------------The second addition to the "Ghetto 2 Tha Barrio" series came out later in 2000 than the first volume. This time, 17 tracks come together in 67 mintues of music to create this compilation. A lot of heavy hitters appear on this cd, some from the 209, others from the 916, and many others from everywhere in between. In this compilation, as before, no central theme unites all of the tracks, but the Illtip and Moreno Negro Ent. are getting closer to creating a really good cd with people from all over.
___Track number one shows the incredible potential of an up-and-coming group, made of 2 veterans of the game, Never and Young Droop. Individually, each can stand their ground, their succesful solo cds standing as a testament to this. When they come together, though, the nitty-gritty Low Down sounds come together with the tongue-twisting mentality of the definitive sound of Killa Valley. Add to the mix guest spots by ALG, Lil Wyno and Thugette (a woman who comes surpringly heated), and this turns out to be the best song on the cd. Coming off the soundtrack of a movie by the same name, "Downtime" has a slumping bass line and a Venetian-sounding guitar that permeates through the smooth flows.
___Continuing the same guitar-like sound is some of the Minority Militia (and Hurikane J, NC The Necro, Lil WYno, and Lil E) on their cut "Say What You Feel". They come across tightly, espcially Lil Wyno, with their verses over a sound effect that keeps going from high to low that compliments the styles of those featured on here. Track number 3 is called "Ain't No Love" and it is performed by Agerman, Playa P & D-Boy. With their catchy hook over a good beat by Dolamic, this song turns out to be one of the better ones on the cd. All three of them bring on-par flows with their lyrics saying that there won't be any love for the haters. Odysea, Mr. Doctor, and Big Q keep things going on "Playin Wit My Trigga". Arthur Griffith produces the tightly knit beat over which the rappers flow with the style that makes great cds. Everyone raps their verse to perfection and even the hook is great. The laidback beat is something to bob your head to in the car. Track number 5 comes on courtesy of DJ MT, beats and all. Also featured are DJ Jabber and Rhyme Smuggla D. It tells the story of the projects and how the real people rapping live their lives. As a result the track is called "The PJ's and the hook says how they don't "Rock ice or wear gold" in the projects. Everyone comes on-par, with no one standing out more than the others. Track 6 is called "Schemes and Plots" and one of the noises in the background is reminiscent of the early 90's Compton sound. Thanks to this sound effect, Deryk D sets the stage up, adding a good bass line and violins, for Phantom and Junebug Slim to flow at a steady pace. Unfortunately, the raps are a little too slow at times, since it seems they are more comfortable rapping faster. Still, the content is decent, which, again, makes this another track with no stand-outs or disappointments. Luckily, this streak is broken by track 7 as 11/5 tear it up on "Str8 Game". Taydatay, Hennessy & Maine-O have always been a force to consider when speaking of the underground rap scene in California and it shows on this track. A fast-paced beat by TC & The Enhancer open up the flood gates for these guys to rip it up as they rap about the sad state of affairs of mainstream rap and haters. This song is off of their cd "The Overdose", but that's the only downfall of this song. Track 8, "Frisko Savages", starts off with a good bass line, which is unfortunately wasted on the weak flows of Bay-B Girl & Mary Jane. They don't flow at all at times, as if they just happened to be talking while recording. Add to this the En Vogue-sound that the beats evolves into and this track could have been easily left off G2TB2.
___On to the second half of the cd, which starts off with a Low Down cut that also features Hurrikane J and Young Myth. The song is called "North 2 Tha West" and is from the Low Down cd "Dirty Dozen". A piano throughout the background, thanks to Never, Lil Wyno, and Hurrikane J, keeps up the pace of the bass with the smooth lyrics of the rappers. Speaking on the centro valle, this song is better than most others on this cd. Track number 10 is by Mr. Kee and it features Raw Sheeda and Duke Shystie. "Can't Imagine" is the name of this song that is produce by Kee himself and Sacirfice. Chimes over a fast bass line and a repeating chorus continue this song's theme of the surrealistic nightmare that is daily life in Killa Cali. The idealist chorus is soon put to rest by the realist verses in this song which also shows the depth to which these rappers understand this situation. Track 11 is by Carlito's Way featurting Assassin and it is called "Throw It Up". Bells in the foreground dominate this story of the drug world, where you "sign your name on the dotted line" and everything changes. More of a rapper's ballad, the laidback beats interlude the verses to make this song very enjoyable, as additional voices by a woman called China only add to the essence of the song, not to mention the chracterizations of the drugs referred to. "Tragik" is the name of track 12 by Prject Affiliated. Skarface, Gezus, and Mijo appear on this track and Gezus is also behind the boards. A repititous hook portray the "tragik" life that these rappers and their friends will live, or that they have witnessed first hand. The music only portrays the sadness of the lyrics as the flows come through accordingly. Off of his debut solo, track 13 is Never's ode to his home area code, "The Deuce-O-Nine". He also explores his own life over a sampled beat with a persistent guitar present throughout. It is a fine song with meaningful thought put into the lyrics. Back one more time on this compilation is DJ MT, with a song off of his double cd "1 Bullet 4 U/Brown, Sick and Wicked". Joining him on this cut are ALG and Gezus. The very talented Negative 1 hooks up the boards to create a stable base on which the rappers build their lyrically strong track. The hook gets catchy after a while, so the song turns out to be pretty good all around.
___Wrapping up the last three songs, track 15 is by Young Ren and Antidote, from the former's own cd "Underground Railroad". Young Ren himself is behind the boards bringing some heat with chimes and a great sound effect that compliment the smooth flow from both the rappers. The song is called "Mill Ticket" and the meaning of the lyrics almost get lost in the great rapping that just gets you in a good mood. Up next is Ignite of Los Pistoleros & Funksouljaz. "Dia Del Perro" is the name of his half English/half Spanish song which takes some lyrics from an old Spanish song (I know neither the name or who sings it, but it is not a rap song). Either way, the taltented Ignite is also behind the boards and gives this track a Latin flavor, of sorts, with a certain instrument that you can't really tell what it is. On the last song of the cd, "Killa Foe My Skrilla", Arapahoe T.R.U.E.S. & Spice 1 come through on a good note as the cd closes. Rapping over a sampled Spice 1 song from a previous cd, the two men rap with a cool confidence that gives their song a good vibe. Spice 1 raps about his gangsta themes with his signature, high-pitched "blah!"
and Arapahoe T.R.U.E.S. only compliments this greatly with his stand-out style of rapping.
___Overall, the second cd in the Ghetto 2 Tha Barrio series is better than the first one. It avoided some of the pitfalls of the first cd without alienating any of the styles of rap presented in the songs. Unfortunately, some songs are just not up to the level of the best songs, so it feels uneven at times, as styles differ and so does the quality. Being a compilation cd, however, it is one of the better ones from California that represents different sections. It definitely has improved over the previous volume, though.
