Chicago native Alias John Brown has cranked up his buzz due to a recent tour with André Nickatina and this 24-track anthology of new songs, singles, and freestyles. Combining gravelly vocals with smooth, rapid-fire flows, AJB's "an educated thug," he suggests on "Certified Mobsters," at ease among gangstas Amp Pachino and the Jacka though perhaps more at home dropping lines such as "We done put in more work than a sharecropper / But we ain't gettin' our fair share of the proper" alongside Planet Asia on "State to State." AJB charts an independent course, eschewing brand-name filler and dull bling in favor of timeless hip-hop themes, from partying ("Tear the Club Up") to a friend's violent death ("Dante"). The uptempo bounce of "Catch Yo Breath" would fit in nicely would fit in nicely alongside hits by... Mistah FAB. With much of its production divided between ... Aristotle and Chicago legend No I.D., FTNB' is authentically Bay even as its heavy Chi flavor makes it unique in a trend-chasing time.