Review: Lil Sin – Frustrated By Death

Lil Sin – Frustrated By Death is one of his darker album filled with dark depressing subject matter. Many of the songs revolve around the subject of death.

Lil Sin – Frustrated By Death was Lil Sin’s best album. This has to be one of the most wanted hip hop/rap albums to have ever come out of Texas and San Antonio along with Suthern Merchandise – Suthern Stress. When Frustrated By Death by Lil Sin is sold online, the album goes for such astronomical prices! All of Lil Sin’s albums are underrated classics as his albums have always been very underrated overlooked. The album has the funky smooth laid G-Funk production from Ricé’s signature production style of double bass and double guitars on top of high quality sound.

Ricé produced a bulk of the album using his signature production style of quadruple layers which is double synths, double bass, and double guitars. While Rice performed on instruments on a majority of the songs, Finesse 1 and Michael Parker had produced a bulk of his debut album. Despite there being Ricé’s sound all over the album, Finesse 1, Ricé, Inez, Mike McGarity, C-Ordell, and Clyde H. Williams (Suga Bear) were the producers for this album. Denise James (now Denise White) sings the background vocals and Daryll Surratt played the guitars. Denise James is on the vocals with Ricé as well. Lil Sin only collaborated with San Antonio artists on his first album. For instance such as C-Ordell, Ricé, and Lil Acid.

A side note for those who don’t know, He started out on BLVD Records with Clyde Williams III aka Sugabear and C-Ordell in 1994 while working on C-Ordell’s Under Investigation album. They both got him started in the music business and so did his father Ronald Warner Sr. (R.I.P.). Lil Sin (Ronnie Warner Jr.) is from the Eastside of San Antonio (Eastwood). Lil Sin is a mix of Scarface, 2Pac, Tela, and Devin The Dude.

The intro starts off with harmonious church organs and church bells in the background. Hands can be heard clapping. A priest is speaking at a funeral where everyone is gathered. Lil Sin is the one who is being buried. The priest talks about how Lil Sin was a rebel and a soldier. Lil Sin was bad to the bone.

On the title track Frustrated By Death, Lil Sin learns that death is inevitable. Lil Sin learns that every living thing on Planet Earth dies. He sees things clearly in a whole other world. His sanity is gone.

Ricé uses his signature production sound on the song Frustrated By Death with those quadruple layers which is double synths, double bass, and double guitars. One thing’s for sure is that Ricé sure knows how to put together a masterpiece song. Ricé, a well known producer from San Antonio, is in the background vocals. You’ll love the heavy synths used on this song.

Lil Sin expresses his feelings towards the loss of his friend Winston Horne (Gangsta Horne) on the song Gangsta Horne. Lil Sin was going through grief due to the fact that his friend and homeboy Gangsta Horne (Winston Horne) had died in a driveby with Crips. All it took was one blast from a gat. Now Lil Sin is in a fucked up situation. Lil Sin can’t bring Gangsta Horne back. Tears are there from Lil Sin.

19 year old Winston Horne was shot and killed at the corner of East Houston Street and New Braunfels Street sound 2 AM Thursday, January 5, 1995. Winston Horne was caught in the cross fire of a heated exchange and was fatally wounded. Gangsta Horne (Winston Horne) had died in a driveby with Crips.

Red Eyes is a song dedicated to all those weed smokers out there smoking joints, smoking on blunts, puffin’ on blunts, and drankin’ on tanqueray. Another G-Funk laced track! Fuck yeah! Lil Sin feelin’ high as a kite smoking up in Plentz Park down in San Antonio with C-Ordell and Lil Acid. BLVD is getting high too! Ain’t nothin’ but a BLVD thang! Red Eyes uses interpolated samples of Toto – Africa, Toto – Georgy Porgy, and Rick James – Mary Jane.

Final Cry is about Lil Sin coping with the death of his father Ronald Warner Sr. Lil Sin learns that every living thing on Planet Earth dies. The song is about coping with death.

Finesse 1 was the producer for Final Cry as he was the original producer for the song. Big Twin produced the beats for Final Cry while Ricé performed on the guitar. Big Meat, Suga Bear, Big Twin, Lil Sin, and C-Ordell the road hard on this one. This is because they are real musicians.

For those who don’t know, this version of Final Cry is a remix from the original version of Final Cry that was on C-Ordell’s Under Investigation album from 1994. The original version with C-Ordell had that Southern US swang to it. It has that G-Funk production sound with heavy guitars played by Ricé. Both songs deal with the death of Lil Sin’s father, Ronald Warner Sr.

Lil Sin is begging for his final cry. Lil Sin has been so hard with himself. He can’t let loose. There ain’t no reason why. His stress causing himself too much internal pain. There’s no clouds above his heart. Why does he keep on feeling rain? His pain is so deep. He can’t help himself. He has an in-person conversation with his mother as he tries to explain to her that he needs some help. Lil Sin tries to relax but his mind wonders about death. Days keep on passing by and Lil Sin sees his time is coming. Lil Sin sees his time of death is coming eventually.

He has thoughts of laying in the dirt. Lil Sin wants to join his father in heaven but the wait is too long. The horns blew and his father went into heaven’s gates. Now who’s to blame for this tragedy? There is no pain and suffering as he rests in peace. This is what it’s meant to be. Eternal life was just all a lie. Nothing lives forever in this world. So we all will die. So many years of his life wasted. His soul is filled with so much anger as he begs for his final cry.

11 Overs is about the life a sneaky drug dealer who is able to evade law enforcement as he makes careful maneuvers with his transactions. However he eventually gets caught. 11 Overs was produced by Finesse 1 and Ricé. This is a tight gangsta rap track!

On 11 Overs, Lil Sin has crack cocaine on his lap and the laws are on his ass, fool. Ya’ll better come with it! Be damned if Lil Sin gets caught! Check it out while you motherfuckers hear Lil Sin on this track. Peep game. Niggaz be packin’ glocks. Dope sales and clienteles got Lil Sin nervous.

Lil Sin thinks of fatal thoughts of dying young while in the process of selling crack cocaine. Ain’t no shorts in the drug game. Lil Sin says he’s on a late night creep. He cooked 11 Overs. He does get caught in the middle of the song. He don’t trust nobody no more. His income gets larger and larger every time he makes a sale or a transaction.

38 Reasons has that G-Funk sound too as nearly all Hip Hop/Rap albums did in the mid 90s. The song was recorded in 1995 with Ricé. Ricé is singing in the background vocals. Lil Sin dedicated this song to 2Pac.

Lil Sin never sleeps on his enemies. Lil Sin has fatal thoughts of being killed. He does commit a homicide by killing someone which he admitted to in this song. Lil Sin is quick to start static with his automatic. He is basically robbing people. Lil Sin is smoking weed in at da crib in the middle of the song. Lil Sin is feeing high. He had killed someone and now he’s in a sticky situation. The lyrics “I did my dirt all by my lonely.” explained exactly how he was living at one time.

Lil Sin explains how he lives his life on the streets of San Antonio, Texas as he lives that criminal lifestyle on the song Streets. The streets have taken Lil Sin under and now he lives a life of crime. Lil Sin is high. He is killing people. The glock is in his hand. Talking about murder in the first degree and putting people in body bags. The streets are nothing nice. Lil Sin is paranoid. The laws are catching up to him. The production and beats on point! This is a gangsta rap track also!

Lil Sin wonders what life is like in the afterlife and wonders what life is like after death postmortem on Mind Keeps Wondering. Lil Sin wonder what happens to him after death. I love the production skills! Denise James sings in the background vocals over Ricé’s signature production of

Whatever It Takes samples and is a cover version of Anita Baker – Whatever It Takes. This song is about searching for true love. It has that Stax/mid-70s soul sound to it. Love should be given. Anyone can say they love someone. Don’t fall back on your words. 3 quarters into the song, you can hear a couple having sexual intercourse.

Denise James sings some of the original lyrics which are used in this cover version. However most of the lyrics have been altered and changed.

I wonder what would happen
If you would trust in me

Whatever it takes to make you happy, baby
Whatever it takes to make you smile
Whatever it takes to make you feel good, baby

Bounce’n & Floss’n is jump a joint to bump to in your ride. The bass samples a bit So Ruff, So Tuff, by Roger Troutman of Zapp. It has that 80s soul and that 90s G-Funk sound! Something to listen in your Lowrider while 3 Wheel Motion. This is 96 G shit! Another SA anthem right here! References to Stevie Wonder, former San Antonio rap group P.K.O., and Nino of P.K.O. are made.

Party’n Wit Sin is a party joint. It has that 90s G-Funk sound. Ricé produced the song with heavy layers of double guitars and double bass.

Playa Hatas has some sick ass bass added to it produced by Ricé and Inez. C-Ordell is on this track playas! Lil Sin goes straight reggae on this track! C-Ordell kicked ass with his southern funky flow right with perfect timing! Playa Hatas a C-Ordell/Lil Sin cut.

Nina is a song about his girlfriend. Creeping through the alleyways of these SA-Town streets is Lil Sin with another G-Funk cut.

Deadman Talk’n is a C-Ordell cut. It has some sick ass bass lines and heavy blaring horn synths used on this track. Another G-Funk cut. The only downside is that it’s shorter than all songs on the rest of the album. That’s the only problem with this song right here. It should have included Lil Sin because this is his album.

The sixteenth track is the radio version of Mind Keeps Wondering. It is slightly remixed from the ninth track on the album. The treble is slight faded and reduced.

The Outro picks up where the Intro left off at the very beginning of this album. On the outro, a Sister is singing at the funeral of Lil Sin. Many people are mourning the loss of Lil Sin.

I rate this album 5/5*****!!