Destined to Be
True to his Crime Dog name, McGruff breaks no laws and plays it safe on his debut disc,Destined to Be. The Harlem-based rapper got his first break in 1995 on Big L's "8 Is Enough," and he was the unidentified MC on Monifah's "I Miss You"; he spent the intervening years lying relatively low, contributing tracks that often showed up on mix tapes while working on this, his first full-length. McGruff divides his time between showing the lessons of his mentor, Heavy D, and his pal Mase, and his efforts in both directions result here in easygoing, old-fashioned party hip-hop, with easily recognizable samples and uncomplicated rhyme schemes. McGruff spends a lot of time on where he's from (Harlem) and what he dreams of (big surprise here: wealth). If he played it any safer, it really would be a crime, but he's managed to pull off an informal, breezy summertime hip-hop jam.--Martin Johnson