August 13, 2003 @ 8:39 am

Julez Santana - From Me To You (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)

by: Jon Caramanica

The Dip Set’s boy toy, Juelz Santana was a welcome sparkplug on Cam’Ron’s breakout hit “Oh Boy” and many a hot 16 on the Diplomats album.

The Dip Set’s boy toy, Juelz Santana was a welcome sparkplug on Cam’Ron’s breakout hit “Oh Boy” and many a hot 16 on the Diplomats album. But while the 18-year-old Santana is far more energetic than Killa Cam (as seen on the perky Neptunes knockoff “Ladies” and the wistful “Hold the Fuck Up”), his start-stop style just isn’t as suave as the boss man’s, making his flaws all the more glaring. One of those—his raw, relentless misogyny—is mildly countered on “Jealousy,” where Santana regrets resolving a dispute over infidelity with violence. On other tracks, like “You’re Gonna Love Me” and “OK OK,” Santana is drowned out, and sometimes saved, by producers the Heatmakerz, whose old-soul template is simultaneously bombastic and warm. Where they don’t sample, they ostentatiously revise. But the real sound clash here is Santana vs. good taste and style, whether he’s calling himself “a young Mohammed Atta” or egging on a girl to deep throat. A more mature artist might have been able to pull it off, but probably wouldn’t have tried.

Article tags: Julez, Santana, Me, You, Roc-A-Fella/Def, Jam

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