From the first haunting violin chords of Heltah Skeltah's sophomore album Magnum Force, you can see the smoky streets of Brooklyn opening up around you. With the slightest tint of humor (peep the wink at Erykah Badu in the "Call Tyrone" skit), Ruckus and Rock -- two fifths of the Fab Five and the smoothest members of the military styled Boot Camp Clik -- bring you hard core lyrical gunfights and twisted phrases ready to keep you open in the '99.

"Just like the last one, only better," is how silver tongued Ruck speaks of this effort in the early bars of "Worldwide (Rock the World)." The album lacks a single standout hit like "Therapy" from the first project, which established these two as promising lyrical genii with something to offer. Still, songs like "I Ain't Havin That" (featuring a rowdy if unrepentant sample of A Tribe Called Quest's "Hot Sex On A Platter" as well as Fab Five partners Starang Wonder), "Magnum Force" with its tender guitars, and "Brownsville II Long Beach" featuring a reunited Dogg Pound, will keep this album bumping in homes in cars nationwide. Unlike their slower paced compadres, Heltah Skeltah seem to effortlessly flow just a bit faster than average with brilliant turns of phrases like, "So don't go there, queer, your rhymes boring still/ even if you did a jam featurin' Lauryn Hill."

Now, understand, parents will not want kids listening to these foul mouthed, gun toting (Magnum refers to a kind of weaponry), angry, intoxicated hooligans from Brooklyn. However, if you are of a more mature mind and age, this is some solid music. Besides, most of the music our parents listened to was made by wasn't exactly made by "model citizens," and it stands amongst the greatest musical accomplishments of our time. Overall, this is a bangin' hardcore album dedicated to hardcore fans of a hardcore art form.