Cocoa Brovaz - The Rude Awakening (1998)

Once the Smith & Wesson gun company realized there was a pair of rappers performing under the name "Smif-N-Wessun," the duo had to change their name. They chose Cocoa Brovaz and released their second album, Rude Awakening (possibly a reference to their legal troubles), under that moniker in the spring of 1998. All things considered, the legal mishap was little more than a speed bump for the duo; the end result is every bit as good as their first effort, if not better. The pair of hardcore gangstas are still hurt by their reliance on clichés -- when it comes right down to it, they aren't offering any new insights, they're simply redoing the standard dope-money-guns-n-hoes line -- but they're saved by their energy and hard-hitting delivery. Usually, that makes the standard-issue music fairly compelling, but there are moments that drag on Rude Awakening, although not as many as on Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin'. In other words, it's an improvement and a step forward in Cocoa Brovaz developing their own identity.

01. Off the Wall
02. Still Standin Strong
03. Won on Won
04. Live at the Garden (Skit)
05. Blown Away
06. Money Talks
07. The Cash
08. Black Trump
09. Dry Snitch
10. Game of Life
11. Back 2 Life
12. Bucktown Usa
13. What They Call Him (Skit)
14. Hold it Down
15. Spanish Harlem
16. Myah Angelow
17. Memorial

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