The first time I saw the DipSet Anthem video my world was changed.
It had this loud obnoxious swag that just clicked with me as a pubescent boy. The one thing that stood out from that video was this one Nigga with a Perm. I didn't know what he did but he rapped along with every verse like he wrote the shit himself. The more I got into The Diplomats the more I saw this dude, he never rapped but he was always there. I used my slow ass 56k modem and discovered that his name was Jim Jones, and he was Cam'Ron's right hand man.
Flash forward about 15 years and Jim Jones is known in his own right as a Rapper. The craziest part is for his credit Jim Jones is consistent as a musician. Jim was never a great rapper but he always had a great vision. Jimmy is always Jimmy no matter what, so lets get into Wasted Talent.
I like Jim because his albums have a point. Some artists just say "here's some songs I recorded" and put out an Album. Not Jim Jones. Jim lets you know from the Jump that this shit is not a game. Jim Jones albums are like Personal Trainer workouts, this will be painful, you will get mad, but it will eventually make you a better person.
Jim Jones is not a great rapper, but he's not a terrible one either. He's like a Lays Potato Chip, you'll never be excited for him but if he's offered you'll ride with it. It's pretty impressive given the fact that it's clear Jim taught himself how to rap and how to make songs. Listening to him rap is like watching a kid teach himself how to ride a bike, he may stumble but he'll still get where he needs to go.
If you need an album to give you that extra push to Bench 225, listen to Wasted Talent. Jim Jones is all about pushing himself to the limit. So much so that at some points the flow breaks down because he reaches the edge of his rapping ability.
Where Jim shines the best is when he makes songs with his Diplomat Brothers. It might be controversial to say but in the year 2018 Jim Jones is the best member of the Diplomats. When he does songs with Juelz or Cam he finds an extra gear and shows his best self. Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't have much Dipset on it so Jim doesn't exactly shine.
I don't hate this Wasted Talent, this album reminds me of the guy at the gym who works out in Timbs, sloppy but efficient. If this was 1998 Jim Jones would easily go platinum with this effort. Unfortunately its 2018 and Jim Jones work ethic is still outshined by DipSet's legacy. I give Wasted Talent 5 Pull Ups on a Traffic Signal out of 10.