Reviewed by Tony Cummings

At least one review I've read had problems with this album for its tendency to diss the Devil but as far as I'm concerned such an in-your-face approach is appropriate considering that T-Bone is a master of the gangsta rap style. Full of aggression and with a seriously hard street beat. Yes, for my money, this is the best Christian rap album ever produced, full of memorable hooks and his legendary rapid-tongued verbal explosions. "Madd Skillz" has become a UCB Cross Rhythms favourite with its infectious "throw your hands in the air" chorus while "Thief In The Night" with a meaty black gospel choir asking us are we ready for the Judgment Day. If your tastes are more surreal try T-Bone's memorable evocation of a post-rapture end times with our hero being beheaded in the final sequence (!) or a song built up from an absurd conversation our rapper hero had when he went looking for his manager Dave. Throughout, the beats are phat and the rapping nothing short of sensational. Only a limited number of this import seem available in the UK shops but it's certainly worth searching out as 'Tha Life Of A Hoodlum' definitely demonstrates that T-Bone has no peers in the field of holy hip-hop.

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