80 Dimes

B Rich is a postmodern party rapper with the technique to match Eightball and the good-time vibes of Nelly, but also a laser-sharp focus on the travails of the rap game to match A Tribe Called Quest at its best. From the sound of tracks like "Showtime" and "Eighty (All I Need)," his performance skills rank among the best in hip-hop, and the Jeffersons-sampling "Whoa Now" could liven up practically any party it's dropped at. B Rich also explores the flipside of the coin with music-and-a-message tracks like "Unsigned Hype Blues" and "Hip Hop Slang." Producer Dukey Man's reliance on the same swinging tempo tends to get exhausting, though, and despite his tongue-twisting rhymes, B Rich does little to change his tempo (or tone).