Francheezie
Dem Franchize Boyz
On Top Of Our Game
(Virgin)
Not to be confused with DFL and “Laffy Taffy,” DFB show up with “I Think They Like Me” and a whole buncha songs just like it.
On Top Of Our Game isn’t so much hip-hop as patch of Jermaine Dupri’s buddies who needed a soundtrack to gang chant to and get ’em onstage. But the strange thing about Dem Franchize is not their indifference to do something anything to set themselves apart, it’s how angry the album gets by the end. Maybe it’s the bitch who wouldn’t “Stop Callin’ Me,” but the reversal is so violent it’s comical. Might want to find a candy innuendo to morph into an endorsement when the checks run out.
— Kevin Keegan
