Flat out, this is what you would want in a compilation covering
Mystikal's years with the
Jive label. The hits are here, there are a couple new tracks with one being a hot single, and the collection is well paced. The fact that
Mystikal is just starting his six years in prison on a sexual battery plea bargain is hard to ignore when one swaggering club number after another thumps out of the speakers. Hard, confrontational hits that were once visceral and volatile sound pitiful if you can't see past
Mystikal's actions/fate, but releasing
"Pussy Pop" as the single -- as good a party jam as it is -- is a move
Jive should have thought twice about. That the verse starts with "I know you're waiting for my album to drop" is kind of ironic, but when
Mystikal instructs the object of his desire to "bust it open for me" like she's "suppose to" it's unintentionally chilling.
Mystikal's plea was an admission of guilt, and let's hope he's reforming, but what about
Jive's irresponsible move? If your ability to separate the artist from the art is strong, have at it.
Mystikal's style lends itself to singles and best-of's, so here you go. You can forgive
Jive for releasing a greatest-hits since it's going to be awhile before they get their rapper back. On the other hand, there's at least one woman who will be haunted until
"Pussy Pop" has dropped off the charts.
Jive's choice of the single is one of the most distasteful moves the music business has come up with to date. [
Prince of the South. . .The Hits was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.]~ David Jeffries
