From the heart of the hood

by Debra Au

Daily Lobo

Juelz Santana is more than just a flashy rapper who churns out formulized club mixes - he has substance.

With his sophomore album, What the Game's Been Missing, Santana provides a respectable mix of dance beats, ghetto insight and thugged-out bragging tracks in a structured - albeit lengthy - 90-minute session.

The protÇgÇ of Cam'ron and charismatic junior member of Harlem's Diplomat Set crew, Santana defines himself as a mature lyricist able to reach a wide range of listeners with his diverse style.

The influence of Cam'ron is evident with the track "Oh Yes" (think "Oh Boy"), which samples the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman."

Sampling songs is somewhat of a theme of the album, with the majority of songs having some incorporation of the sort: Damien Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" on "Murda Murda," the Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back" on "Kid is Back," and even Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" on "Daddy," which is just one of the tracks dedicated to Santana's son.

It is Santana's open devotion as a father that sets him apart from his contemporaries, who often try to hype themselves as hard-core gangstas. On "Daddy," he speaks to his son, saying how he will always be available as a pillar of support from changing his diapers, to the generous suggestion of love - vital organ donation.

While Santana mentions his son on various tracks, it is in no way redundant or tired, as they sometimes become - cough, Eminem, cough - because of his rhyming style and catchy beats.

With a clearly stronger second half, each subsequent track builds on the last, with the turning point coming halfway through with "Lil' Boy Fresh," which displays Santana's talent as a teller of harsh-reality street parables. Describing a young hustler's takeover of the drug game on his block through manipulation and deceit, Santana makes it articulate and believable.

Santana also gives intricate insight into his experience as a hustler on "This is Me," where he rhymes over subtle piano and hard handclaps about a tough adolescence and his coming up through the street business of drug dealing. He speaks from the heart of the hood.

His nostalgia for the hood can also be heard on "Good Times," where he reminisces of the days long ago when he had nothing to his name but some Air Jordans and a fake gold chain. That's quite a change from how many rappers speak of what they have and not of what they didn't.

And, if you must listen to them, those tracks play incessantly at local clubs - "There is Go (The Whistle Song)" and "Mic Check." They're OK songs in their own right, but they are becoming over-played.

Overall, Santana is what the game's been missing. He raps of things no one has in a long time - he's a father, hustler and rapper who only wants to make a respectable hip-hop album.