Life is about repetition. We repeat things over and over again to improve on a certain craft or just because it's a force of habit. For Atlanta's Jeezy, repetition means both. Using the same formula that propelled him to stardom some odd years ago when he stepped on the scene with his classic mixtape Trap or Die. That same ambition and cockiness grabbed the attention of the streets and major labels as Trap or Die set the tone for his Def Jam debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 to rack a million in sells. The rest was history as they would say it, but over the past couple of years the climate of the game has changed. Jeezy had to sit back and watch his fellow Atlanta rival Gucci Mane garner mainstream exposure, and deal with the backlash of critics and fans alike question his position in the rap game. For those who thought the Snowman had fell off, Jeezy returns with the sequal to his monster mixtape with Trap or Die 2: By Any Means Necessary, just a couple months before his highly anticiapted TM103 hits stores. The controversial cover features a Malcolm X-inspired Jeezy (hince the "By Any Means Necessary" subtitle). DJ Don Cannon hosts the mixtape taking over for DJ Drama (who hosted the first TOD). "Damn my nigga you still here? They thought you fell off by now", says DJ Don Cannon on the mixtape opener "Introduction" Jeezy takes time to re-introduce himself and remind you what's his number one priority: money. "That money is like a movie/ Just something you have to see/ You just can't say you real/ It's just something you gotta be..." The ballistic "Trap Or Die Reloaded" is sure to damage speakers and break a few laws for disturbing the peace, while the Hov-influenced-hook on "Hood Politics" only purpose is to motivate while captivate you with it's steller production. Jeezy strentghs has always been his delivery and production choices. The mixtape contains a mixture of sonic gems. The soulful "Time" finds Jeezy taking listeners on a journey down memory lane, and the horn-driven "Greatest Trapper Alive" is classic Jeezy. The Snowman manages to entertain the bulk of the disc alone, with a few carefully-placed guest features. The Clipse ride shotgun on "Ill'in" as Pusha T leaves both his brother Malice and Jeezy in the dust with his ever impressive wordplay. Trick Daddy and Scarface make a cameo on "Ride Wit Me" and Plies pops up on the TM103 single "Lose My Mind". With a mixtape that's 22 tracks deep you're sure to bump into some filler tracks. The lackluster- Don Cannon produced- "D-Boyz" finds Jeezy covering no new grown, and "Insane" is a lazy effort. Jeezy topics stay basic (trappin', money, hoes, and clothes) and that's the only thing that hurts this disc from being another classic. You can't expect to top a classic, if you still talking about the same topics from the last go around. Where Jeezy lacks in growth, he makes up with charisma and top notch production. Trap or Die 2 proves that Jay Jenkins is still a force in the music industry, and we should think twice about saying he's washed up. Though not the classic as the first TOD, it still contains the key elements that make up Jeezy, and his relentlessness to stay ahead of the game by any means necessary. I rate this 4/5
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