Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49663 in Digital Music Album
• Released on: 1996-04-09
• Running time: 4310 seconds

Customer Reviews

Eiht The Gangsta King
"Death Threatz", "We Come Strapped" and "Music To Drive By" were Eiht's best albums. (Some of hiphop's best), you don't need super lyrics (not that his lyrics were bad) for a great gangster album, you just need to flow with incredible beats (found here), that's why I gave it 5 stars. Sadly this was and forever will be Eiht's last DOPE album. (unless he leaves hoo-banging)

simply a great album
Eiht's best album in my opinion. Harder beats than "we come strapped". Standout songs include "collect my stripez", "death wish IV", and "Thuggin it up". Scarcely a track that is below good and also free from annoying interludes. If you like MC Eiht this is a must buy.

"Nine-six is the KILLIN' SEASON" (4.5/5)
Compton legend MC Eiht followed his most successful release, 1994's classic We Come Strapped, with 1996's worthy successor "Death Threatz." Eiht was certainly on a roll during this period, and "Death Threatz" is another excellent album. Like We Come Strapped, it's labeled MC Eiht featuring CMW (Compton's Most Wanted's DJ Slip contributes much of the production, and the just-released Tha Chill appears a few times as well), and structurally it's a logical progression from its seminal predecessors. While a little funkier, Eiht sticks to his unsentimental tales of everyday life in the CPT, which by this point are familiar but still powerful with his raw passion, great flow and style. He lends significant time to guests, which was rare on earlier efforts. While no A-list names appear, he employs a group of all Compton natives including South Central Cartel and his N.O.T.R. crew that lends consistency in that they're always on his page. Even if Eiht doesn't cover much new territory on the lyrical tip, he comes harder than before and brings a top performance.

The beats here are fantastic and among the best he's ever seen. In addition to DJ Slip, some production is handled by S.C.C.'s underrated Prodeje and the similarly slept-on Blackjack. The classic elements of the CMW sound are here, with the swirling violins, slow-rolling funk, and laidback vibe, but they've been updated with a funkier, more upbeat approach and some more electronic elements. The highlights are marked by rich, irresistible soundscapes. If consistency is one of Eiht's strength, it might also be his Achilles' heel; at 72 minutes, it's definitely a little too long and can be monotonous, but it's so consistent that it's tough to point to anything that should have been left off.

If you take a look at the album titles, you pretty much know what you're in for (and that's not a bad thing). "Death Threatz" includes some of the best individual tracks of Eiht's discography, but it's so consistent it feels like one idea. He opens with the fourth installment of his DJ Quik diss series, "Def Wish IV (Tap That Azz)," a funky and menacing opener that's the most personal "Def Wish" yet, talking about encounters in CPT. The bouncy, serious "Ain't Nuthin' 2 It" is a classic, catchy and lyrically strong and one of the best tracks here, showcasing MC Eiht's signature sound executed to perfection. Other early highlights include the sinister "Thuggin' It Up," where the infamous Willie Z contributes an invaluable keyboard performance, and the best song is "Late Night Hype Pt. 2," a sunny, silky smooth classic with swirling violins, upbeat percussion, and one of Eiht's finest performances. The well-arranged "Set Trippin'," horn-laden "F Your Hood," and superb "You Can't See Me" are late standouts.

Some maintain that this is Eiht's best album, and even if it's not, it's a tough point to argue. It's really on the level of some of his best output, and even though it does sound a little familiar, that certainly says a lot. In any event, this is another great release from Eiht and CMW and one of the West Coast's best LPs of 1996, boasting smooth, hardcore, quality gangsta rap. Eiht's a pioneer of West Coast hip hop, and as one of the men who brought the music into its golden age, it's a joy to listen to this LP in light of all the other brilliance coming from California in '96. I strongly recommend that L.A. rap fans check out "Death Threatz."