Love & Hate (2003)

The latest solo disc from Aceyalone, a founding member of L.A.'s formative alt-rap crew Freestyle Fellowship, voices the kind of boastful violence that sent heads looking for alternatives in the first place. The beats--never a selling point for Acey's albums--don't have the verve to lift leaden lines like "Don't get dumb in the house/ 'Cause who wants a gun in their mouth." Tracks with El-P and Anti-Pop Consortium's Sayyid and Priest stand out, but Acey alone rates only about a C.