there are west coast classics, and then there is music to driveby, the third lp from the group that birthed mc eiht: comptons most wanted. although the group started in the late 80s with multiple mcs (including tha chill and boom bam), by 1992 eiht as pulling the groups vocal weight supported by dj mike t on turntables and production and even producing and co-producing tracks. music to driveby might lack beats-per-minute variety, but to fans thats not a bad thing. across the board, this is mid-tempo, super deep, funky hip-hop, made for cars creeping along boulevards across the west and south, and its about as good as it gets for such purposes. just about filler-free, the album struts intensely and with purpose, as eiht throws tales of cali street life at fans for an hour straight, almost without a break. this solo marathon is given a respite only once, with scarfaces guest spot on n 2 deep, an excellent hood roller supported by a soulful guitar lick sampled from lyn collins do your thing. elsewhere, eiht rolls alone and intensely, on cuts like the classic mash single hood took me under, the albums second single and tim dog attack whos fu**ing who?, the hometown big-up compton 4 life, and hustle tales like jack mode and i gots to get over. after this album, eiht released more classics under his own name, and with similar fan worship. it was the continuation of a legendary career and music to driveby still ranks high on anyones west coast legends playlist.
