Zelakhan

City on My Shoulders begins with a speech cribbed from Scarface. It's a clichéd moment used by dozens of other rappers. Zelakhan then proceeds to spit the n-word as prolifically as Tony Montana dropped the f-bomb. In the opening "Z.E.L.A.K.H.AN.," Zelakhan flips the epithet 96 ways — as a threat, a term of endearment, and a salute to his brothers on the mean streets and in sweaty clubs. "Groupie Love" finds him and his crew getting ready for a night on the town — like a squad of ghetto Boy Scouts, prepped for anything, flush with weed, Henny, and "a gang of hoes." Like that Scarface sample, the scenario is nothing new. But Zelakhan does score extra points for rhyming "ménage" with "massage."