Oakland’s rap scene is comprised of so many different varieties of underground stuffs that it’s really difficult to keep track of. That being said, the Hieroglyphics Crew is one of the higher profile denizens of that town. Being on the scene for so long doesn’t ensure quality – and in fact it would seem that the crew has seen the past decade be nothing short of a series of ups and downs.

Coming off a ‘90s high when the sub-strata rap scene was seemingly set to take over the genre, most of the Heiro affiliated emcees went in on a spate of albums that didn’t do too much to solidify anyone’s legacy, but probably made folks a few dollars and enabled all involved to tour a bit. Del the Funky Homosapien is obviously the biggest name to come out of that crew. But Casual has been able to issue work that’s almost as indispensible as his brethren’s releases - almost.

Contributing to the few Heiro Crew releases, Casual has recorded more work than most of his cohort – again, save for Del. But the lack of consistency is what comes across as a problem. Issuing Fear Itself back in 1994, one might have guessed that the future was going to be nothing short of stardom and success. After a sizable hiatus from recording, the Oakland emcee issued Meanwhile to little fanfare and followed that effort up with He Think He Raw in 2001.

With broken English displayed in its title, fans may have guessed that the disc was a bit of a departure for Casual. It can’t be figured that his earlier work was all a concerted effort to right the wrongs he perceived in society, but it all seemed a far cry from tracks like “Mine in a Bad Way.” On that offering, Casual speaks on the problems he encounters which preclude him from having a simple, easy going day. It’s a sentiment that we can all appreciate, but with the inclusion of pimps and hoes, which seem to take up too much of the narratives on He Think He Raw, there’s not too a lot for folks to grab on to and associate themselves with – well, most folks. “Snaggle Puss” suffers from this as well.

Of course on tracks like “New Wave Freak” it’s relatively easy to bypass any sort of criticism after taking a listen to the beat. A surprisingly in-organic drum program is supplemented by a keyboard line, which attempts to approximate a horn sound, while the lyrical content still makes mention of women in two-dimensional terms. The hook speaking on “pretty feet,” though is gonna be disconcerting regardless of where such a reference crops up.

If Fear Itself was Casual’s major musical contribution to hip hop, He Think He Raw is the emcee’s attempt to augment his previous statement. He doesn’t drastically change his approach to music, but sometimes updating material just doesn’t work out. Regardless, a few tracks over the course of the album’s run time are relatively entertaining to listen to, just not worth revisiting.