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Fiend: the 17th Ward soldier is the very definition of the phrase "pent-up aggression." There was no one quite like him before he signed with No Limit and there certainly hasn't been anyone like him since. Not only my top pick as the most volatile, aggressive, energetic, and downright charismatic rapper that has EVER come out of the No Limit stable, but damn talented with the writtens as well. Fiend is living proof that No Limit did have some talent hidden beneath the outright mediocrity they eventually began to mass produce. No Limit fans, Fiend fans, and Fiend himself will tell you this over and over again... he's the baddest mother(cough) alive. Believe it.

Standing toe-to-toe with Master P's "Ghetto D" is no easy task, but Fiend's "There's One in Every Family" manages to be everything that "Ghetto D" was... and wasn't (in a good way). First and foremost, KLC, Craig B., Carlos Stephens and the rest of the Beats by the Pound crew deliver some of the funkiest, bounciest beats I've ever heard from them. A vast array of styles are covered musically. The crew's production is, of course, very dark at times, and the synths are omnipresent, but the album has this overt funkiness that makes quite the satisfying blend for Fiend's boisterous delivery and tough lyrics.

In fact, it's a wonder that this album didn't gain more exposure BECAUSE of the excellent Beats by the Pound production. Though it may not be mainstream enough for most listeners and there really is no clear-cut radio-ready single, nearly every song hits hard no matter the approach BbtP take. Synths, piano keys, mandolins, the skittering hi-hats; it's all in here and it sounds as good as it's ever sounded.

Fiend was the rare exception on the No Limit roster that was both intelligent and thuggish. There are a number of songs dedicated to inner-city angst and unruliness, life's uncertainty's, and, typically, growing up in the ghetto. Hell, Fiend even touches on his own mortality and the problems he's faced dealing with the death of his brother because, in his words, "we both share the same mother." Fiend is topically diverse and that is what seperates this so drastically from other No Limit releases. He is also a fantastic rapper that indulges in wit, self-parody, and also random humor. No two tracks are the same and this makes "There's One in Every Family" refreshing.

If there was any No Limit rapper that could've carried an album by his lonesome, it was Fiend. It's a shame, then, that this album is loaded with countless guest appearances that pull the spotlight off of him. Master P, Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker, Mia X, UGK, Mystikal, Big Ed, Kane & Abel, Soulja Slim, Full Blooded and others appear at least once. Some appear multiple times. Fiend's follow-up record, "Street Life," had very few guest appearances, but is much less enjoyable, ironically.

Fiend, like many of P's ex-soldiers, never gained the noteriety of the Miller brothers. That's how P marketed them. Although Fiend moved over a million units on No Limit between his first and second records, he has always been the very definition of a "cult rapper." But if there are any No Limit enthusiasts out there that know of Fiend but have never bothered with one of his solo records, seek this out. It's very pricey, used or new, but it's worth every penny.

9/10