Even though this is not his best album by a long shot, it's still better than 95% of the garbage you hear on the radio these days! Recommended!

Ever since His album O.G. he does not seem to have quite the following he once did. whoever has not heard this album is missing out. D

As the title suggests, this is Ice-T's return. But the return to exactly what? It could be viewed as either the return to the forefront of hip-hop, or the return to his roots, end of the 80s style of hip-hop. While I'm sure Ice thought of the former, the resulting album doesn't quite achieve any of the two "Return to" targets.

There are two very notable changes in Ice-T style here. First is in the lyrics department. While Ice is as intelligent and witful as ever, he has toned down his verses a lot. Gone is the almost uncontrolled aggression of "Home Invasion". Instead we have mostly slow to mid-tempo tracks, most of which deal with the topics of either rap game and its rules, or warns against being a gangster. This change is quite understandable for a man about to turn 40 years old. The lyrics are mostly good and to the point. Though I must admit I still find the 2 love ballads here to be somewhat out of place.

The other notable change is in the music. It has advanced from basic beats and noises towards more rich soundscape. Most of the tracks, especially the slower ones, attempt to develop a feeling of uneasiness and tension, and most of the times it works.

So why do I think this album is one more step on the way down? Because taken as a whole, it lacks the focus and a sense of general direction that "O.G." maintained perfectly. Not a single time did I cringe, realizing that this or that track is just a filler ("Forced To Do Dirt", anyone?). Another turn off might be that old-school feeling of the whole attempt, which simply sounds out of tune with the general development of rap. Clearly Ice-T wanted to put himself back in the game. But as much as I respect his previous efforts, more often than not I vision a man in his late 30s who is generally unsure as to what kind of music really works in 1996, and his songs often sound strained and entirely forced out.

That being said, for long time fans, which I am one of, this is generally a nice little album, that is worth to be listened to occasionally. But it's far from being a mandatory purchase.

This is a very underrated album by The Iceberg. The production was tight. If you want great hardcore gangsta rap look no further.

This is not the Iceberg's best effort (I think that award easily goes to OG) but it is still a hard album. Lyrically, (as always) he is on top form the whole way through. Production-wise, the album is lacking a bit, the beats are not the best to be found in an Ice-T album. It is still a solid album and I recommend it to anyone who likes Ice or rap music. Don't sleep on this one!