“All I do is smoke weed, drink liquor and shoot guns…”
The raw voice perfectly juxtaposed over the slow melodic chords complimented by the eerie piano kick off Styles P’s new mixtape ‘Independence’ off in his usual straight talking yet hard hitting fashion. The self-proclaimed “most hardcore lyricist” truly lives up to his title on this CD, keeping every song gutter with his unique and vivid descriptions of the harsh living conditions of the ghetto life. It seems like every other rap artist tries to convey the same meaning in every song but they just never seem to have the realness that Styles P possesses.

“I gots to go real hard, grind real hard, I’m tired of the time in the yard…
Shit I’d rather shine in the car, drive to a big house, chill in the pool room waitin at the bar”
Styles P on “Breathe”

Three songs exclusively featuring Styles’ D-Block counterpart Jadakiss all address the beef with 50 Cent and G-Unit in a no-bullshit raw facts way. The main focus of the diss songs is attacking the integrity of 50 Cent’s hood status and his fan base, exposing 50, and explaining why his ghetto pass is revoked. ‘Mrs Jackson’ is a humorous take on ‘Mrs Jackson’ by Outkast, over the same beat, the central theme of which is talking about 50 in the third person referring to him as a female all the way throughout the song.

“I did a song with Ja-Rule biggin the city up…
She did the ‘Magic Stick remix’ with Olivia
She got more money, but I get busier
Think somebody is gonna end up killin her…”
Jadakiss on “Mrs Jackson”

“On the Block for Life” featuring Clyde Carson (affiliated with The Game’s Black Wall Street), B-Legit (aka The Savage, E-40’s Cousin) and Jadakiss (D-Block, L.O.X) stands out with its G-funky backdrop and smooth lyricism from all featured. This westcoast-eastcoast collaboration does both sides justice and provides furthermore evidence of Styles P being respected from coast to coast.

The problem is that most of this mixtape is all recycled songs, leaving most hardcore Styles P fans reeling for more. However to those unfamiliar with Styles P this mixtape can serve as a very general ‘Best of Styles P’ compilation.

Track Listing:

01. So On & Son On (feat. Bossman Hog) (prod. by The Batkave)
02. Ta Dis (feat. I-Rocc) (prod. by The Batkave)
03. Shrimp & Lobster (feat. G-Dep) (prod. by The Batkave)
04. Shots Fired (feat. Jadakiss) (prod. by The Batkave)
05. Rollie On My Arm (feat. Mitchy Slick & Turk Talk) (prod. by The Batkave)
06. Go Hard (feat. Killa Klump & Scarface) (prod. by The Tracklords)
07. Special (feat. G-Dep) (prod. by The Batkave)
08. Ms. Jackson (feat. Jadakiss)
09. On The Block For Life (feat. Clyde Carson, B-Legit, & Jadakiss)
10. Breath (feat Slo-O) (prod. by CheckMateMuzik)
11. Sifer (feat. Papoose & Lupe Fiasco)
12. Problem Child (feat. Jadakiss)

Review By : Youforia