somebody has potential

Conspiracy (Undeas/Big Beat)

Junior M. A. F. I. A.

By Kory Wilcoxson

The Junior M.A.F.I.A. are out to prove something. Not only can they rap about the gangsta life, they can live it, as proven by their extended intro story about defending their block. Vignettes are scattered throughout Conspiracy to backup this take-no-jive attitude.

The question is not can they live like gangstas; it is can they rap like them? That answer is a less than emphatic "yes." Conspiracy has potential, but the Mafia need to work out a few things first.

For example, who exactly is in this group. Rappers come and go on the songs like some fifteen-track house party. There's plenty of music, but you never know who has the mic. A few of the rappers, most notable Little Kim and The Notorious B. I. G., do some major damage when they are in control, and songs like "Realms of Junior M. A. F. l. A" and "Back Stabbers" pulsate with heavy beats and street-smart rhyming.

The members of the Mafia have developed that laid-back, it-ain't-no-thang style patented by Snoop Doggy Dogg, and for the most part they wear it well. All they need is a little structure to be truly lethal.