

Too often, incarceration and related legal woes have disrupted or derailed rappers at various points in their career ascent. Regardless of one’s guilt or innocence, the corresponding inability to get into the studio and work can transform a hitmaker into an also-ran. Pooh Shiesty is all too familiar with this scenario, serving three years in prison following the success of his Shiesty Season mixtape and its charting singles like “Back in Blood” and “Neighbors.” His subsequent release allowed the Memphis-born rapper to get back to making his long-awaited full-length debut. Yet mere months before the arrival of All Eyes On Shiest, he found himself back in federal custody, the tabloid headlines halting the momentum set by its presumed lead single “FDO.” Not surprisingly, Shiesty’s first-ever album’s subject matter includes thoughts and anecdotes from his stint behind bars, beginning with pressure-cooking opener “I’m Back” and the resilient “Last Man Breathin.” As he did on his earlier songs, he draws upon street lore galore for “Reckless Living” and the unrepentant “Bigger Than the Program.” Yet those who’d accuse him of glorifying a violent lifestyle will want to listen to “Reap What You Sow” all the way through, its scared-straight messaging directed at those who just aren’t built like him. As for guests, Shiesty keeps his circle here fairly tight. Repeat collaborator and fellow Memphis rapper BIG30 makes two appearances, first on the like-minded two-hander “Still on Timing” and later on the rambunctious posse cut “CMO Freestyle” with Baby Slime and K Carbon. The tone lightens comparatively for “Booty Club,” a raunchy Tay Keith production with Sexyy Red delivering a characteristically confident feature.