While the East and West Coasts were posturing and making trips to the jewelry store, the Midwest was honing its attack. Years of practicing below the radar of the major labels bred a strain of rapper vicious in rhyme and unique in style. Recently, some of the crews have risen from the streets of Detroit to national prominence -- but just because they're better known does not make them in any way better MCs. Proof of this is the current offering from Ghetto E, a member of the Dayton Family, who covers his mike with spit and spite, entertaining all the while.

Musically, this album is closest in feel to Ice Cube's work on War and Peace, with its dense mood, eerie synths and female vocals. Unlike Cube's bass bellow, Ghetto E has a more sensitive baritone that dances around the rhythm rather than stomping on top of it. This doesn't mean that Ghetto E can't throw a party. On the contrary, "Still Going Through A Thang" has more life in it than anything Dre has produced in the past five years. Of particular note is "Lollipops", which borrows Shirley Temple's classic and turns the good ship into something wonderfully dirty. Boasting an instant hook, Ghetto E's flow is all over this track with a tongue-twisting brilliance. Simply put, this is one of the best hip-hop tracks I've heard in years, and if it doesn't blast out of radios across the land there simply is no justice.

If you want to find another sweet track, just hit a button on your disc player. "Ball Like Dat" blasts from the speakers with interwoven vocals and a chorus that flat out bounces. "Family Tree" is a tribute to fallen street soldiers that manages to avoid both mawkish sentimentality and tired tributes. Instead, Ghetto E declares that he's "tired of branches being broken off [his] family tree" over an melodic hymn and an unrelenting beat. From the disturbing piano loop of "World & Everything" to the soul of "Feared than Loved", the groove doesn't let up, and Ghetto E's voice is always dancing like a well-trained boxer.

As with most rap albums, Ghetto Theater features its share of guest appearances. Ghetto E plays host to Bootleg, Shoestring, MC Breed and Detroit hero/labelmate ESHAM, but despite the visitors' impact, the album is undeniably Ghetto E's territory. Even the power of ESHAM doesn't overshadow Ghetto E's vocals; their turns compliment one another's styles. This shouldn't come as a surprise, since Ghetto E has shown himself to be one of the most accomplished voices ever to shout its way out of Detroit.