AMG Review of Hardest Pit in the Litter

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Big Pokey's major-label debut, Hardest Pit in the Litter, is firmly entrenched in Dirty South tradition, borrowing from such hardcore Texas rappers as the Geto Boys. The music itself doesn't show much imagination -- it's basically lean, spare, and hard-hitting, heavy on the bass -- but Big Pokey is a strong rapper. True, he doesn't show much range as far as his topics go, but his rhymes have energy, which elevates Hardest Pit in the Litter to slightly above average status, even though the material is a little too uneven.