Donta’ Slusha

Rappers who constantly rhyme about themselves tend to lose their audiences fast, but Donta’ Slusha’s (isn’t that one of the best damned rap monikers ever?) penchant for big-upping himself creates even more craving for his gruff, ODB-like slur. The 15-song disc is enjoyable partly because of the shameless self-indulgence but mainly because of its solid production, cleverly conceived song concepts, tight track sequencing and overall high quality. Slusha unleashes a barrage of self-centered party and bullshit lyrics (check: I serve more stones/The beat strings ’em up/Piece by piece/Two keys in the spot/Stack, then I rep/Rubberbands with a knot, from “Donta’ Donta'”) that pull listeners into Slusha’s off-kilter world of, well, party and bullshit. The album’s lyrics are amusing, and the rapper himself comes off like the antithesis of the blood-and-guts MCs who have previously dominated the area’s urban core. — Toriano L. Porter