War Zone

The "sophomore jinx" is any critically acclaimed artist's greatest fear: you've had your whole life to come up with your first album; do you have it in you to follow it up just a year or two later? However, for Buckshot, 5ft. and DJ Evil Dee, add publicized legal battles with their former label and surmounting anticipation since 1993's classic debut, Enta da Stage, to their list of worries. On War Zone, the trio also known as Black Moon continues with the roles it defined on its first album: Buckshot as the dominant rhyme slayer, 5ft. playing second lyricist, and Evil Dee and Da Beatminerz handling the production duties. "Onslaught" is the album's powerful opener, and it pairs Buckshot's matured but still ferocious lyrical flow with the always-powerful Busta Rhymes on the hook. (Other guests include A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, Heather B, and the Cocoa Brovaz.) In its entirety, War Zone lacks the energy of the group's debut, but tracks such as "War Zone" and "Anialation" (which pairs 5ft. with M.O.P.) prove that the sophomore jinx didn't land on Black Moon. --Celine Wong