The lazy-mouthed co-CEO and co-founder of the Diplomats empire had some serious momentum rolling before he released this one. Besides the ever-growing Dipset fanbase there was "We Fly High," Jim Jones' highest-charting single to date and the unofficial theme song of the New York Giants' defensive line. Team members would imitate the jump shot move from the song's video every time they executed an especially brutal sack or tackle, and the crowd would respond with the song's "Baaaaaallllllin!" catch phrase. Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) doesn't squander the buildup and offers great single number two, "Reppin' Time," which already makes the album twice as powerful as Jones' previous full-lengths. He's an iffy lyricist who can drop a witty line and then spin his wheels for a verse, so P.O.M.E. plays to his strengths and surrounds him with flash. Add "Pin the Tail," "Get It Poppin'," "My Life," and "Weatherman" with Lil Wayne to the aforementioned tracks and you've got a hefty bag of hooky club music, something that suits this charismatic baller just fine. Slick production throughout from folks like Chink Santana, the Runners, and Jim Bond makes this one of the more polished efforts in the Dipset universe. A couple soul-searching numbers paint life as a bleak survival game and borrow way too much from 2Pac's style to be taken seriously. If Jones could meet that legend's insight halfway, P.O.M.E. would be a champion. As it is, it's a contender and a serious step up for this scrappy hustler.
© David Jeffries /TiVo