Bun B

Some MCs are dancers and dodgers, like Barry Sanders on the microphone; it's hard to get a grip on them. Bun B is not one of those. As befits his stocky frame, he's more in the vein of Jerome Bettis or Larry Csonka, a human cannonball who moves piles of humanity with raw, directed power. That's his approach on this almost-wall-to-wall collection of bangers about Southern pride and the perils and glories of the dope and rap games. On one of the album's strongest tracks -- the Mr. Lee-produced, rock-tinged "Get Throwed" -- Pimp C, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and Bun trade verses as Z-Ro sings the hook. The Mannie Fresh-produced "I'm Fresh" and "Trill Recognize Trill" -- one of Lil Jon's strongest (and strangest) head-bussas to date -- also shine, as does "Pushin'," on which Bun, Scarface and Young Jeezy trade rock-slangin' tales over a sped-up Curtis Mayfield sample. The Ying Yang Twins/2 Live Crew collaboration "Git It" could be the weakest track, though I've yet to hear it in its natural habitat -- when I'm tequila-drunk in a strip club.