The Understanding

1	U Know Bleek (Intro) 1:51
2	Do My... / Jay-Z 3:39
3	I Get High 3:39
4	We Get Low 3:09
5	Change Up / Beanie Sigel 2:05
6	My Mind Right / Beanie Sigel Remix 4:05
7	Hustlers / Beanie Sigel 4:11
8	All Types of S*** 3:48
9	Pyt / Amil 3:58
10	Bounce B**** 3:33
11	They'll Never Play Me 3:39
12	Everyday / Carl Thomas 4:12
13	Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses) 4:54
14	In My Life 4:10

Barnes & Noble

Memphis Bleek is the baby-faced member of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella camp, but he's anything but young and innocent. On his debut effort, Coming of Age, Bleek announced his arrival on the rap scene with the Swizz Beatz-produced single "Memphis Bleek Is," which shouts out the New Yorker's favorite activities as "money, drugs, and murder for life." Most recently, Bleek, who first appeared on Jay's Reasonable Doubt, partnered with his mentor once again on the summer anthem "Hey Papi" from the Nutty Professor II soundtrack. With such an impressive track record, it's no wonder the stakes were high for Bleek's sophomore disc, The Understanding. Even so, he delivers the goods with a bevy of gritty, neck-snapping beats and guest shots from Roc family members Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Amil. "Hustlers" is a dramatic narrative featuring haunting vocals, while "All Types of S***" is a strings-accented ode to fast-paced street life. Carl Thomas chimes in on the melodic "Everyday," while Jay, H. Money Bags, and Sigel set off the remix "My Mind Right," which originally appeared on DJ Clue's Backstage Mixtape. The album's true gem, however, is the Timbaland-produced "Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)," a pounding posse cut featuring Jay, Twista, and Missy Elliott. With The Understanding, Bleek proves he can spar with the hip-hop heavyweights. Abby Addis

All Music Guide

For his second album, Jay-Z protégé Memphis Bleek makes small strides forward from his debut album, Coming of Age. Yet like Coming of Age, the tracks on The Understanding may be a level above those of most rap but still aren't in the same category as those of Jay-Z or the other superstars from New York's hardcore school of rap: Nas, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, and Raekwon. Jason Birchmeier