Send "Sheek Louch " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Over the past decade-plus, Sheek Louch has had the ignominious distinction of being an obvious third wheel: he's the only member of veteran Yonkers trio the LOX never to rap in a shoe commercial, Jadakiss and Styles P do their awesome back-and-forth thing only with each other, and while those two have managed hits independently, the only things you really knew about Sheek as a solo artist was that Ghostface seemed to like him, and he may have released an album on Koch. And yet, now that the album in question, Donnie G, finally arrives it's as his debut on the iconic Def Jam label.Donnie G is a testament to Sheek's resiliency, but over those hard-fought years the rapper hasn't reinvented himself so much as recontextualized-- his emphatic starving-artist bark integrating the requisite hashtag and ad-libs of 2010 with fewer seams than you'd expect. It's allowed him to subsequently sound about right in the galaxy of Kay Slay rap: Ever-grinding NYC mixtape types like Maino, Uncle Murda, and Papoose, dudes whose beefs you can never keep straight, always seem on the verge of a major-label release that never happens, and are long on regional bluster and even longer on face-palm punchlines. Sheek honors the PE-sampling intro "Rhyme Animal" by calling himself "rap's herpes" with no irony whatsoever (whether "you don't want to see me" is a justifiable explanation is up for debate) and then obviously rhyming that with Slurpees and Hercules. Later on, he claims to "lyrically ejaculate," but that's not quite as embarrassing as saying, "Don Don about to blow up-- grenade!" And y'all thought he was going to say "World Trade." When I said that it's as good as you'd expect to be, it's not just a backhanded compliment: Unlike Jada, Sheek doesn't bog down Donnie G with ill-fated pop moves, and there isn't the unrelenting grimness of Styles' solo work. As the very rare rapper who brags about how good is he at lifting weights as moving it, Donnie G is at its best when "bottle service" means Vitamin Water instead of Nuvo. Statik Selektah's beat on "Nite Falls" somehow has sci-fi proggers Planet P Project soundtracking a club riot, and while "Clip Up (Reloaded)" and the Black Uhuru-sampling "Dinner Guest" aspires to be something of low-budget "POWER", it's a reminder of the LOX's potency when they attack a track as a posse cut rather than a concession to Hot 97. Obviously, the attempt at Drake-like pop-rap with DJ Webstar (you know, the "Chicken Noodle Soup" dude) doesn't sound like it has much investment from anyone involved; a smooth Jeremih hook makes "Party After 2" Sheek's best seduction of both females and radio play....full text |
| Hiphopdx |
| Success has always eluded veteran L.O.X./D-Block emcee Sheek Louch. Yet when news broke that Sheek would follow his Yonkers brethren Jadakiss to Def Jam Records, fans saw a new chapter in his criminally slept-on career beginning to unfold – that is, until they caught a glimpse of the cover art to his latest effort Donnie G: Don Gorilla. While it truly isn’t fair to judge a book by its cover, the Pen and Pixel-quality art of Sheek’s fourth studio album speaks volumes about the LP. Although Sheek gives a valiant performance on the mic throughout the majority project, the paper-thing song content and unimaginative production make Donnie G: Don Gorilla a wholly disappointing experience and one of Def Jam’s flimsiest releases in recent years. Sheek has always been the bluntest of the three members of The L.O.X. While Jadakiss and Styles P pride themselves on intricate wordplay and lyrical gravitas, Sheek aptly counters their performances with a raw ferocity that established him the veritable B.A. Baracus of the crew. And as the album’s title intimates, little has changed with regards to Sheek’s delivery; he’s as hard-edged as he’s ever been, for better and worse. Songs like “Out of the Ghetto,” “Ready4War” and “Dinner Guest” find the Silverback Gorilla at most rugged, spitting no-nonsense bars on like “My mama had no choice, was surrounded by crack spots / So yeah I’ma floss these canaries and black rocks / Drop-tops, flying down the alleyway, hammer on my right side / Black and white chain on, Africa, apartheid.” Despite his penchant for bullet-blunt rhymes, Donnie G’s standout cut “Nite Falls” finds Sheek exhibiting a depth and expert level of wordplay that critics tend to overlook. It’s a thoughtful look at the grind, as Sheek spits, “I’m painting this vivid picture / My Bible, lyrical scripture / You thugging? Whatever fits ya / These bullets’ll come and get ya.” While Sheek is far from shaking his thugged-out veneer on this one, the song’s chorus reveals the rapper’s conflicting views on the industry as he meditates on “the women and the drugs and the cars and the jewels and the bodies on the news / I ain’t playing with these fools.” Unfortunately for the listener, however, Donnie G is no Donald Goines novel, and whatever profundity “Nite Falls” achieves is quickly lost in translation. Although there are a few real gems deserving of inclusion in the D-Block rhymer’s canon – including the Fabolous-assisted “Make Some Noise” and the Jamrock-tinged D-Block anthem “Dinner Guest” – the majority of the album is packed with shoestring budget club bangers devoid of soul and wit. While the Jeremih-assisted single “Party After 2” finds Louch achieving the same level of radio-friendly amusement as ‘08's “Good Love,” other songs like the unlistenable ”Picture Phone Foreplay” and the insipid “Club Jam Packed,” featuring the inexplicably still-employed DJ Webstar, kill whatever fun the listener was having. Even a number Sheek’s harder-edged tracks fall limp, as songs like “Get It Poppin’” and the hackneyed “Ol’ Skool” (featuring a surprisingly tame Bun B) add little to the standard that bangers like “Dinner Guest” and Jadakiss-assisted “Clip Up (Reloaded)” set....full text |
| Smokingsection |
| Sheek Louch promotes diversity. Well, at least when it comes to production. The New Yorker and underdog LOX member spreads 11 different beatmakers across 13 tracks on Donnie G: Don Gorilla, running the gamut of Hip-Hop sounds and coming back with mixed results. The album opens up with two of Sheek’s most lyrically striking tracks, including an intro called “Rhyme Animal” that aptly sums up the theme of the entire project. On its successor, “Get it Poppin,” Louch rides a simplistic fear-inducing beat from The Futuristiks & Team Ready, extending his creative syntax beyond the bounds we’re used to hearing from him. Soon thereafter unfortunately, Sheek slides into familiar territory, seemingly throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. The cliché-ridden “Club Jam Packed” feels like filler. When Sheek says “It’s too easy,” he might be referring to the song, as it appears not much effort was put into it. And the seemingly radio-aimed “Picture Phone Foreplay” pulls Louch away from the gritty appeal he has gained over the years. Conversely, standout tracks like “Ol’ Skool” with its smooth feel and “Blood & Tears” pull the album out of the trenches of mediocrity, providing incentive to keep mushing past the unlistenable. Most rewarding is “Nite Falls;” the driving force of DGDG. Statik Selekah delivers a bass-driven Planet P Project sample while Sheek capitalizes on the beat, allowing the vocal sample to finish his rhymes. Louch effectively harmonizes with the tones in the music without actually singing. Sheek’s fifth studio album often teeters between gritty greatness and an identity crisis, leaning more toward the latter than he may have hoped. The bright spots glow to the point where individual download fame could be acheived yet the weaker moments may hinder their public awareness altogether. A few obligatory D-Block guest spots come with nasty production and an air of nostalgia, but Louch on his own doesn’t give us much incentive to cop the whole project....full text |
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