Overview
The Understanding
Memphis Bleek is the baby-faced member of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella camp, but he's anything but young and innocent. On his debut effort, Coming of Age, Bleek announced his arrival on the rap scene with the Swizz Beatz-produced single "Memphis Bleek Is," which shouts out the New Yorker's favorite activities as "money, drugs, and murder for life." Most recently, Bleek, who first appeared on Jay's Reasonable Doubt, partnered with his mentor once again on the summer anthem "Hey Papi" from the Nutty Professor II soundtrack. With such an impressive track record, it's no wonder the stakes were high for Bleek's sophomore disc, The Understanding. Even so, he delivers the goods with a bevy of gritty, neck-snapping beats and guest shots from Roc family members Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Amil. "Hustlers" is a dramatic narrative featuring haunting vocals, while "All Types of S***" is a strings-accented ode to fast-paced street life. Carl Thomas chimes in on the melodic "Everyday," while Jay, H. Money Bags, and Sigel set off the remix "My Mind Right," which originally appeared on DJ Clue's Backstage Mixtape. The album's true gem, however, is the Timbaland-produced "Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)," a pounding posse cut featuring Jay, Twista, and Missy Elliott. With The Understanding, Bleek proves he can spar with the hip-hop heavyweights. Abby Addis
