Landing less than a year after his major-label double-disc effort
I Need Mine,
Lil' Flip's
All Eyez on Us finds the rapper teaming with
Outlawz member
Young Noble. The album's title references
2Pac's landmark effort
All Eyez on Me right down to the "z," but this gutsy move is only supported by a firm allegiance to street life and
Noble's affiliation to the late rapper by way of
Outlawz.
2Pac's
Eyez was epic while
Flip and
Noble's is extremely casual.
2Pac's
Eyez changed the game while
Flip and
Noble's is destined to be an album remembered by hardcore rap's inner circle, since singles are absent and communicating to a wider audience is of no concern. None of this is bad news, because both
Flip and
Noble work well in these conditions -- plus, it's a surprisingly good idea for a partnership, with the slow-burning
Noble influencing
Flip to play it colder and less over the top. Because of this, tracks like "Be About Somethin" shine, with the duo advocating accountability and ambition in a
Dead Prez style. Instead of a
2Pac release, this
Eyez seems to be most influenced by the
Dead Prez/
Outlawz team-up Can't Sell Dope Forever, a wonderful effort that displayed how a hardcore rapper could grow up without clamping down (check "Pill or Two" or "Purple Lean" for examples of the latter). This trails behind Can't Sell in the production department and could stand to be trimmed by a redundant number or two, but it's a good move for
Flip and another reason to declare
Noble "underappreciated." ~ David Jeffries