Jaheim
Ghetto Love
(Warner Bros)
Grade: D+
Ghetto Love, from unknown rapper Jaheim, comes off as no more than a pathetic, unoriginal ode to the ghetto lifestyle and the love to be found there.
Jaheim has managed to create an album of clichˇ tracks about seduction and desire. The style he uses is one that combines both rap and more melodic elements to produce a rather soulful product.
The songs "Looking for Love" and "Heaven in my Eyes," however, could have been lifted from any D'Angelo or Montell Jordan album. The lyrics to these tracks are devoted solely to the goal of "getting the ladies in the mood," generally presenting nothing new.
In a sociologist's dream, the CD oddly combines such songs as "Lil Nigga Ain't Mine" and the title track, "Ghetto Love."
In the wake of such rap acts as Nelly, who simply glamorize the post-ghetto lifestyle and pack their songs with designer name brands, Jaheim sings about prison time, welfare checks and unwed teen moms while still residing in "tha hood."
While Jaheim's ideas seem sincere, the manner in which they are presented is nothing short of corny and trite. Part of the problem is the mid-song voice-overs about "real" social issues - one about leaving prison and the other about a man being trapped into fathering a child not his own.
"Ghetto Love" is a worthy attempt at yet another Barry White-inspired album with the spirit of Malcolm X.
However semi-artistic, Jaheim is doomed for small-market notoriety and will never be kickin' it at the same hot spots and chart tops as Puffy and Dre.
