The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 1,2, And 3

Known for his meandering flow and one-of-a-kind signature slang, E-40 has been putting out records since 1990, when he debuted with his crew The Click. Hailing from Vallejo in Cali, he's always been huge in the Bay. He finally crashed into the mainstream thanks to his gigantic 2006 single "Tell Me When to Go," released at the apex of the short-lived hyphy movement. On The Black Brochure, 40 unleashes more of his inimitable lyrical swagger over an astounding 60 tracks. He co-stars with pretty much every Westside superstar you can think of, including Spice 1, Snoop Dogg, Andre Nickatina, JT the Bigga Figga, The Jacka, Too Short, Daz & Kurupt, C-Bo, Brotha Lynch Hung, Celly Cel, Mistah FAB, and Hieroglyphics, among many, many others. To be sure, this is a lot to take in all at once. But for a project so massive, it's surprisingly tight and consistently fresh. The beats are appropriately slap-heavy and thumping, while 40 proves that he hasn't lost a step in the last 20-plus years. Check out "My Life," "Memory Lane," "What You Smoking On," and "Fast Lane."