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Jul 25, 2014This mixtape--his third strong one in the last year or so--features some of his most accessible material, songs that pair the savage darkness of mid-1990s West Coast gangster rap with huge, bombastic choruses, as if the one thing that excites him is the chance to be widely heard.
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Jul 25, 2014On By Any Means, he comes off worthy of the acclaim, spitting vivid street stories that range from gut-wrenching to endearing all while demonstrating a serious knack for songwriting.
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Jul 25, 2014Production-wise, the album sounds as if it could have easily slipped from any number of top tier rap labels, yet with Gates at the helm, the journey is deeper, darker and far more invigorating than anything from the last couple of years with a Rozay, Em or Hov co-sign.
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Jul 25, 2014With By All Means he completes a three-release run that's as solid as any in recent memory, even if the answer to the question of whether he has another gear in him remains unanswered for the time being.
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Jul 25, 2014By Any Means is a lean 56 minutes, though Gates still finds room to entertain his schizophrenic tendencies.
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Jul 25, 2014At 16 full-length tracks (there are no skits here), By Any Means makes it easy for listeners to take what they want from Gates.