perspective on how the hard-knock life is. "I Got It" is her theme song, and the gritty street-wise details of her rhymes, along with the elegantly bruised hurt in her voice, let you hear how hard she worked to get it.

In the amazing title track, Amil paints a picture of a thug world where everything's up for sale, where the strong prey on the weak, where the ladies keep losing more the longer they play the game. She finds her consolation in God ("Smile 4 Me"), sisterhood ("Girlfriend"), and da fam ("For da Fam"). But the music offers a surprisingly consistent background of bass bump, and Amil's flow doesn't falter at all -- she gleams like the ice in her glass as well as the ice on her wrist. This year has seen a strong crop of female rappers, but Amil already sounds like she's ready for a spot on the all-star team. (RS 848)

ROB SHEFFIELD