Torrio

No More Mr. Nice Guy (Torrio Music Publishing)

Torrio CD release party The Hi-Fi Club Wednesday, August 3
If Torrio submitted a urine specimen, it might not test positive for THC, but it would definitely reveal unhealthy levels of Eminem. The Cleveland rhymer-producer starts his third full-length with "I Hate U," invoking both Mr. Mathers and the Wu-Tang Clan with spittin'-mad lyrics and escalating piano loops.

Spitboxing champion Suave Gotti lends some polish to the routine "Rugged and Rough," and Men at Large's Dave Tolliver takes the mic on "Start Over" and "International Player," a track ambitiously titled if not expertly executed. Like the Shady one, the white Torrio spits ghetto-style hip-hop in a style somewhere between southern crunk and Motor City Juggalo flow. Torrio's production skills shine brightest during four skits; moderately more amusing than the actual tracks, the interludes are juvenile and sex-obsessed -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

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