By Odeisel

Sheek Louch has generally been the least regarded of his Lox brethren. That’s a shame because over the years he has held the name down in times of legal and hiatus issues for the group. Quiet as kept his catalog is stronger than you would expect. He brings that track record to The House That Rush Built with Def Jam debut Donnie G: Don Gorilla. Unfortunately, Louch doesn’t bring his trade mark aggression to the table.

The main problem with this album is the presence of radio/club pandering that doesn’t go with Sheek’s hardcore legacy. His Diddy reconciliation is readily apparent by the repeated number of Ciroc references on songs “Party After Two” featuring Jeremih and “Club Jam Packed” with DJ Webstar riding shotgun. Both tracks are full of exotic cars, lots of liquor, ice you can see from space and hotties that want to follow Donnie home.

“Picture Phone” continues that aesthetic with Donnie rapping about being in the club, getting that phone number and being enticed by the very best bathroom mirror-posed cell phone pics. The anchor (as in weighing down, not holding down): “I don’t mean computers when I say I got that baby mac(k).”

After he leaves the club, Donnie does a paint-by-number South pandering song “Ol Skool.” All the elements are there, including snare drums, awkward double-time flow, Bun B cameo appearance and organs.

There is some heat on the record. “Rhyme Animal” which references the Chuck D classic line from “Bring The Noise” and includes the vocal sample. The hard driving rhythm and Sheek’s aggression bodies the track and sets the album off right. That momentum is carried further by the malevolent “Get It Poppin” with its strings and empty thump.

Big wind instruments create a dramatic intro for “Out of the Gutter” featuring Kobe Honeycutt. The song is well-delivered, even though the remorse expressed in the chorus isn’t readily expressed in the body of the song. “Make Some Noise” finds Fabulous delivering a steely cool verse connecting all of his lines with laser sharp precision. Sheek sticks to the street shit he’s good at and gets extra props for putting the great Rick Flair and Bobby Backlund in his rhymes.

Statik Selektah attempts to infuse that Phil Collins “Feel It In The Air” energy with “Nite Falls,” a synth-driven rhythm that allows for a tight, compact flow from Sheek. “Blood and Tears” features singer Casely crooning like Ne-Yo light with a typical rhyming my way out the ghetto against all odds after I dabbled in trying to sell crack song. You’ve heard it before and better by others. Thumbs down to the “Free at Last, Martin Luther King” line which is followed a couple lines later by “I got the hammer on me.”

D Block comes together on “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” with elements of Reggae, military drums, and a horror movie feel. Bully adds a menacing presence to the track, even if he’s not as skilled as the rest of the artists on this track. Styles P slow-flows the song to death while Jada sleepwalks through his verse. The highlight of the album is the “Clip Up” remix featuring Jada and Styles P. Jada is empty-belly hungry on this; torching his verse with malice intended.

Donnie G: Don Gorilla isn’t the Sheek Louch you know and love. There is too much club crappy music on here and easy-way-out construction. The heat on here doesn’t go hard enough to make you overlook the faults. Not a waste, but definitely not firing on all cylinders.
out of 5

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