The debut album from G-Unit producer Jacob “Jake One” Dutton plays like a crowd- pleasing beat reel for future employers. Instead of showcasing a signature sound (think the souped-up boom-bap of De La Soul’s “Rock Co.Kane Flow”), he advertises his savvy versatility, crafting Blueprint-era soul (“The Truth,” featuring Brother Ali and Freeway), dusty underground hip-hop (“Trap Door” with MF Doom), and a sharp 9th Wonder impersonation on “Bless the Child”(with Little Brother). His ventures into minimalist Southern funk (“Dead Wrong”) and hyphy (“Soil Raps”), however, reek of carpetbagging.
