Pastor Troy By Any Means Necessary CD

Principally recorded at Madd House, Stankonia Studios, Atlanta, Georgia.

"Hard as a hammer/I am Atlanta," declares Pastor Troy early on his sixth record, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. It's a forward boast, but not entirely idle, since the growling yet spiritual-minded purveyor of crunk has established himself as one of the most interesting and talented rappers from that fertile city. While Pastor Troy's rhymes often concern familiar topics such as cars, women, survival, and respect, he cuts his flow with sincere humor and a touch of self-consciousness.

On this set, Pastor Troy reveals a complex, torn individual. He can unleash fury ("Crank Me Up") as easily as he can reminisce wistfully ("Atlanta"). He can brag heartily and thuggishly ("Representin'"), or he can observe the world at large ("Crazy"). Troy also reinvents Whodini's profoundly reflective "Friends" into a goofy song about flashy cars called "Benz," a potentially corny move that works surprisingly well. And Troy's amiable response to two young rappers on a three-minute interlude gives warm insight into one of hip-hop's more complicated individuals.

One of the most promising Dirty South rappers to emerge from the underground during the early 2000s, Pastor Troy nonetheless struggled to retain his footing from album to album after making the major-label leap. By Any Means Necessary is yet more evidence of that. As always, Troy puts in a stellar showing lyrically. He's a thoughtful, personable, and caring rapper who somehow eschews formal cliché without abandoning the essence of his genre (i.e., the crunker side of Dirty South). And his very distinctive voice is a trademark, especially when he overdubs his "uh-huh!"s and "come on!"s. The usual problems arise here, though. Troy may indeed be a gifted rapper, but he's not an especially gifted songwriter. The themes of his songs are rote (a scan of the track titles says it all), and his hooks are ho-hum. If anything, you're captivated by his lyrics and his delivery, not the songs themselves. [The clean version does away with the profane dirtiness.] ~ Jason Birchmeier

One of the most promising Dirty South rappers to emerge from the underground during the early 2000s, Pastor Troy nonetheless struggled to retain his footing from album to album after making the major-label leap. By Any Means Necessary is yet more evidence of that, as Troy again fails to make the grade he should. His first release for Universal, Face Off (2001), was supposed to have been the culmination of his underground recordings -- a compound album of previously released standouts ("No More Play in GA") and newly recorded highlights ("This tha City"). His second, Universal Soldier (2002), was supposed to have been his national breakthrough, as he collaborated with such hitmakers as Timbaland, Lil Jon, and Jazze Pha in hopes of extending his reach beyond the South and crossing over to the mainstream in the process. However, neither album realized its potential, creatively or commercially: Face Off seemed more provisional than culminant, and Universal Soldier seemed more prefabricated than extraordinary. Thus emerged a problem. Labels like Universal aren't too conducive when it comes to developing rap artists; in fact, they're more likely to drop rappers who don't make the grade than they are to develop them. Which, of course, put the Pastor in a bind when it came time to deliver his third album for Universal, By Any Means Necessary, the title perhaps an allusion to the commercial quagmire in which he'd now found himself. As always, Troy puts in a stellar showing lyrically. H

Personnel: Gina Calloway (violin).

Audio Mixer: John Frye.

Recording information: Bad Ideas Studio; Madd House Studios, Atlanta, GA; Stankonia Studios, Atlanta, GA.

Photographer: Michael Blackwell.

Personnel: Pastor Troy, Ms. Shynek, DJ Mars, Chip, Eightball, Lil Will, Lil Pete, Juvenile (rap vocals).

Producers include: Carl "Cooly C" Dorsey, Khalifani, DJ Toomp, Da Masta, Oomp Camp.Rolling Stone (4/1/04, p.88) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[The second half] crackles with possibility, anchored by a lighthearted take on cars to the tune of Whodini's 'Friends'..."