Beanie Sigel’s third album, The B.Coming, is a record that seems destined to be judged largely in terms of Sigel’s current legal status. Sigel is in jail on gun charges and will face attempted murder charges upon release, and everything here is informed by the fear and animosity that the threat of prison has instilled in him. Then again, it’s not entirely clear that the album could stand on its own without this back story.
As The B.Coming may be Sigel’s last record for some time, he has called in all his favors. All the major Roc-A-Fella members show up, but he also got the Neptunes, Snoop Dogg, Redman and Cam’ron. Unlike most rap records, where guest producers and MCs do little for songs, the guests here generally give performances better than on their own records. Some of the bigger names fall flat, specifically The Neptunes’ clunker of a beat for “Don’t Stop.” Still, Redman’s blazing performance on “One Shot Deal,” Jay-Z dropping in at the end for “It’s On” and Twista’s head-turning delivery on “Gotta Have It” make for some convincing collaborations. Sigel is a talented rapper in his own right, and his emotion in the face of jail time comes through. The bitterness and dread of “Flatline” and sad reminiscence of “Change” come across as extremely authentic.
What really isn’t clear is whether the album will age well. While Heavy D throws down a great beat for “Feel it in the Air,” too much of the production feels stale. This is a mainstream rap album at heart, and while it certainly avoids the misogyny and poor lyrics that typify the genre, it doesn’t cover much new ground. The confused track order doesn’t help, and though Sigel’s charisma goes a long way, The B.Coming mostly just leaves listeners hoping that he will get the chance to do better.
