Trick Trick

“The People vs.” (Motown)

Compare to: Trick Daddy, Mystikal, M.O.P.

REVIEW: 2 / 5

In short: In spite of aggressive lyrics and semi-catchy beats, Eminem’s latest partner in hip-hop crime fails to live up to the hype.

In today’s major label hip-hop game, one of the benefits of selling a zillion records is having the pull to bring members of your posse out of the rap underground and into fame’s bright spotlight.

Such is the case with Eminem, who has chosen fellow Detroit rapper Chris Mathis, aka Trick Trick, for a shot at being the next big thing.

After a few listens to Trick Trick’s debut album, “The People vs.,” it’s hard to imagine Slim Shady’s latest protege being met by hip-hop audiences with anything other than a lukewarm response.

The album is about as cliche-ridden as rap music gets these days, rehashing lyrical themes that the likes of N.W.A. and Tupac perfected more than 10 years ago. Rhyming about murder trials and beatdowns was shocking and original during gangsta rap’s ’90s heyday, but Trick Trick’s tales of life on the streets come off as tired and derivative.

“The People vs.” isn’t all bad, however. Trick Trick possesses a genuinely aggressive flow, and even if his lyrics aren’t exactly mind-blowing, his gruff, double-tracked rhyming style makes him sound somewhat believable. Many of the beats are bouncy and memorable enough to get a party started.

Overall, after reviewing all testimony and physical evidence in the case of the people v. Trick Trick, the verdict is guilty on all counts of unoriginality.