by Jason BirchmeierAnother in P. Diddy's line of successors to the departed Notorious B.I.G., G. Dep joined fellow Harlem rapper Black Rob during Bad Boy's early-2000s rebuilding era. As executive producer, Diddy does practically everything he can on Child of the Ghetto to make it a strong debut for Dep: guest appearances by Rakim and Kool G Rap, features for most of the concurrent Bad Boy roster, a multitude of first-rate productions (courtesy of the low-profile yet impressive in-house producers), a pair of radio-ready singles ("Special Delivery," "Let's Get It"), a few character-developing skits, and plenty of glossy photos in the CD booklet. Diddy no doubt invested a lot into the album. Dep, on the other hand, struggles to rise to the occasion. He's a gifted rapper, and he seems plenty motivated; however, there are too many moments over the course of this 20-track album when he seems adrift, like he's following marching orders rather than leading the procession. This no doubt has a lot to do with the scenario: it seems fairly obvious that Diddy has cast Dep into a predetermined role, and while the latter sometimes transcends that role, there are few surprises on Child of the Ghetto. The promise of Dep's talent and the liveliness of the productions are eclipsed by the generic quality of the material, which, like most Bad Boy output of this era, is painfully generic and, at times, cliché. A few songs here are worthwhile, namely the aforementioned singles and "I Am," the Rakim/Kool G Rap collabo, but from beginning to end, Child of the Ghetto is less than compelling.