Thy Kingdom Come

When Dr. Dre split with Death Row in 1996 to form Aftermath Entertainment, one of his first acts of business was to sign King Tee. A top rapper and well-respected West Coast veteran, Tee had popular appeal and would be the perfect figure to help Dre distance himself from the licentious atmosphere of Death Row. Thy Kingdom Come was originally slated for released in 1998, but was shelved due to Dre’s perfectionism. Finally released in 2002, Thy Kingdom Come now stands among the best work of either Dre’s or Tee’s career. “Reel Raw,” “Monay” and “Where’s T’” display Dre’s meticulous menace. Tee’s supple, commanding flow fits over these beats with the same ease that Snoop showed on The Chronic. The album was Dre’s baby, but it wouldn’t be essential if not for the contributions of producers Battlecat (“Skweez Ya Ballz”), DJ Quik (“Let’s Make A.V.”) and Ant Banks (“Big Boyz”). It’s a rare occasion that so many fundamental West Coast beat makers are assembled under one album. Therefore, Kingdome Come is not only a King Tee album — it’s a compendium of bass-heavy West Coast rap style.