Beanie Sigel

Earning the nickname Broad Street Bully for a punishing, brutal rhyme style and unforgiving portraits of Philadelphia crime life, Beanie Sigel has acted as Roc-A-Fella's muscle. Coming up under Jay-Z's benevolent wings, Sigel debuted in 1999 with The Truth, featuring the searing title track (produced by a then-unknown Kanye West) and other grim entries, such as the prison tale "What Ya Life Like." The monochromatic delivery, with it's simplistic yet effective wordplay, and the limited variety of content takes a toll. For his sophomore effort, Beanie lightened up a bit, engaging the club-track template on songs like "Beanie" and remaking an EPMD classic with Roc cohort Memphis Bleek, "So What You Saying." Sigel played to his strengths with songs like the West-produced "Nothing Like It" and the emotional "Mom Praying," with Scarface. Sadly, Sigel proved just how real he kept it when he found himself in a heap of legal trouble that stemmed from various 2002 and 2003 incidents in. His career seems to be indefinitely derailed. (CHRIS RYAN)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide