center stage over the trio's lyrics about finding a women willing to do anything for her man.

Other strong tracks include "We Don't Stop" with a trademark Keak appearance, "Just Don't Get It" which expresses some feelings about the rap industry and "We Beastin'" featuring Sand and a nice showing from Turf Talk.

I've been listening to Sean T since 1993 and the fact that I can review a new album from him in 2005 and be extremely pleased with it is a great thing. His lyrical and production skills still have that certain vibe to them that I remember from back in the day, but he has also made great strides in terms of advancing his trademark sound which makes for a great all-around album.