Yung Joc Hustlenomics CD

On the follow-up to his hugely successful 2006 debut, NEW JOC CITY, ATL native Yung Joc shows further versatility as he toes the line between hardcore dopeman image and radio-friendly mass appeal. The overt coke-serving imagery throughout the lead single, "Coffee Shop," is tempered with an infectiously happy background track and pubescent chorus singers. Joc gets gangsta with the Game, Block, and Jim Jones on the gritty, DJ Quik-produced "Cutthroat" and then plays around with alphabet nursery rhymes alongside Bun B and Young Dro on "I'm a G."

The production (courtesy of Cool and Dre, Don Vito, Don P, The Neptunes, Jazzy Pha, Chris Flames, DJ Dana, Strong Hill, and Khao) wavers between traditionally gritty trap music and pop fare while Yung Joc does his best to mask the adult content of HUSTLENOMICS with euphemisms like "servin' pies" and "smell that fruity fruit." Gorilla Zoe, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Mike Carlito, Southern Girl, and Diddy round out the thick guest list.

A big improvement over his debut, Hustlenomics finds a looser Yung Joc letting more of his personality through. Added to his already proven ability to deliver infectious hooks and convincing swagger, it's a pretty deadly combination and best experienced on the excellent single "Coffee Shop," a playful number that combines hard thugging and coffee culture in ways never thought possible. Almost as good is "BYOB," a robotic and minimal triumph for both Joc and producers the Neptunes, who are also in charge of the very good "Hell Yeah" with Joc's label boss Diddy as guest star. Featuring a cool loop from the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and Joc holding his own with heavyweights Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross, "Brand New" is definitely a keeper, and both "Bottle Poppin'" and "Chevy Smile" have good-time choruses that stick in the head. The hustlenomics theme of the album and the strange, almost Parliament-Funkadelic character Pak Man both show up repeatedly, making this full-length flow splendidly, even with a couple redundant tracks. Sounding a lot less like T.I. and a lot more like his likable self, Hustlenomics is a step in the right direction for Joc, but more importantly to the listener, it's always entertaining and quite impressive in parts. [Hustlenomics was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries

Amp - Amended Produc

Audio Mixer: Leslie Brathwaite.

Recording information: Daddy's House, NY; Irvine Spot, Irvine, CA; McKoy St. Studios, Atlanta, GA; South Beach Studios, Miami Beach, FL; Swag Up Studios, Lithonia, GA; The Boom Boom Room, Burbank, CA.

Photographer: Dan Mandell.

Personnel: Alju Jackson (vocals); Cool & Dre (various instruments); Brandon Thomas (guitar); Ced Keyz International, Ced Keyz International (keyboards); Joe Powell (bass guitar); Chase N. Cashe, Chase N. Cashe (drum programming); Dana "Dee Jay Dana" Ramey, Daquan Dabney, Zonnique Pullins, Bahja Rodriguez, Jasmine Robinson (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Gorilla Zoe, Mike Carlito, Southerngirl, Jazze Pha, Diddy, Rick Ross , Snoop Dogg, The Game, Trick Daddy, Jim Jones , Block, Young Dro, Bun B.

Entertainment Weekly (p.66) - "[T]he rhymester confidently wraps his unhurried drawl around the hugest, most sparkling synths that exec producer P. Diddy's riches can buy." -- Grade: A-