AMG Review of Retaliation

Jason Birchmeier
All Music Guide

Keak da Sneak joined the Black Market roster of West Coast hardcore rappers after some albums for Moe Doe for Retaliation. It's a logical partnership: Keak is about as hardcore as hardcore rappers get, and Black Market was the West Coast's premier hardcore rap label in 2002. Despite Black Market's large roster of affiliates, there are only a few guest appearances on the album -- Scheem ("Squash Suckers"), Cilla Caine ("Shockn Niggaz"), Killa Tay ("Shockn Niggaz"), and Ager-Man ("Life Ain't Playin With You") -- and three producers handle the majority of the beats: Lamont Blackshire, One Drop Scott, and KG.