He’s a rap innovator, a business-savvy tycoon and one of the music industry’s most consistent success stories. Yes, E-40 is all those things, but he’s probably best known as a slang creator, a man whose distinctive gift of gab gets lifted and used in the rhymes of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and others. Now, the man with the terrific tongue returns with his most polished product to date, the imaginatively titled The Ball Street Journal.


“Anything that rolls off the tongue slick and is catchy, that’s where it’s at,” E-40 explains. “The Ball Street Journal just flew off the tongue and it’s memorable. This traces everything from the beginning to now. I’ve been through hard times and I’ve been through good times. It’s like a discography of how my life has been, because I touch down on a lot of different angles on the album. It covers all angles of the game.”


Given his status as a rap music and rap business pioneer, E-40 justifiably kicks off The Ball Street Journal with “Ambassador.” Here, over a ridiculously catchy Rick Rock beat complete with a choice Digable Planets sample, 40 Water gives a Cliff’s Notes version of his musical legacy. “What I’ve done over 20 years defies logic,” he says. “I’ve got a chance to see cats come and go. It’s not normal for somebody to be in the game this long and to still be able to keep up with the Joneses, or to do better than the Joneses. I’m OG, but I’m still current and cold. Let me tell those who don’t know how long I’ve been in the game, what I’ve established and see how I’ve paved the way for those that are rapping now.”
He’s a rap innovator, a business-savvy tycoon and one of the music industry’s most consistent success stories. Yes, E-40 is all those things, but he’s probably best known as a slang creator, a man whose distinctive gift of gab gets lifted and used in the rhymes of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and others. Now, the man with the terrific tongue returns with his most polished product to date, the imaginatively titled The Ball Street Journal.


“Anything that rolls off the tongue slick and is catchy, that’s where it’s at,” E-40 explains. “The Ball Street Journal just flew off the tongue and it’s memorable. This traces everything from the beginning to now. I’ve been through hard times and I’ve been through good times. It’s like a discography of how my life has been, because I touch down on a lot of different angles on the album. It covers all angles of the game.”