A charter member of Memphis'
Hypnotize Camp Posse (along with
Gangsta Boo and
Three 6 Mafia),
Project Pat is a skilled demonstrator of mid-South baller hip-hop.
The Hypnotize Camp tends to market its releases in the manner of
Master P's No Limit label and
the Cash Money Millionaires but with much less gloss. With menacing beats (courtesy of
DJ Paul and
Juicy J) consisting of heavy, repetitive drum kicks and sinister high-hat snares,
Pat takes drug-hustling rap into the same deranged dimension as his Memphis cohorts,
Three 6 Mafia. This third release (second on a major label) is solid in places, but for anyone other than hardcore fans of the Memphis scene, Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin only stretches so far musically and lyrically. The often inaccessible vibe is probably how
Pat and his North Memphis boys want it, for to truly understand the music would be to understand the complicated, seamy drug underworld that produces it. Southern pimp slang from rap's underbelly mixed with eerie low-end synth grooves is the way of the walk here. Strictly gangsta,
Pat's unique flow combines a rapid Midwest cadence with a singsong Southern format. In the end with its sprawling number of tracks, it's best to hone in on a few of the standouts: "Life We Live," "If You Ain't From My Hood," "Break Da Law 2001," and "So High."