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Some hip-hop artists may take themselves way too seriously and think of their art as something almost sarosanct, serious, not to be trifled with. (Remember the Coolio/Weird Al Yankovic fiasco?) Not the case with Big B. Which isn't to say he's just messing around. But he's having friggin' fun. His hip-hop, while not earth-shattering, does have what it takes to be entertaining hip-hop. Which is to say, solid hooks, well-chosen and well-integrated samples, attitude, rhymes (of course), enough melody to make things interesting but without tilting the balance into R&B/Soul or whatever you call it. In other words, "Good Times & Bad Advice" is a good, if not great, rap CD. And it's FUN! Which, best as I can tell, is what it's set out to be. This isn't an album dedicated to lamenting urban plight or taking pot shots at The Man or getting all Gangsta or whatever. Not that those things are inherently bad, they're just overdone by posturing big mouths and, more to the point, they're just not what this album is all about. It's about grooves, 'tude and a smile on the face. All of these it has and causes in the listener. So there.
-- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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