On his sixth official studio effort,
LOX member and New York rapper
Styles P collaborates exclusively with producer and fellow East Coaster
Scram Jones, and you better believe that sticky icky is a heavy influence because
Float lands on the
High Times Records imprint. Dank nuggets obviously influence the minimal and twitchy "I Need Weed" but it's not until the great "Red Eye" that the roadside weed becomes a national highway, thanks to
Scram's attractive, "Planet Rock"-inspired beats and the winning
D-Block reunion of
Styles and
Jadakiss. Excellent guest shots also come from
Raekwon, who sounds like he's hanging with
Styles at the Lyricist Lounge during the rap battle-worthy "Reckless" plus
Scram himself who vocally contributes to the closing kiss-off "Screw Y'All," which also features pillowy puffs of synthesizer that emerge, float, and then disappear. If that all seems like "studio kinda cloudy stuff," then that's certainly true for the album's couch-locked second half, but toward the front, there's the
Charlie-sampling nightmare "Manson Murder" and the great horn-driven anthem "Hater Love," where fellow
LOX man
Sheek Louch joins in certain beast mode. That's a lot of highlights and some sure choices for the next hits collection, but
Float is still short, clocking in at less than 40 minutes, and
Scram decides to keep it underground, meaning your crossover
Styles won't be found here. Think of it as a conceptual street release made for
Styles and/or
Scram fans and
Float succeeds splendidly. ~ David Jeffries
