The latest rapper to hail from College Park (at least at press time) is Yung Joc, and he’s succeeded at creating a considerable buzz on the strength of a couple of strategic cameos on other projects and his runaway first single It’s Goin Down. But for the most part, Yung Joc came out of nowhere. Who is this guy? What is he about? Fortunately his debut album New Joc City is out on Bad Boy South to help us answer some of these questions.

Sure, It’s Goin Down is hypnotic, even if the flow is not. Joc rides the beat like a senior citizen on the MARTA, nothing fancy, just bar after monotonous bar. Kinda like learning to walk, one step after another. Do Ya Bad is similar: a slow droning beat with Joc doing his lullaby thing. You can lean wit it or you can rock wit it. But that’s about it. Seriously. I had to focus on not going to sleep. If it weren’t for all the simple rhyme schemes and basic level content, I’d say he actually sounds a little like Scarface. 

Don’t Play Wit It is similar. Slow-paced, real easy to follow. Almost too easy. The first time through I found myself finishing Joc’s rhymes for him (which is usually not a good thing). Labelmate Big Gee comes on and rips it though, with a solid 16 that got me hype for a quick second.  Witty, quick, clever. On Dope Boy Magic we learn that Young Joc is a 95 Madden fan. Oh, and that he’s a dope boy. Patron is a decent ode to that dranky drank…the only problem is that that it sounds exactly like It’s Goin Down! Same verses, same beat. Go figure.  Flip Flop is somehow even more laid back: mellow and smoothed out with a female cooing in the background. A couple of cameos don’t really add much…

I’m Him clears up just how much Yung Joc actually loves Yung Joc. In fact, not only does he claim to be literal pimp, drug dealer, hustler, and killer he also claims to be fly. Hear Me Coming switches things up a bit. The flow is considerably more hype, but I kept waiting for T.I. to come in at any second. In any case Yung Joc does challenge the notion that he’s a one-hit wonder, calling himself the rookie of the year.

I Know You See It is the best track on the album. It too sounds just like It’s Goin Down but the sing-song hook is perfect for radio. Plus the guest verse by Miss B is hard enough to forgive her for sounding a tad bit like Trina. 1^st Time is an r&b duet on which Marques Houston sings a saucy hook about having sex and falling in love. It was hard getting past 26 seconds. Knock It Out is more like it. Clearly better suited to the thug demographic, the hook goes something like:

“Beeeeeeattt it up. (all night I’ma) Beeeeeeeat it up.
Know the pussy out, knock it out, knock it out.”

Finally, Picture Perfect is Joc’s attempt at social commentary, which I actually give him credit for. He keeps it real without preaching and pulls it off with a minimum level of hypocrisy. 

“Niggas in these videos with these multiplatinum projects/Can’t even get a credit card and their mama still in the projects.”

So let’s review. New Joc City tells us that Yung Joc is a hustler and a pimp, although he is somewhat confused about his stance with the ladies. He likes to take…..his…..time with the flow, and isn’t afraid to call it as he sees it. Sure he sounds a little like Young Jeezy, and a little like T.I. (o.k. a lot like T.I.); but if you can look past the reused lines, the played out reference to a ghetto classic, the fact that he barely even mentions Atlanta and the dull mood plaguing most of the album, then New Joc City is worth a listen. Maybe.