E-40 Grit & Grind CD

Often imitated but never beaten in the rap slangin' stakes, E40 drops GRIT & GRIND, his third major-label album. which continues his innovative tradition of freestyle rapping (he's also compiling a dictionary that'll help us decipher what he's talking about). The West Coast Bay Area rapper is partnered here with a plethora of guests, including Afroman, Eight-Ball, Kokane, and Peet The Sneek, in a roller-coaster of an album that takes us from autobiography on "Da Bay" to drink recipes on the Funkadelic-influenced "7 Much," and is peppered along the way with glimpses of E's fabulous West Coast lifestyle.

Less gangsta than playa, E40's content to be driving along in his tricked-out SUV, inventing rhymes and words to confound the outside world and dealing on the side to earn a little cash. There's little talk of guns and not much violence on GRIT & GRIND--more typical is "Mustard and Mayonnaise," a run-down of luxury items West Coast rappers can't afford to be without. This, combined with E40's new, improved vocal stylings ("I slowed down my spit," he says) make this good-humored slice of life go down nice and easy.

Personnel: E-40 (vocals); Andrew Seidel (vocals, keyboards, percussion); Cousin MOMO, Talk Box, Suga T (vocals); D-Wiz (guitar); Ray Cham (Fender Rhodes piano); Bob McDowell (keyboards); Afroman (percussion, background vocals); Harm, Gibson, Kokane, Levitti, Moochie Mack, Young Mugzi of the Mossie (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: D-Wiz; Lil Jon; Michael Denten; Rick Rock; Bosko.

Recording information: Bombay Digital Studios, Los Angeles, CA; The Den & Doppler Studios; The Orange Room; The Sound Lab; VMF Studios.

. Guests:Nate Dogg,Fabolous,P.Pablo,Suga T +

Personnel includes: Fabolous, Nate Dogg, Suga T, Petey Pablo, Bun B, Eightball, Keek The Sneak, Bosko, James "Stomp Down" Bailey, Afroman, B-Legit, Kokane.

Producers include: Rick Rock, Tone Capone, DJ Fingaz, DJ Rick, Mike D.

Vibe (8/02, p.162) - 4 out of 5 - "...E-40's new musical disposition is liberating....Mr. Hustle has finally gone bicoastal..."