caffeine said:
im going with A lesson to be learned..
Well, yeah, the two are both classics and both deserve a 10/10, but I'd give a slight nod to RUTHLESS BY LAW over LESSON, because RUTHLESS BY LAW was where the guys kind of created their OWN musical sound, whereas LESSON was mainly samples (which were excellently used, don't get me wrong).
But RUTHLESS was based on the P-Funk influenced synth vibe that Dre, Cold 187Um and Daz (with the Dogg Pound) had invented and perfected, but Black C. and Mr. C. gave it a more dark, "smoky" kind of ambience that made it original for RBL. That's what made that CD stand out for me.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE and HOSTILE TAKEOVER took some getting used to, mainly because Mr. C's image was so specific as an "identity" for RBL (like Eazy-E's was for NWA) that it was hard to imagine them continuing without him. But Black C., Hitman and the others did a dope job, IMHO. I'd give both of those CDs an 8/10. I wouldn't consider them first purchases, but they're great to get once you have the first two.
PEACE!