Anotha Level Of The Game, Vol. 1

"Much respect to Master P and West Coast Bad Boyz for successfully and effectively organizing these Bay Area cities--Richmond, San Francisco, Oaktown, Sacramento, Palo Alto, V-town, and others," intones the opening monologue to West Coast Bad Boyz, Vol. 1. More than mere tokenism, though, it cuts to the heart of the Master P project: take the cream of the talent of various heretofore unorganized local scenes and collect them on one compilation, guaranteeing each act exposure far broader than their own city limits. Bad Boyz spotlights the rolling gangster funk of Northern California, including early appearances by C-Bo and JT the Bigga Figga. The highlight, though, is Young Cellski's "Stressed Out," which uses simple yet potent key arrangements to evoke the sadness of Cellski's self-realizations. --Jon Caramanica