Thug Brothers (Collector's Edition)

In 2006, Thug Brothers sure looks like two B-list players trying to stay off the C-list by teaming up. Layzie Bone's Bone crew have diluted their importance with a slew of underwhelming solo releases while Young Noble's Outlawz clique have been repeatedly accused of relying on their 2Pac relationship to the point of exploiting it into a career. If a worthy producer got a hold of the rhymes on Thug Brothers, there's a good chance Layzie and Noble would be reconsidered since inspiration has taken hold of this duo. Sure 2Pac is brought up by Noble more than warranted and the album is not without filler, but Thug Brothers is purposeful for the most part when it comes to lyrical content. Club tracks "Stay on the Grind" and "The Legacy Continues" feature simple and effective rhymes that brag and boast while "What the Problem Is" goes much deeper with a street-level-eye's-view of an overcast day in the hood. Unfortunately the album suffers from dry and thin production that's faceless G-Funk without the Dr. Dre muscle. Shame since Layzie and Noble are not only in good form but also interacting like a duo that have spent years together. There are possibilities in this pairing, so hardcore fans of either crew still need to check it and hope they return again with better beatmakers. [Thug Brothers was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.]