Following the recent success of Shoestring's solo effort, another member of The Dayton Family has hit the solo-artist trail, arming himself with dangerous rhymes and lofty boasts while painting a scene of sketchy situations and street-wise sightings. The topicality of Bootleg's sophomore release rallies around everything from an ode to his mother to the ever-familiar topic of mad reefer.
It's important to note that the foundation of any good rap album is the quality of its beats, and there's a seemingly endless supply of them here. Unfortunately, there's no making out who the master behind the music is, as our advance of the album doesn't include liner notes. Regardless, Bootleg takes from his Dayton Family roots and the hard-knocks street-life of Flint, Michigan, letting loose a tirade of rage on the materialistically honest "My Money's My Mission". Dislocating jaws, Bootleg's speedy rapping keeps things upbeat on the majority of these tunes while still pushing groove-oriented West Coast licks. Hated By Many Loved By Few manages to avoid becoming a repetitive, gangsta-flavored essay on violence, as Bootleg rips out a few old school numbers, like the bouncy "Bud House" and the crass "You Can't Smoke For Free".
Everything after the "Side B intro" (track nine) is absolutely killer. Bootleg's mood turns sour as he looses a salvo of vintage verbal assaults on the likes of "Murder Be a Murder", "Bitches Like You" and the album's staple number, "The Walls." Perhaps jail time didn't mend Bootleg's ways, but it certainly scarred his psyche; "The Walls" leaves him rapping that the only thing you can trust in prison is the concrete cell walls that surround you. Themes of suspicion and Machiavellian behavior permeate the remainder of the tracks, giving you a good taste of prison's influence and its capacity for psychological transformation. Bootleg drastically changes course on "My Momma Used to Say", quoting motherly advice and subsequently refuting it. Wanna stay out of jail, kids? It all boils down to listening to your damn Mom!
Hated By Many Loved By Few will force a decency call, as there is plenty of anti-feminist diatribe and chauvinistic boasting strewn throughout its lyrics. However, when Bootleg eschews traditional rap stereotypes, he becomes an artist with some impressive rhyming wares. Bootleg has the skills and there's no arguing that his latest CD ultimately succeeds by refusing to be another one-dimensional documentary on marijuana and women. Bootleg's open minded willingness to infuse humor, soulful grooves and funky keyboards provides enough variety, leaving his latest artistic output in the CD player for several repeat performances.
