One of the major problems with the record industry these days is that artist grooming is a thing of the past. In the good ol' days (where artists were jacked for every cent), labels would take a raw talent and groom it into a Stevie Wonder or a Marvin Gaye, and years later they'd develop their own viewpoint and create some truly magnificent music. These days, with so many artists being juggled, labels don't invest that kind of time in the music, and incredible talents can fall short due to their own inexperience.

Take "the waterproof MC" Ras Kass -- without a doubt one of the best lyricists on the West Coast, if not worldwide. The whiplash method he uses to twist phrases around your head is probably illegal in twelve states, and his intellect is bolstered by massive amounts of research and study. He's a renaissance MC for the next millenium.

Then again, he likes hanging out in strip clubs, likes promiscuous sex, drinking, and several other self destructive behaviors. He not only acknowledges this duality, he promotes and revels in it.

With that in mind, it's hard to look at Rassassination with one mind, as it is really almost two albums. The album (Ras' 2nd major label release, not counting the underground Remain anonymouS) has hip hop classics like "Interview With A Vampire" (a discussion between God, Lucifer and Ras Kass), the rowdy "Wild Pitch" with Xzibit and Jah Skillz from the 5 Futaz, the surprisingly solid "Ghetto Fabulous" with Dr. Dre and Mack 10, and the jarring title cut, and looks like the kind of sunlight peeking over the horizon that we've all been waiting for.

Then you hear songs like the tedious and irritating "Lap Dance," or the anachronistic "Grindin,'" and you think Ras must have lost his flippin' mind. The M-16 style he is known for is mostly slowed down for less quick minded audiences (save a guest shot with Twista which showed Ras at his fastest), and sounds simply out of place when he's farthest from the pure MCing he's best known for. Ras Kass as a player rapper? With Do or Die, King Tee, and a string of other specialists puttin' it down way better in that field, why bother? Ras is at his finest ("I'm lookin' for salvation like the Cranberries" he says at one point, a representative of how widely his nets are cast) when playing to his strengths.

Unfortunately, this album joins those of Saafir, Canibus, Chino XL and Nas as one from a brilliant lyricist who only knows how to bang a whole song half the time. Even thought the album quickly abandons its brilliant premise of looking at the future from a well developed "Endtro," "rassassinating" the head of the New World Order, it's still well worth the purchase price. More than 50% of the songs are 100% brilliant, and even in the songs of lesser quality Ras will drop a lyrical gem you'll be quoting to your boys. We can only hope that this true talent will have the time to develop into a complete artist that can bring us a Songs in The Key Of Life for hip hop.