Made For Kings

Hip-hop, like 1960s-1970s soul and the blues, has had an abundance of regional variations, ranging from New York and Philadelphia styles to West Coast styles to the Dirty South -- and that isn't counting all the non-U.S. hip-hop that has come from different parts of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The fact that so many rappers are obsessed with "representing the hood" has a lot do with it; if, for example, an MC is determined to let the world know that he/she is from Bethnal Green on London's East End, there is a strong possibility that a very London-sounding album is going to be recorded. D-Loc, meanwhile, isn't from London any more than he is from Montreal; D-Loc's stomping ground is Southern California, and his West Coast perspective is impossible to miss on Made for Kings (a self-produced solo outing from the Kottonmouth Kings member). Even if D-Loc didn't spend a lot of time reminding you that he is from Cali, there would be no mistaking the fact that this 2010 release is a textbook example of West Coast hip-hop. D-Loc's flow is totally West Coast, as are his beats -- and the rapper's Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg/Warren G heritage comes through loud and clear on tracks like "Feels So Good," "I Got It Made," and "Game." That is not to say that this CD is gangsta rap; D-Loc employs plenty of the baller/player/hustler imagery that West Coast gangsta rap is famous for, but minus the thuggishness of West Coast gangsta rap. And even though one of the tracks is titled "Gangsta Bitch," Made for Kings is really an R-rated party album -- not a thug life manifesto. D-Loc would rather rap about marijuana, expensive cars, clubbing, and scantily clad women than thug life. This predictable effort won't win any awards for experimentation; longtime fans of West Coast hip-hop have heard it all before, but there are enough catchy and likable grooves to make for a generally decent listen. ~ Alex Henderson