Live From the Ghetto

LIVE FROM THE GHETTO is in fact a studio recording.Personnel: Big Hutch; Above the Law, Kokane, KMG, Vietnam .In jazz, blues, and folk, it isn't uncommon for an artist to reach his/her commercial peak after 30 (or even after 40). But rap is another matter. An extremely youth-obsessed medium, hip-hop has long had an "out with the old, in with the new" attitude -- which is why so many MCs will peak at 21 or 22 and quit recording altogether by the time they hit 30. But Gregory Hutchinson (aka Cold 187um or Big Hutch) has stayed in the game longer than a lot of rappers; the Los Angeles-based MC joined Above the Law in 1989 and was still providing gangsta rap 15 years later. Lyrically, Hutch's second solo album, Live From the Ghetto, doesn't break any new ground for the veteran rapper, who continues to rhyme about the dangers of life in the 'hood and the abundance of players, ballers, hustlers, thugs, and hardheads one is likely to encounter on the tough streets of South Central L.A. But by