E-40 The Best of E-40: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Personnel: E-40 (rap vocals); Lil' Mo (vocals); Too $hort, Fabolous, Federation, Cedric Hailey , Mac Shon, Rankin' Scroo, Suga T, B-Legit, Cotton Mouf, Bone Crusher (rap vocals).

While he may never be a household name, Oakland, California's idiosyncratic E-40 has done more than many rappers to warrant a greatest-hits collection. He earned his reputation on the Southern California mixtape market prior to scoring a surprise minor hit in 1994 with "Captain Save a Hoe" off of his first major release. Although he never matched that success, E-40 released nearly an album a year after that, and garnered regional stardom in both California and the Dirty South. A master of slang with a truly unique vocal delivery (a sort of Southern drawl that reinvents words as he speaks them), E-40 is well represented on this 2004 compilation.

THE BEST OF E-40: YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW expertly offers an overview of the underrated rapper's career. His greatest skill lies in laid-back, smooth-but-funky R&B made distinctive by his wandering voice, best evidenced on the singles "Rapper's Ball" and "Sprinkle Me." Other highlights include the funky "Da Bumble" and the fierce "Automatic" (with Fabolous). E-40 also adds to his legacy with a new track, the requisitely catchy and clever "Thick & Thin."