MC Eiht is a 55 year old MC, songwriter, actor, podcaster from Compton, California notable for being the de facto leader of Compton’s Most Wanted. He would also go on to drop over a dozen solo efforts, including his debut We Come Strapped under Epic Records along with his Hoo-Bangin’ Records/Priority Records debut Section 8 & Which Way iz West via Eiht’s own imprint Blue Stamp Music Group in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution. The latter of which will already be celebrating an entire decade next summer, telling The Story of My Life for his 18th studio LP.
“8 Lawz” featuring Glasses Malone kicks things off with both of them linking up to talk about the 8 rules people must abide to whereas “My N***a” continues from there with an ode to a homie of his. “Again & Again” instrumentally leans towards a smoother boom bap vibe talking about the west coast forever staying in the building just before “Dear Neighborhood” turns up the funk so Eiht can pen an open letter to the CPT district that made him who he’s become.
Conway the Machine appears for “Everyday” talking about making money daily over another boom bap beat & suckas trying to bring them down in every way leading into “IDC” chopping up a soul sample admitting he could give a fuck less anyone does whether they’re tweeting or reading a book. “Throwin’ Hands” aggressively gets in his gangsta rap bag over an instrumental that has a dreary quality to it preceding him suggesting everyone buckles up for this “Journey” he’s taking us through.
“Soul Food” featuring Dave East continues the sampling so both of them can discuss never being caught in a bad mood around other Gs while “Pistols & Palm Trees” ends the 1st half reminding the world of his west coast origins. My favorite track would be “On Go” produced one of my top 5 producers of all-time Pete Rock, beginning the 2nd leg reminding us how they do it while “How the Enemy Lie” talks about a hard muhfucka trying to arrive.
B-Real joins Eiht during “Run It Up” so they can increase the amount of bread they have & warning what’ll come to anyone acting tough around them while “We Been Bacc Here B4” nostalgically talks about screaming “Fuck y’all” until his voice gives out around some parts he’s already familiar with. “N the Mixx” hops over a rap rock beat from DJ Muggs demanding to know if anyone else can outrap him while “All Chrome” talks about the life of a hustler again.
“High Like” featuring Brotha Lynch Hung hops over a crooning instrumental simultaneously keeping it elevated & gutta while “Hubcity” featuring Jay Worthy feels like a generational passing of the torch, talking about there being bread to spend. “Remember Us” winds down the last few moments of the album addressing his legacy & being recognized everywhere he goes while the closer “Tippin’” wraps up The Story of My Life with a jazzy CMW reunion.
Official, Lessons, it’s sequel & Revolution in Progress were all average at best even if they have some cuts that I still revisit nearly a decade later. That said: If The Story of My Life truly marks the end of MC Eiht’s illustrious career dating back to the 80s like he said 13 months ago, then I can’t complain since it’s a consistently tasteful reflection of his legacy from the production to the guests & usual street narratives people know & love him for.
Score: 7/10