INCARCERATED

Audio Mixer: David West. Recording information: Trill Studios, Baton Rouge, LA. Photographer: Diwang Valdez. Released while the rapper was serving time for a probation violation and awaiting trial for considerably more serious charges, Incarcerated finds Lil' Boosie unfazed by his situation on his fourth official album. Perhaps due in part to his circumstances, Boosie does more with less, delivering fourteen tracks of rock solid southern rap. Despite having a shorter tracks list than his last few albums, guest performances by Webbie, Foxx, Lil' Trill and Mouse on tha Track (to name a few) help pad the albums running time out to just over an hour. While none of the guests are by any means bad, the best moments on Incarcerated come when Boosie goes solo. There's a kind of effortlessness in Boosie's delivery that his guests can't quite match. "You Don't Know" showcases the rappers casual flow as he goes it alone backed by killer production by Savage who, between this track and album opener "Devils," brings the most interesting production to the album. The bulk of the production is handled by B.J., who crafts some solid beats, but leaves some of the tracks feeling a bit samey, causing parts of the album to blend together. Regardless, Lil' Boosie and company are able to keep things moving along, keeping the album from getting monotonous, proving once again that Baton Rouge deserves a place on the southern hip hop map. ~ Gregory Heaney