MY WORLD - RON ARTEST
With this debut, the easily agitated Kings forward quickly joins the fraternity of All-Star hoopsters who couldn’t be talked out of the rap thing (charter members: Allen “Jewels” Iverson, K.O.B.E. and Shaq-Fu). Artest wouldn’t know a cliche-free lyric if it threw a cup of beer at him. Over an unconscionable 72 minutes, the Tru Warier — who, no joke, purports at one point to hail from the country of Musica — decides that haters are bad, repping his hood is good and strip clubs are fun. And “Haterz,” his response to the embarrassing 2004 rushing-the-stands brawl that got him suspended for a season, involves calling Matt Lauer a girl and comparing himself to Jesus. Amateurish and unpleasant. Billboard
