Music Review: Silkk the Shocker - Charge It 2 da Game

Apart from being Master P’s youngest brother, Silkk the Shocker is also one of the weakest links in the No Limit chain. He debuted in 1996 with The Shocker when he was known simply as Silkk (later adding “The Shocker” to his moniker due to legal issues with R&B group Silk who claimed they had the rights to the name first). Whatever the case may be, however, the fact remains; Silkk released one of the label’s most important, and best, albums during it’s glory days (the ’96-’98 era).

Charge It 2 da Game is absolutely nothing different from what No Limit fans were receiving from them during this time period. What it is, though, is a perfect product from the label that knows exactly how to market itself. The catchy hooks are in place, Beats by the Pound’s productions are all perfectly layered with pianos and synths, the guests are piled on top of one another endlessly, but Silkk has endless, undeniable charisma. Whether or not it’s Charge It 2 da Game or Ghetto D that perfectly illustrates No Limit’s mid-‘90s game plan, that fact is purely arguable, but one thing is for certain; Silkk’s sophomore album is one of the most enjoyable records released under the No Limit imprint since P’s 1996 effort Ice Cream Man.

More adept at crafting female-friendly, club-ready material than his fellow No Limit soldiers, that is where Charge It 2 da Game excels. “Just Be Straight With Me” is the first in a small line of these tracks and was also the album’s lead single. Featuring a very young Destiny’s Child on the hook and electronic, bass-heavy production provided by Beats by the Pound, this has all the markings of your typical No Limit single. It’s as feel good as they come (and as flossy as any of them got) and it even featured a jigged up guest verse from Master P. Destiny’s Child do not add nor subtract much from the track, but working strictly as a single, this could have been much worse. The only real problem is that it doesn’t paint a very accurate picture of the rest of the album.

Article Author: Thomas Steenhagen

Thomas Steenhagen is an aspiring journalist and screenwriter residing in sunny Orlando, FL. He has been writing product reviews and worked on numerous screenplays over a vast number of years. You can check out more of his work at Epinions.com.

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