Sorry, Ice, but this ain't no masterpiece. It's not even a minor piece -- on his last Sleeping Bag album,
Just-Ice summons up as much bravado and boasts as is possible but he's obviously aware that he's been relegated to the hip-hop retirement home. Without even KRS-One in his corner any longer, the muscle man of hip-hop sounds weak and alone and
Masterpiece rarely finds him putting his mouth to the right beat or smart rhyme. Around the time of this album,
Just-Ice received his highest media profile since his 1987 tabloid exposure (on a trumped-up murder charge) due to his involvement with hip-hop super session (Eazy-E, Chuck D, and Tone-Loc were among the heavyweights involved), the Stop the Violence All Stars, who released one single, "Self Destruction," in 1990. Perhaps this accounts for this album's rushed feel -- Sleeping Bag was hoping that a public reacquainted with
Just-Ice's name might buy the album. It didn't happen and rapper and label parted company, both having their best days behind them.