With a cover suggesting that all eyes are on Atlanta rapper Nayvadius Cash, his second album comes with the right scaffolding in place for such a claim. Cash's debut, Pluto, suggested that he had skills, and there's a starry collection of A-list names on hand here to give him a dig-put, including Kanye West, André 3000, Pharrell, Pusha T, Drake and Little Wayne. The problem is that Honest is more solid than spectacular, with Cash trying to leverage his raw voice, thuglife cachet and starry guest list into something more than the sum of these parts. When he gets it right, he really gets it right: Move That Dope and Karate Chop are perfect examples of streetlife hussle rhyme. But Cash obviously feels he has to go with a different flow, and the watery ballads and weary cliched boasts don't really wash or work. All eyes may be on Cash, but all were probably expecting something more appealing. futurefreebandz.com
Download: Move That Dope, Karate Chop