Shabba's 1991 Epic Records debut captures the sophistication of his roughneck reggae style, although Jamaica's breakout dancehall deejay (rapper) voiced his best efforts before signing to the American label and being marketed as an X-rated buffoon. The two tracks where his eye is shamelessly fixed on the R&B/hip-hop crossover prize--"The Jam" with KRS-1 and "Housecall" with Maxi Priest--are the only artistic failures, though "Housecall" did well as a single. On his own for the rest of the cuts, Shabba proves himself to be a languid yet keen styler of time. In tunes like the album's lead single, "Trailor Load A Girls" and "Gun Pon Me," he drops rhymes with artillery precision, while blanketing the tinny drum machine beats and computer game mixing board F/X with that unmistakable chesty bass. --Elena Oumano