After dropping two underground albums, E-40 came out with In A Major Way, which is an instant classic.  E-40 is from Vallejo, and after dropping this album he proved he had everything it took to be the next West Coast rap star.  His crazy, comical, hip style is a pleasure to listen to.  Also, the beats on this album are some of the best I've heard in a while.  They have a richness to them, which is real good.  Production comes from very accomplished producers like Sam Bostic and Mike Mosely, Studio Tone (who produced some tracks for Kurupt), Funk Daddy, and a few others.  Also, E-40 raps extremely fast on some tracks, and it took me a couple listens to get it when I first started listening to him a long time ago.  However, after a listen, everything sounds clear as a bell!  He's also got an amazing guest list: Tupac, Suga T, Mac Mall, Spice 1, B-Legit, Mac-Shawn, and Celly Cel to name a few.  But most of the tracks have E-40 going solo, which is good too, because it's good to see he's not just relying on others to guest on his album.  Overall the tracks sound "Hipper than a hippopotamous".