The Hip Hop Mortuary

The NEW JOINT IS

2011-05-22T21:16:00.001-07:00

ILLCUTS.COM

I done been blogging there for a second, or a few years, but check it out if you enjoyed this site.

Geto Boys - Geto Boys

2009-07-29T02:50:00.000-07:00

By the time that Geto Boys decided to pick up a mic and put their thoughts into music, the city of Houston was immediately put on the hip hop map. Bushwick Bill, the great Scarface, Willie D, and Dj Ready Red approached the rap game without compromises of any sort, speaking the raw truth, giving any censorship institution a great amount of work to do. "Geto Boys" was not their official first album, it was effectively their third, although it included several songs heard before on "Grip It! On That Other Level" and even one from "Making Trouble". Luckily for them, the great producer Rick Rubin decided to sign them on Def American, made a restyling work on 10 of the 13 total tracks (3 were new), and put the finished work on one album, mixing the quartet ghetto-oriented attitude with an even more aggressive sonic impact, a perfect environment for the drugs, sex & gangsta tales put on by the guys themselves.

What’s Hot

1. Fuck'Em - Straight Geto Boys attitude, nothing more, nothing less. The album gets a sudden start, it's opened by a Ready Red scratch followed by a gritty beat, the f-word is repeated countless times, and Willie D gives a taste of his aggressive rapping style, in this track he really stands out.

2. Size Ain'Shit - A Bushwick solo joint, where the lil' big man speaks about his size, which really doesn't matter because he's gonna bust your butt anyway...great beat, great rhythm.

4. Gangsta Of Love - You can hear "Sweet Home Alalbama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd all over the place, this is one of the greatest hip hop beats ever made, Rick Rubin rock/metal-oriented production gets all the credit. Lyrics are sick, must be 21 or older to listen to!

6. Life In The Fastlane - Scarface raps about his dope sellin' past over a fat beat, the harmonica lop gives the cut a unique texan flavor.

11. Scarface - A timeless classic, a great way to give new life to the "Paid In Full" beat. Al Pacino-type shit!

12. Let A Hoe Be A Hoe - A slept-on track, the title speaks by itself, and Willie D speaks nothin' but the truth.

13. City Under Siege - A noisy track that put the finishing touch on the album, has a dark piano loop sustained by angry lyrics, injustice and frustration spread everywhere.

What’s Not

3. Mind Of A Lunatic - okay, this will never be a bad song because of the insane beat, but the horrorcore/sex tale taste of the lyrics leaves with a bad taste in your mouth.

9. Read These Nikes - Very good lyrics over a floppy beat.

Bottom Line

When "Geto Boys" came out, hip hop was in the middle of a war with censorship organization and shit like that, the more mc's were censored, the more they were motivated to talk about reality that finally can be heard. The Geto Boys offers an imposing album, which talks about the surroundings and circumstances of the infamous 5th Ward section of Houston, speaking the hard truth with the same effect of a punch in the mouth. They don't care about anybody and anything, they do what they got to do anyway and anyhow, and if you don't like it, you can fuck yourself. Here's the message to be heard. Not so deep, but always a message.

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album an 88. The beats and the lyrics smash every obstacle ahead of them, this is raw, pure and cruel ghetto hip hop, matched with a superior musical production, supervised by a former metal fan who turned himself as an heavy-influencing and versatile producer. There's not a single completely weak song in here.

Big Pooh- Sleepers (Re-Review!!)

2009-04-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

I can’t attest to ever being a huge fan of Big Pooh, Phonte or any of the Justus League collective, partly because of the overt feeling that they’re rhyming conscious but “they ain’t saying nothing”. Especially when it comes to Big Pooh who seems to be the king of meaningless words that still flow beautifully over a 9th Wonder production. Well, maybe that’s a little harsh, since Pooh and Phonte have done some quality work in their short career. Still, it was this album that I found the most impressive in the whole Little Brother discography. Better than Get Back, The Minstrel Show and Separate But Equal. Upon first listen, I was almost deterred because of the cover. What accomplishments does Rapper Big Pooh have to warrant any comparisons with J Dilla? None really, but this album is taking a step into the right direction…

The Strongest Man

Exhibit A (word to Poe Picasso) of Big Pooh not really saying anything worthwhile, but still sounding pretty good on the final cut. If you really want my opinion, this song is a perfect embodiment of how conscious hip-hop has gotten tired and played out. “Rock to the rhythym/You can’t see me/Chillin on the cut/Yeah, that’s where you’ll find B”. Still this track is just friendly piffle that you can’t really hate on, no matter how many times you’ve heard a song almost identical to it before.

Heart Of The City

I’ve gotten into a few arguments lately about 9th Wonder’s status as one of today’s best producers and I always use this instrumental as proof that 9th is on his way to Madlib-esque martyrdom in the underground hip hop community. Pooh on the other hand, impresses, but lacks the lyrical prowess to really make your jaw drop. The track as a whole is a definite blunt-lighter.

Scars (Cut Me Deep)

This is that dope posse cut I needed to hear. Justus League weed carriers Median and Joe Scudda come semi-hard (no homo), but Pooh smashes the first verse.

Now

To be honest, this was my true motivation to listen to Sleepers in the first place. It was never really about Big Pooh, but moreso about 9th the whole time. This track is interesting because you get to see the 10-1′th Wonder cook up an instrumental that both Pooh and MURS can comfortably glide over. Dope shit, aside from the hook which was just embarrassing.

Those were four of my favorite cuts off this album, all the other joints were pretty weak. Still, on an instrumental level this album is not bad, and when Pooh comes through and kicks some real shit on the mic this becomes one of the better Little Brother projects.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great song

I give this album an 77 on second listen.

Here or here

QNC- Duo Dynamic

2009-03-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Gotta love a 2005 cover that genuinely looks like it was made in the mid 90’s. To tell the truth, I only started rocking with QNC (MC Q Ball and producer Curt Cazal), when I first heard them over a vicious cut by Aim (don’t sleep on that true British hip hop). The type of song that makes you forget all the bullshit and realize why you loved hip hop. I’m teasin, I know, track’s called The Force (no Obi Wan), and it will literally rock your shit. Guaranteed. It’s like when you first heard O.C.’s stellar Word…Life and off the strength of that one album you tracked down his whole discography. Same here. That joint is so vicious, that I was compelled to go all out. Copped the 12′, the vinyl’s, the instrumentals, the album, everything. Off the strength of that one joint. Anyway, QNC is a great listen, and they got a feature from Camp Lo. At the moment, that might not seem all that impressive, but Camp Lo was ghost like Casper 4 years ago. And if you ain’t fucking with Camp Lo, I don’t even know.

For Da’ Love

How many songs have you heard where the MC’s claim they’re doing it for the love? Ludacris did it 3 songs in a row his last album. Take my word for it, this isn’t another I Do It For Hip Hop. This is a deeply heartfelt ode to that art form we all love. Haunting instrumental, those NY lyrics that quietly smack you across the face, and an immaculate scratch for the hook. What more can you ask for?

Streets Don’ Run (feat. Dimes)

You hear this beat? You hear this fucking beat? What’s fucking with that? To balance it out, QNC and Dimes kick some wack shit, still a dope track though.

It’s Going Down (feat. Camp Lo)

This song isn’t going to change anyone’s life, but at the same time it’s a harmless waste of four minutes. Sounds like any track on Uptown Saturday Night with a little more polish and a lot more playfulness.

Would You (feat. Dubble D)

Oh man, this guy must get so much shit for his rapper name. Some great storytelling over an almost Miami Vice- esque beat. To tell the truth, this shit is kinda wack, but that “would you” scratch is just immaculate.

Major League (feat. Schinie)

Schinie with (her?) gruff Lil Kim voice spits some hot fire all over the first verse, and then the lyrical dragon Q Ball finished the job. Nothing like a job done right.

On some real shit, this album wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t awfully impressive either. The few tracks listed above will prove as a good gateway to the rest of QNC’s discography. However, I didn’t find one joint that truly measured up to the greatness that was The Force. Different strokes for different folks though.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album an 75.

Coppage here

Kool G Rap- 4,5,6

2009-03-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Kool G Rap’s story has always intrigued me. This is a man who is widely considered a hip-hop pioneer for his early work with DJ Polo and The Juice Crew. Nowadays Kool G is still relevant, although he’s passing off third-rate mixtapes with the likes of DJ Whoo Kid among others. A whole hip-hop culture unto itself indeed. What’s really fascinating is how G Rap was able to outlast many of his peers. Rakim, Public Enemy, UMC, and most of his fellow Juice Crew have fallen into relative extinction. However, Kool G has quietly been keeping his name alive.
Also notable is the change in style. When G Rap was a member of the Juice Crew, his rhymes were well… kind of corny. Not compared to Biz Markie, but still, if you listen to his really early material you’ll notice that he emulated the times. Few years pass and KGR really takes hold of his true identity. Starts to patent his trademark rapid flow, the mafioso image, and the pentasyllabic rhyme scheme. About the time when he drops 4,5,6. This is one of those albums that got shitted on upon first release, but people grew to love it. Seems like a very common occurrence throughout hip hop history. On an extremely random note, did anyone else know that Kool G had a kid with Karine Stephans (you may know her better as Dick Tonsil or Supa Head)?

4,5,6

Isn’t it like an unwritten rule somewhere that the title track is never any good? Regardless that’s not the only surprise here. A certain Nasir Jones (who appears later on this album may I add), is sampled here almost directly in the same way that Sean Carter did it. Maybe Nas didn’t take offense to it, because it was done so sloppily. Seems like Dr. Butcher isolated the half-second he needed and just stuck it onto the hook. Regardless, one of the best odes to rollin’ dice ever.

It’s A Shame

The description of Tammy is priceless.

“Her name is Tammy, got a beach house in Miami
Rides around with a small jammy in her silk and satin panties
A down hoe, a Foxy Brown hoe, standin her ground hoe
And if you clown yo she’ll turn into a bust a round hoe”

One of G Rap’s premier ventures at storytelling, only weakened by the dime-a-dozen hook. Regardless, this is one of those tracks that attempts to be a laid-back cross between sultry R&B and softcore hip hop. It succeeds at neither, but KGR’s mastery in Aesop, makes you totally neglect everything besides the word’s coming out of his mouth.

Take ‘Em To War (Feat. MF Grimm and B1)

One thing that has steady amazed me is how many producer’s sample David Axelrod. I’ve never been a big Grimm fan, especially his later work, but his verse here is pure brilliance. Doctor Death. Following Grimm’s beast of a verse is early Rawkus legend B1. Launching an onslaught of lyricism that lasts for just one minute, but is remarkably vivid in it’s duration.

Executioner Style

This is where G Rap truly shines, a minimilastic beat with soft vibrations and vicious drums, which let’s KGR excel by throwing all sorts of alliteration and assorted rhyme schemes into the mix. One of the most violent and grotesque tracks you’ll ever hear ( “I make Bloody Mary’s out of your capillaries”), but it’s hard as fuck not to nod your head to this one.

For Da Brothaz

What would be just another ‘pour one for the homies’, is immeasurably improved by KGR’s lyrical prowess, but even that doesn’t rescue this song from mediocrity.

Blowin Up In The World

Not enough can be said for Buckwild’s production on this cut, I won’t attempt to do it justice, mixed with yet another KGR lyrical annihilation this track proves immaculate (word to Franco Harris).

Fast Life (feat. Nas)

This poppy instrumental has always reminded me of Miami in the ’80’s. The 20 second intro adds to that element. Lame-ass hook, but Nas and KGR combine to firebreath for a good four minutes.

Ghetto Knows

As someone who almost always has something bad to say about the hook, I’m rendered speechless here. Very well done. This has always seemed like a logical outro to me, so this is where we’ll end.

I think it’s fair to say that 4,5,6 is not a very well-produced album, an mirror image of Lifestylez ov Da Poor and Dangerous with average instrumentals and ‘way before their time’ lyricism. This album is a benchmark to the rapid-fire flow, never would any rapper spit half as fierce as KGR on 4,5,6, but countless rappers would try their hand at it. Well, imitation is the highest form of flattery Mr. Wilson.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I gotta give this one an 93.

Cop it here

Nas-Illmatic

2009-02-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

I decided to re-review this joint. Enjoy.

Intro

April 19, 1994. A single tape of 39 minutes and 43 seconds revolutionizes an art form called hip-hop. No matter what precedes this album nor what comes after, April 20th was a new day for hip-hop. Just like the later predecessors drew influence from innovative artists like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Krs-One, such was Nas’ influence on hip-hop. In many senses Illmatic became a manual of sorts, a holistic Qu’ran for any rapper truly seeking the approval of underground heads. Illmatic was Nas’ Starry Night, the endless ideal that even the architect would never again achieve. Aside from being a cultural bookmark and divisor, this album also clearly marks Nas progression from lazy-eyed freestyle kingpin to someone who truly deserved the cosign from Main Source and MC Serch. Chronicling the rise of a young street dweller who came up in an almost the identical pattern as Big Daddy Kane. Starting off on a classic posse cut - for Kane it was The Symphony, for Nasir it was Back To The Grill and Live At The Barbeque - and then growing to infamy with a classic first album. Both Long Live The Kane and Illmatic also only consist of 10 songs. However, that’s where the comparisons end. Kane entered the history books but Nas re-wrote the history books.

Review

The Genesis

Back in the day when Q-Tip was a teenager, intro’s like these were a dime a dozen. In reality, it may seem like it’s just Nas and AZ bullshittin’ over an prehistoric Grand Wizard Theodore instrumental- Subway Theme to be exact- but this track unconsciously sets the tone for the rest of the album.

N.Y. State Of Mind

This song is why The Genesis is such an effective intro. You expect to hear a lounged-back Main Source (Live At The Barbeque) sound, but Primo and Nas deliver anything but. Those dirty drums start kicking, that bassline just floats along the instrumental, and the one piano key ominously ends the loop. Nas adds a memorable first verse that seems to never end, but still effortlessly seams into the hook. Simplistic beyond comparison, yet all Primo needs is a quick vocal from Eric B and Rakim’s Mahogany and Nas is off. In the second verse, Nas simply unleashes countless quotables until Primo lets the beat go.

Life’s A Bitch

You go from the chill freestyle vibe of N.Y. State Of Mind to the comfortably rushed atmosphere that engrosses this whole song. Regardless, AZ has earned unanimous acclaim for his verse simply annihilating L.E.S.’s jazz-tinged masterpiece. However, Nas answers back with an equally poignant lyrical performance. But, it’s Olu Dara who kills it on the cornet, when L.E.S. allows his instrumental to flow free.

The World Is Yours

To this day, Pete Rock has never bested this masterpiece. As a producer, Pete has an legacy of often outshining the artists that utilize his instrumentals. Not so here, it’s a purely synchronous sound that is made for each other, the hip hop version of peanut butter & jelly. It’s ironic how Nas changes subjects in the middle of the song. First verse is a dead-on Scarface impression that would make Brad Jordan blush, but the second verse is pure brilliance disguised as braggadocio.

Halftime

Don’t ever doubt Large Professor! Who else has the audacity to sample Jaz-O in the presence of Average White Band? Nas, not to be bested, changes up the flow two or three times per verse. Word to Marcus Garvey. Those steely drums are just one of a kind, and are just begging to be sampled. More impressive, are all the cultural tidbits Nas manages to drop in four minute’s time, while addressing his own problems at the same time. Don’t plant that seed, if you can’t feed is the moral of this story.

Memory Lane

Nas changes up from a fast-slow, up-down flow to a consistent one, and simply unleashes a verbal tangent that will never be equaled. This sounds nothing like Primo though, doesn’t fit in with his catalogue by any means, nonetheless Primo comes through with some crazy samples on this one. That ever-present moaning on loop is Get out of My Life, Woman by Lee Dorsey, and perhaps the greatest sample DJ Premier ever used is Pickin’ Boogers by Biz Markie. That was good thinking. I still freeze up a little when I hear the last two bars of this song:

True in the game, as long as blood is blue in my veins
I pour my Heineken brew to my deceased crew on memory lane

One Love

The Abstract comes through with an instrumental of majestic proportions, not at all comparable to the work of Ali Shaheed Muhammad. It’s interesting to hear Q-Tip’s productions, since he could always hold his own on an MPC, but subsequently let Ali Shaheed Muhammad handle the work behind the breaks. On a linguistic tip, this song comes much weaker than the predecessing tracks, but Nas shows flashes of the indirect storytelling that would flesh out later with the ill-fated Firm. From 4:19 and onwards Nas bullies this instrumental lyrically.

One Time 4 Your Mind

A head-bopper in every sense of the word. That slow flow, the effortless rhyming that just simultaneously ensues from this immaculate blunt-head’s paradise. Large Pro comes through again with an deep bassline complemented by twangy drums that just slow everything down. Perfection in the form of audio marijuana ganja.

Represent

This marks the transition of Nas from a spiteful yet protagonistic emcee to an rapper with lyrical prowess nearly unmatched. This song sounds much less Illmatic and much more It Was Written, not in a negative sense, but moreso in terms of stylistics and delivery. Like a posse cut, minus the weed carriers and excess baggage. Did Nas really run with a crew called “The Shorty-Busters”? Let’s hope not for his sake, because that’s just embarassing. Also probably the first time I’ve ever seen Primo simply utilizing one sample.

It Ain’t Hard To Tell

This instrumental alone is all the imagery you need to envision the 90’s in one complete sound. One of those moving send-off’s that puts you in the right state of mind every time. A N.Y. State Of Mind!

Outro

It’s fair to say that Illmatic is the best hip hop album of all time, and therefore this review should be worthless to most people. If you don’t already own this album in any capacity, do yourself a favor.

100

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Skyzoo & 9th Wonder - Cloud 9: The 3 Day High (2006)

2009-02-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

Not sure why, but I thought it would be fitting to review this album. Maybe it's because Statik Selektah (did I spell your name right?) and pro-beef Saigon just made a whole album in one day. Well, it is because of that. Personally, I've got no problem with neither Statik or Saigon. I'm not sure how Saigon got to beefing Joe Budden and I could care less, beef is always about record sales. It's like artists make a mutual agreement to beef with each other to sell records and then pay each other back later. But I feel like this one day thing is a gimmick. How can you honestly say that you created the best product you can in one day? That's like how Swizz Beatz brags that he makes most of his beats in less than an hour. That's cool and all, but Swizzy: you still can't produce! With that in mind, Skyzoo and 9th Wonder created this composition in three days. The clever title would suggest they were fuckin' with some cannibus during the process. Like I said, clever. Anyway, the real reason I chose this is because it's only 12 tracks. So, here we go:

1. Bare Witness
There's nothing more pretentious than explaining the title of your album. Reminds me of when Biggie explained the "Two Pac's" joke on Brooklyn's Finest, 3:21 if you don't know. I also found it kind of funny how Skyzoo had to explain that he knew 9th and described how we acquired 9th's beat tapes. As for the song? It comes really weak. 9th tries his hand at a Primo impersonation, and Skyzoo just comes weak all around, on the hook, on the verses...

2. Way To Go
This the production we've all come to expect from 9th, just killing it with the samples. Once again Skyzoo does a little too much talking and sounds like a little bit of a jackass, but once the beat kicks he does his thing and rips this instrumental. Really impressed me with the flow and the rhymes.

3. A Day In The Life
I'm usually the first person to say that 9th Wonder needs to expirement more, or use something other than Fruity Loops, but he steps outside of his comfort zone here and the result is painful to listen to. Brave soldiers ready your ears. It's not that bad, but this track came really weak. Mostly because Skyzoo isn't one of those rappers that can take a bad beat and still kill it. And you already know the hook is wack.

4. Stop Fooling Yourself
These are those crazy samples that make 9th one of today's best crate-diggers! I just tuned out to this beautiful instrumental. Don't really remember what Skyzoo was talking about, ripping his acceptance letter or something. Oh well...

5. Comeback
Nah. This was a track for the ladies, and it was even softer than I expected. Definite skip/delete.

6. I'm On It
Did I mention that Skyzoo can't make a listenable hook to save his life? It's not a bad track, but the chorus is just so wack. Ruins whatever replay potential this song could have had.

7. The Bodega
Banger. All I can say is that all my previous criticism for Skyzoo and 9th is null and void on this one. Easily the best track so far.

8. You & Me
Another track for the ladies, but this one wasn't as bad as it's predecessor. The hook was weak as fuck again, but other than that it's another quality composition. Really starting to groove with 9th behind the boards right now.

9. Live And Direct
Very average, like I wanted to vibe with 9th's beat and what Skyzoo was saying, but I simply couldn't. You know the feeling.

10. The Spirit
Skyzoo outshines 9th here. Not a bad beat, but the lyrics were on point, and the whole track was ill.

11. Extreme Measures
Skyzoo tries his hand at Brenda's Got A Baby to little avail. Kind of a sleeper despite the vicious instrumental.

12. Mirror Mirror
Did you honestly expect much from this title? Just an average outro minus the interlude feel of an average outro.

Decent, not much more, not much less. I had been hearing a lot about Skyzoo and I found him to be super-average. 9th comes through as usual, although he sprays in a few wack beats here and there. Overall, it's a decent mixtape, but I don't see any reason to go out of your way to cop this.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I'd give this a 71.

Link here.

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien- No Need For Alarm

2009-01-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been bumpin Deltron 3030 like none other. Believe me when I tell you this: Only Soul On Ice Ras Kass can compare to Tha Funkee Homosapien on a lyrical level. After wearing out the speakers in the car listening to Things You Can Do, I finally moved onto Del's short-lived solo discography. I have to say this guy gets slept on like narcolepsy. One of my favorite things about Del is his ability to wreck any beat with his chameleonic flow. Another is the wide variety of incredibly ill instrumentals he spits over. At this point in time in Del's career he was just beginning to craft his uniquely patented style of trite braggadocio hip-hop mixed with insane wordplay that gives you authentic goosebumps. Enough talk though...

1. You're In Shambles
The soft jazz in the back-end of the instrumental has always put me in a different mindstate. Something so ethereal about this instrumental. And Del's other-worldly flow and lyricism leave this song in shambles.

2. Catch A Bad One
If anyone can make meandering violin sound like a traditional hip hop instrument it's definitely Del. This song is dope, but not comparable to You're In Shambles.

3. Wack M.C.'s
Ahh, the ever-popular early 90's ode to the wack MC or wack crew. I've got a theory that you can find a song like this on almost every hip hop album made in the late 80's and 90's. Del puts his personal spin on it, but it's still really predictable, especially the hook.

4. No Need For Alarm
It took me a little while to warm up to this track, but I'm really feelin' it as I type. The flow still makes my jaw drop. Whose fucking with Del?

5. Boo Boo Heads
The hook is funny in a 90's sort of way. Like when kids my age watch Friday and understand the jokes in a "I feel it even though I didn't live it" sense. The flow and insane battle raps are killing me at this point.

6. Treats For The Kiddies
Title says it all. My only complaint for now is that the last six songs sound like the same thing with a minor beat change. Minor meaning a slight change in the bassline or adding a scratched vocal here and there...

7. Worldwide
I guess I planned that above statement perfectly as Del lines up some top quality lyricism over this East-Coast instrumental. The guest verse sounds ominously just like Del; the flow, the rhyme scheme... sounds like it might have been *gasp* ghostwritten? Or Del knows how to throw his voice... either way this song is dope.

8. No More Worries
Let's get this straight. This is the best instrumental on the whole album. Maybe the best instrumental of it's respective year. But Del's guest features sound somewhat awkward over this instrumental. Still an amazing song...

9. Wrong Place
I can't place my hand on the sample and it's bugging me! Also amazing, is the direction that Del took over this instrumental. Just flipped it completely on it's ass... much props given Mr. Homosapien.

10. In And Out
Compared to all the previous songs, this one is a snoozer. The instrumental is not engaging at all, so it neglects whatever Del is spitting.

11. Don't Forget
Another fairly weak beat, but Del rides this one much better. Still a sub-par song when compared to the rest of the album.

12. Miles To Go
If you look through Del's entire discography you will notice that he does a few songs like this per album. This doesn't sound like it belongs on this album, but it still kicks something crazy...

13. Check It Ooout
Del slows his flow down, and kills this track. Best song off this classic album, hands down! You'll have to Check It Ooout...

14. Thank Youse
Very weak ending, but it is an outro, so if you take it into perspective, this song serves it's purpose.

Very solid album. Del comes with his own style and keeps it consistent throughout the whole album. Heavy funk and Del's flow just work together, and this album is a joy to listen to.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album an 86.

You can find a link here.

Jaylib/Champion Sound

2009-01-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Jaylib - Champion Sound

J Dilla. Madlib. Seperately these two super producers have an extensive resume of proof that they know music. On the one hand, the late great Dilla over the years gained respect of a countless amount of musicians, mainstream and underground alike, a feat that is rarely accomplished these days. On the other, Madlib has been working practicly in seclusion under various alias' and seems to never stop releasing music under his own terms. Considering the staggering talent following close behind each of these artists; the expectations for this album are higher than Madlib's Quasimoto voice (another album worth reviewing at some point).

One thing to point out before starting the track by track rundown, this may be a collaboration, but with the exception of the first track and the two bonus tracks, Dilla and Madlib produce the beats by themselves. This wasn't sitting around and co-producing each song, but rather the two were sending beats and vocals back and forth between LA and Detroit.

1. LA to Detroit
This is just an intro, but it shows right off the bat that Dilla's thumping drums go well with Madlib's synthy bass and weird sounds.

2. McNasty Filth (ft. Frank-n-Dank)
The CD really starts here, and it starts with a Madlib banger. Frank-n-Dank aren't too lyrical but they get the job done and bring the energy needed to match the song.

3. Nowadayz
Another crazy beat, this time by Dilla. Already it seems that if you're not paying attention you could forget that these are two different producers. I think that's part of what makes this CD work. Even though they didn't work closely together, it still all flows really well. Madlib spits on this one, and it works in a sense of sounding alright and matching the beat, but he's definitely not a lyricist. The way I would describe Madlib as an MC is he keeps it interesting enough that you can listen and not be bored, but he doesn't take the attention away from the music. Not necessarily a bad thing.

4. Champion Sound
The title track is produced by Madlib and really keeps the momentum going. Like Madlib, Dilla isn't that great lyrically, but the way this album moves and keeps giving you crazy beats it almost doesn't give you time to think about the vocals other than asking whether they match the beat. Dilla can flow even if he's not saying much.

5. The Red
Despite the piercing guitar(?) loop presented by Dilla, this is one of the instances where the lyrics hinder the overall song. Luckily its only the first half of the song that has lyrics so if you want to just enjoy the beat you can.

6. Heavy
The title says it all, a heavy repetitive drum loop with Dilla's vocals mimicking the feeling.

7. Raw Shit (ft. Talib Kweli)
Probably one of the weaker beats on the CD, but Kweli helps this track out a lot. Madlib has the first verse and it's one of his more mediocre so you have to wait through that to get to Kweli, but it's worth it as the song jumps up a few notches once he gets on the mic.

8. The Official
Great beat. I don't think Dilla's voice matches over it so that kind of brings it down.

9. The Heist
This is a rare occasion when the beat is actually as average as the lyrics. Madlib tells a story but it really isn't interesting enough to listen closely to.

10. The Mission
This brings the album back to greatness with what worked before: top notch creative beats and minimal lyrics that just compliment the music. This track kind of feels like an interlude linking the first and second half of the album.

11. React ("ft." Quasimoto)
This is a real cool/trippy beat, fitting for Madlib's high pitched alter ego Quasimoto to show up. The vocal samples sound really good mixed in here too.

12. Strapped (ft. Guilty Simpson)
Another unique beat, and Guilty Simpson fits perfectly on this. This especially brings out one of the recurring feels of the album: a mix of grimy sounds and precise instruments. Detroit and Los Angeles. Two great things that shouldn't sound good together, but work anyway.

13. Strip Club ("ft." Quasimoto)
This is where Madlib works best, light hearted and funny descriptions of things like going to a strip club over an equally lighthearted beat. Nothing groundbreaking here, just fun.

14. The Exclusive (ft. Percee P)
The beat is really simple, so it puts the spotlight on the lyrics. Unfortunately, Percee P doesn't really deliver a good enough verse and instead this is just a throwaway track.

15. Survival Test
Madlib brings out a really vibrant sample, and Dilla does a good job only saying as much as he needs to on this.

16. Starz
Dilla follows up with his own gem of a sample, and Madlib's vocals aren't half bad either.

17. No Games
The proper final track of the album. Madlib brings in a really soulful sample and they end it with a track that keeps the quick pace but does it in a more low key fashion.

Raw Addict/Pillz
The two bonus tracks. Both of these are good Madlib tracks, bringing more of his humor and creativity. These are both great tracks but don't really fit anywhere in the album so they're perfect for bonus tracks.

There it is. Chances are, this will feel like a short CD as the music is easy to zone out to. As expected from an album made by two producers, the lyrics weren't great, but considering they only had a few guests they managed to turn in vocals that contributed a little to the incredible beats.
So did this meet the lofty expectations? I'd say that it's not necessarily what you would expect from hearing "Madlib and J Dilla collaboration", but it does keep the level of quality that the two have been working on for years. Sure, they could've brought a lyricist to do the tracks, but then it wouldn't have been a Madlib/Dilla collab but instead a Madlib/Dilla/____ CD. They also could've done an instrumental, but I think they use their voices almost as instruments more than lyrics.
I'm just giving a score to the main album, but a while back Stones Throw re-released the album as a 2 disc set with instrumentals and remixes, and that I highly recommend as even if you don't like the lyrics you can switch them out whenever.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great song

I give this album an 85.

Slum Village- Fantastic Vol. 2

2009-01-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

How do you introduce Slum Village? That question has been bugging me for the last hour or so. They are a group like no other, that harbors influences from countless places. The group was spearheaded by arguably the greatest producer of all time. There aren't enough words to describe what J Dilla bought to Slum Village. Very rarely does a producer overshadow the other members of the group (Primo and Pete Rock are examples). Needless to say, Jay Dee is held in very high regard (partly because of his untimely passing, but also because of the amazing work he's done). Alongside Jay were Baatin and T3, less-known but still cornerstones of the group.
*Ten useless biographical sentences later*
And that's the story of Slum Village. Now it's time for Fantastic Vol.2, hit it!

1. Introduction
For once I can actually applaud the intro. Although it's kind of ignorant for me to assume that Slum Village would make an average rap album intro. I love the last 7 seconds of this track too.

2. Conant Gardens
An ode to where the crew grew up. The title is anyway, the lyrics are more reminiscent of braggadocio hip-hop where they effortlessly ride the instrumental while kicking some dope rhymes.

3. I Don't Know
I don't know why I wasted my time with this track. Baatin and T3 took a capable instrumental and turned it into a snoozer. Next!

4. Jealousy
Sounds like Jurassic 5 with the choppy flow and the subject matter. This song isn't going to change anyone's life, in fact I can't even imagine anyone remembering this song after hearing it. So, it was a delete for me.

5. Climax (Girl Shit)
A very soft-spoken track, emitting the warmth only an average R&B tinged J Dilla track can bring. This track bears a very striking likeness to The Tribe Best Known As Quest. Although retaining the qualities that make Slum Village such a well-respected group.

6. Hold Tight
Another chill, mellow, laid-back track. Although it's somewhat of an aberration as all of Slum's tracks can be described as chill and mellow. This is one of the better Dilla instrumentals off the whole album, as such I would have preferred less features. Q-Tip's verse is nice, but it starts to trail off from there (said in a diminishing voice).

7. Tell Me
I could do without the weak hook and the strange interlude-esque conversations at the end of the tracks. Once again this song starts off well, it even holds up well till about the halfway mark when the lyrics crash like a house of cards. This Dilla beat is something else though I tell you... Baatin and T3 should still be counting their blessings.

8. What It's All About
I wish I had something good to say about Busta's verse, or even as an artist in general (Arab Money? That's what your career has come to?). Alas, I'll leave that topic relatively untouched. Another dope beat, interesting sample for the hook, I was feeling this track all in all.

9. Forth And Back
Nah, wasn't really feeling this one at all. Even the instrumental was pretty weak here. Next.

10. Untitled/Fantastic
And we're back on track. This song has always mystified me, something so ethereal about this instrumental, and for once I can one up the MC's. They did their thing on this here beat. Possibly the best song on the album, so you already know how I feel about it.

11. Fall In Love
I honestly prefer the last minute and a half to the beginning of the track. The musical backdrop is something amazing, and the hook is haunting. I don't know what the last 30 or so seconds were about, I'm sure they tied into this recurring plot at the end of every song, but it really detached from the track's overall value.

12. Get Dis Money
Personally, I don't think anyone should ever spit over this instrumental. And when they do spit over this memento, it should be something more than: "Hey, hey/ What you say/ Get dis money"... Comparable to letting Lil' Wayne freestyle over I Used To Love H.E.R. It's not a bad track at all though. Just that you'd expect Slum Village to dig deep and find lyrics and a hook worthy of this instrumental.

13. Raise It Up
Not really feeling any of it. Some hypocritical titles here!

14. Once Upon A Time
Pete Rock and Dilla together produce this beast of an instrumental. And the good folks over at Slum Village grace this track with some poignant lyricism. Thank you. And for once, the last part of the song isn't completely worthwhile-less.

15. Players
T3 actually did an interview with Fader, where he talked about this song. One of the things he mentioned is that the sample actually says Claire and not Players. But they say Players so much in the song, that's what you believe the sample is really saying. The song itself is amazing. A classic Slum Village cut. Also here's an quote about the motivation for the track:

People don’t know that was a battle song, only niggas in the D know that. We was actually talking ’bout some real niggas. We’re cool today, but it was actually (deceased rapper) Proof's group (5 Elementz). These niggas had just dropped they CD that Dilla did most of the beats for and they was just acting arrogant, walking around real tough and we got kind of offended by it. Once we started talking about it, Waajeed (from Platinum Pied Pipers) was like a hype man, like, “Man, they just put their shit out, where’s yours?” We went over to Dilla’s house and it was one a them nights where everything was clickin'. Two weeks later we came with Vol.1. They kind of inspired us by being so arrogant, so we made “Players” about them. They found out, I don’t know how…somebody told.

16. Eyes Up

After the song that preceded it, you're just expecting so much more than this insignificant babble. It's not a bad song, but Baatin and T3 are capable of so much more. Not bad, but definitely lackluster.

17. 2U4U

Slum Village's two lesser members ruin another good instrumental. They ain't sayin' nothing!

18. CB4

No Chris Rock references to be found here. The hook has me scratching my head quite a bit. Are they chanting or what? One of the strangest things I've ever heard on wax. Blow-job interference? Cock-blockers? Very clever.As for the song itself, it's not really anything worth hearing.

19. Go Ladies

There's no rapping to be found here. Some incoherent babbling in the first verse, and it never really gets much better. Another lacking effort over a very capable instrumental.

20. Thelonius

Ironically, Slum Village treats listeners to a top-quality send off. Superior to most of the album and definitely a song you should check out.

It's hard to really pass judgement on this album. Although the lyrical content was terrible (sorry John), the instrumentals were top-notch. This album reminded me of Group Home's Livin Proof'. Then again Slum Village was never known as amazing lyricists and Jay Dee, in fact most hip hop fans would be hard-pressed to name Baatin and T3 as the other members. So I can't say much about this album on a lyrical level, but an instrumental version of this album would be very well worth your time.

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great song

I give this album a 75.

You can find a link and a worthwhile review here.

EPMD - We Mean Business

2008-12-24T13:43:00.000-08:00

No group has ever meant business like EPMD. Parrish Smith and Erick Sermon are the epitome of business. Erick and Parrish have been makin' dollars for over 20 years now. They released their first album in '88 (Strictly Business) and have been East-Coast legends since. As a group they have faced a fair share of turmoil. They separated in '93 and re-united four years later. It wouldn't be for long though because Erick and Parrish haven't released any material for over nine years. Until this December that is when they released We Mean Business amidst controversy of the lack of DJ Scratch. DJ Scratch has been an important part of every EPMD album. In many senses, he is just as important to the group as Erick and Parrish are. So the questions is can they overcome his loss?...

1. Puttin' Work In
Featuring Raekwon
Not a bad start. It's kind of refreshing to hear an album without an rap intro. And it's even more refreshing to hear these hip-hop pioneers together. Don't get me wrong though, this song is far from perfect, but it's also far from obscurity.

2. What You Talkin'
Featuring Havoc
I could do without the superficial hook and the over-exaggerated instrumental, but this track is alright. On a sidenote, I'm surprised Soulja Boy hasn't said anything about EPMD yet. They hit him with this gem: "The Oscar De La Hoya, the golden boy/I'm not dude, don't believe I'll show ya boy/Ask Destiny's Child/ I'm not Soulja Boy"

3. Roc-Da-Spot
This is definitely what you'd call classic EPMD. The funk sample, the Biggie sample, the hook. Well done. I was feeling this one.

4. Blow
The first two verses were fire. The last verse was just off. I don't know if it was recorded separately or what, but it just did not sound good at all. It's a good song despite all that though.

5. Run It
Featuring KRS One
KRS One the black educator telling people "Get down on the floor" and making all sorts of ambience sound? Am I missing something? Isn't he supposed to be busy being an positive influence to youngn's? By the way, this song is terrible.

6. Yo
Featuring Redman
Best song off the album period. I said no discussion! Who told Redman it was OK to outshine EPMD on their own album? Check it.

7. Listen Up
Featuring Teddy Riley
Some songs would be better acapella. This is one of them.

8. Bac Stabbers
You know the phrase "Good idea, poor execution"? Well, this is a case of "Poor idea, good execution", if that makes any sense at all. Leave it to EPMD to make a song for the bac(k) stabbers, and equip some old-school techno sample.

9. Never Defeat 'Em
Featuring Method Man
Erick Sermon sets it off over this engaging instrumental, and Method Man body's his verse. But then Parrish put me to sleep, he does not sound good over this instrumental.

10. Jane
Every EPMD album has a song called Jane. It is typically just a song for the ladies, and it's no exception this time.

11. Left 4 Dead
Featuring Skyzoo; Produced by 9th Wonder
This song sounds the same way it looks on paper. EPMD is the essence of true school hip-hop, 9th and Skyzoo are two cats who are taking hip-hop where EPMD took them before. Needless to say, this track is crazy, and definitely worth checking out.

12. They Tell Me
Featuring Keith Murray
Keith Murray and EPMD have done some classic work together, this is not indicative of that at all. Skip/delete/sleep/right click... whatever you have to do, this one is not worth your time.

13. Actin' Up
Featuring Vic D and Tre
A good send-off. Everything was on point here. Good guest spot, good instrumental, good lyrics. Nothing better than good but still...

Bottom Line:
This album will not attract any new fans for EPMD. They stuck to an old formula with the exception of Left 4 Dead, and will most likely only appeal to old fans. Still it's a good album, and you should definitely check it out if you haven't already done so.

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album an 84.

You can find a link here.

Have you noticed the lack of posts?

2008-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a familiar sight?

I hate coming to sites and seeing posts similar to this: "I've been busy lately, that's why I haven't been posting".

But alas, I am faced with a similar situation. Not only have I become increasingly busy with life, but aside from The Hip Hop Mortuary, I also run two other sites and contribute for three more.

I don't want this site to go under like countless other quality blogs. So I'm asking for help.
I don't want to place the blame on the staff here, because it's not their fault. But in the same sense we need to get this site active.
If you're a reader of this blog and would like to contribute reviews, GET AT ME!

Leave a message in the C-box or at my e-mail
ironflag1@gmail.com

Thank you.

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (2006)

2008-12-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

"Psycho Killah, Norman Banks". I understand that quoting an old Ol' Dirty line might will do one of two things:
1. Makes me seem like a Wu stan who actually keeps up with the 9 members, and ever-growing legions of weed carriers.
Or:
2. Makes me seem like a dumbass who has no fucking clue what he's talking about.
After this intro, I'm guessing readers will gravitate towards the second option. Like most people, I discovered terrible mainstream rap before I found boom-bap heaven. In the context of this review that means that I know criminally little about the Wu. In fact I had no clue Masta Killa was a member until I did a little research for this post. But luckily I have kept up with Ghostface. There's 3 Wu albums everyone has heard: Liquid Swords, Supreme Clientele, and Only Built For Cuban Linx. Supreme Clientele stood out most to me, and as a result I have went through most of Ghost's discography. What does that mean for this review? Well...

1. The Return of Clyde Smith
It's just an intro. Sorry..

2. Shakey Dog
The instrumental is easily identifiable, considering that this beat has been sampled 100's of times. The "Oh Yeah" vocal sample also appears on Pharell's Rockstar (which is a sad piece of trivia I have held onto). And the storytelling is the stuff of legends.

3. Kilo
"I'm getting ready to fuck Catwoman or something", what more needs to be said? My only complaint with this song is the instrumental. It's not engaging at all. Good job MoSS. Oh the vocal is kind of lame too. Especially when Rae and Ghost ad-lib it.

4. The Champ
I feel like I should hate this song out of principle. RZA doesn't produce at all on this album. Yet you have Just Blaze pimpin the Roc at the beginning. Regardless, Justin Blaze does a great job on the instrumental and Ghostface kills it (Get it? Get it? Get it?).

5. Major Operation
I've always wished I could say something funny or even something halfway enlightening about skits. But like always I have nothing to say.

6. 9 Milli Bros
If you couldn't tell by the title all 9 members of the Wu get on this track, along with Cappadonna for safe measure. This shit is ill beyond belief. Produced by MF Doom for anyone whose a non-believer.

7. Beauty Jackson
Ghostface's singing has always brought tears of laughter to my eyes. I wasn't really feeling this song, but it's relatively short so I can't complain. This was more of a curiousity piece to hear how Ghostface would sound over a Dilla insrumental. How is it? Well, it's kind of indescribable.

8. Heart Street Directions
Skit.

9. Columbus Exchange/ "Crack Spot"
I wasn't really feeling this one. It was produced by Crack Val, isn't that saying enough? It would be smart to skip this one.

10. R.A.G.U.
Kind of similar to song number 7. This song is for those that would like to hear Ghost and Rae the Chef over a Pete Rock composition. Nothing wrong with this track. It's no banger, but it's not anything you should sleep on either.

11. Bad Mouth Kid
These skits are growing old quickly.

12.Whip You With A Strap
No matter how gently Ghostface sings (or lullaby's in my opinion) it doesn't make a difference. This shit does not sound good together. What is Ghost doing making songs for the ladies? Ruins a good Dilla instrumental.

Editors note: Yeah, I was wrong about this one.

13. Back Like That
Another song for the ladies, this one sounds a lot more natural, but still sounds like 100% Grade A synthetic bullshit. Any time you feature Ne-Yo on a track your not speaking from the heart but from your record label's pockets. It was a single so I can't really complain.

14. Be Easy
I don't really know how to describe this one. It's a lighthearted single that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's very Wu while also being very poppy (figure that one out).

15. Clipse Of Doom
The beat is terrible here. And it really detaches from this song. Very generic hook too.

16. Jellyfish
Something about MF Doom producing a track for the ladies doesn't sing for me. This track was very ehhh anyway.

17. Dogs Of War
Pete Rock is killing it at this point. A Sly & The Family Stone sample? Yes! Trife Da God is weak as usual, but the rest of the guests go hard. Preaching the family message here.

18. Barbershop
Interlude with about 30 seconds of spitting. I don't think you'll miss anything by skipping this one.
19. Ms. Sweetwater
These skits are killing me, and not in the Pete Rock sense either. Huh? Read the commentary for Dogs Of War.

20. Big Girl
Ghost produced this track himself. The vocal sample he uses really interferes with his sing-song flow. But aside from that, this song stood out to me.

21. Underwater
No matter how good Ghost's verse would have been, this should have been a straight instrumental. It holds it's own by leaps and bounds. That being said Ghost sounds pretty good over this instrumental, but if I were to make a recommendation it would be to track down the original beat from MF Doom's Orange Blossoms.

22. The Ironman Takeover
It's only five seconds.

23. Momma
I can feel the P Diddy influence just smacking me across the face. It's a good song despite it, but it's obviously a Hitmen production job.

24. Three Bricks
The grand finale. Ghost, Raekwon and a recycled Biggie verse. It's a good song to finish out a good album.

Bottom Line:
Overall this album was good. There were far too many songs and far far far too many interludes. But there are a good number of tracks that are well worth your time to track down.

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album an 83.

You can find a link here

Brother Ali/ Champion EP

2008-12-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

What do I say here that the average hip-hop fan does not yet know? I'm not going to touch on Brother Ali's skin tone, lack of vision or faith, but rather the impact he has had on independent hip-hop. I'm from Minnesota, (in case this is your first time reading or if you didn't catch that earlier) so you can already know what's coming without scrolling at all, I am a very staunch supporter or B Ali (a nickname penned by your very own Guy Fawkes). Truth be told, I doubt you can find one person on this universe that actually hates on Brother Ali. I'm not denying the fact that some people may dislike him, but nobody hates on Brother Ali. And lately the big Brother has been getting some serious hype. November 4th lots of my favorite blogs were adorned by Ali's track Mr. President (You're The Man). And before then Ali shared a track with Freeway on the Jake One album, and kinda shitted on the bearded man. What does that have to do with the Champion EP? Presumably very little, so let's get the show on the road..

1. Champion (Remix)-
For those that have heard the original, you have to agree when I say this version is terrible. Not terrible as in it's a bad song, but terrible as in you need to track down the original version. That's all I can really say, I can't applaud this song knowing there is a much better alternative to it right underneath my fingertips.

2. Bad Ma Fucka-
For those who have heard Dorian, you know that Ali really is a bad ma fucka. Although that has nothing to do with the concept of this song. For most other artists this would be treated as your average disgruntled head talking to the talentless MC's of tomorrow. But this song is so much more. Ant's amazing production here really had my head spun. Aside from adding guitar and harmonica yet still creating a pure hip-hop instrumental, Ant throws in a few obscure samples to be safe. Add Ali's lyricism to the mix and you have a standout track on a standout album.

3. Sleepwalker
This beat has always stuck a cord somewhere deep inside my heart with it's eery and dark-natured drums and sampling, but Ali's flow does not work here. It ruins an instrumental with lots of potential. For those who can appreciate a decent song with an awkward flow, it's a different story...

4. Love On Display
Possibly my favorite thing about Ant (Ali's producer if you can't tell yet) is the extremely wide range of emotions he can convey in an simple beat. From dark and gloomy to optimistic and cheerful, he can do it all. This is more or less a tale of how Ali has been impacted about hip-hop, and it is introspective and genuine as can be. This is the type of song that can humble the most narcisstic human being, definitely something you should check out.

5. Self Taught
This was the song that first made me fall in love with Ali. Two years later I still enjoy the song, but I find myself spacing out at times. It's not so much the song as a whole but the hook is very generic in a Brother Ali sense. Still a knocker though.

6. Heads Down
The first time during this whole EP that I can whole-heartedly say SKIP!

7. Chain Link
The whole vibe of this song is mid 90's heart of the city, NYC, little kids playing basketball during recess. I don't have much to say here, just sit back and admire good music people. Not G.O.O.D. Music but good music (had to get that subliminal diss in).

8. Waheedah's Hands
Ehh, it wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't good.

9. Rain Water
What a send-off, wow! This is probably the premier track off this stellar EP. If that's not saying something, I don't know what is.

So now that we're done, you can guess what happens. I'm going to throw in a comment about how this EP shits on mainstream hip-hop in general, and that you should definitely cop it (even if it requires going out of your way to do so). But truth be told, I'm going to keep it 100% real right now. This EP is good, and with the exception of a few songs, it's much better than any major release coming out in the next month. So do yourself a favor, and cop this EP as a fan of hip-hop in general, fuck the labels attached to artists, support good music. I'm going to get off my pulpit now. *P Valley, I'm going to get to that Ghostface I promise homie*

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this EP a 88.

You can find a link here

Q-Tip/The Renaissance

2008-11-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

Even as a 90's baby, (yes a 90's baby) I can still confidently say I grew up on A Tribe Called Quest. When most kids my age were falling out of love with Nickleback and Eminem, I was bumping Award Tour out of my mom's car... on the weekends. One of the most nostalgic moments of my present childhood was going to a record store that actually held The Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders and paying full price for both of them (remember I'm a 90's baby). Once I copped those albums I would play them inside out, back to front, and cover to cover until I knew the song better than Phife and Q-Tip. Needless to say, I'm a fan! Shortly after exploring the Tribe discography, I decided to investigate Q-Tip's short-lived solo career (until now anyway). As a huge jazz rap and abstract hip-hop head, I was somewhat dissappointed with the debut. So here's hoping to a better go-round the second (err..third) time around (Hear, Hear.)

1. Johnny Is Dead
If there's one thing that I really enjoy about Q-Tip it has to be his beautiful flow (no homo not even necessary). This isn't a bad song per se' but I couldn't really get into it because of the choppy flow equipped here. Everything else is pretty average too, the instrumental didn't really catch my ear and the hook is very ehhh... But it's a rap intro (fingers crossed).

2. Won't Trade
Had me nodding my head for the whole 2:41. The lyricism is pretty sick, and the whole song flows really well together. It's a concept track based on basketball (I think), and even though I'm not a fan of songs like these, I'll admit that this track is pretty hot. And I can't even imagine how many crates of records Q must have dug through before finding the vocal sample for this track.

3. Gettin' Up
Q-Tip's what 38? When he was 20 and making tracks like Electric Relaxation for the ladies it was cool. Not as a 40 year old though. "We can be like Martin and Coretta"... ehh. A cute sentiment, but your trying way too hard homie. This was an easy skip for me.

4. Official
Mess of a song. Choppy flow again, a vocal sample that doesn't fit the rhythm at all, and too much singing (I've never been a fan of Kamaal the singer). I had a hard time listening to this track.

5. You
This is more of the beats I was expecting to hear. Not a bad song, not much more than singing though. I'm not complaining though, I was feeling this track after a few listens.

6. We Fight/Love
A soft instrumental complements Tip's great storytelling, and Raphael Saadiq stops in for the hook. This is definitely a song for the grown-ups, so I wasn't really feeling it, but it's got potential... I've got potential to enjoy it soon!

7. Manwomanboggie
On this song he tries to explore man and woman's evolution. I don't know that this instrumental was the ideal platform for such an exploration. Wasn't really feeling this track.

8. Move
Double-sided song, the first half of the song is a dance track: "Here they come yo, here they come". A song clearly targeted for the ladies, but the second half of the track is a deeply introspective song. The instrumental sounds Renaissance-esque (like 15th century Europe), and is accented by some amazing story-telling. On some old school Tip ish. I'm disappointed these songs weren't separated, because the second half is amazing.

9. Dance On Glass
You know what? Props Q, he rocked the shit accapella for more than a minute and killed it! This song is put together very strangely, but is definitely worth a listen. I don't know about the singing at the start though.

10. Life Is Better
Life would be better if Q-Tip didn't make songs like this. Maybe it's just me but this seemed like a half-assed hip hop ode. Just me... I have a snaking suspicion John was feeling this track.

11. Believe
I wanted to love this song, but I just couldn't. The beat is magnificent, but the message that ties the song together is somewhat lacking.

12. Shaka
Another poignant production, and this is a great way to finish up this album. No matter how the material before it sounds, this song will leave you wanting more Q-Tip.

And that will conclude this album. To tell the truth, I was somewhat dissapointed. The album itself was to be expected. Lately Q-Tip among numerous other rappers has begun singing more than rhyming. This album is somewhat similar to his second LP Kamaal the Abstract, in terms of singing. But this is Q's finest produced album to date. Considering he produced or co-produced almost the whole album, that is quite an achievement. There's something here for everyone, so check it! "Here they come yo, here they come...."

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 73.

You can find a download here

88 Keys/ The Death Of Adam

2008-11-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

The biggest thing that distinguishes rapper/sanger/producer 88 Keys is his willingness to experiment with different genres of music. To tell the truth, at first I thought this would be a very strange review to do here given 88 Keys' lack of a friendly label (hip-hop, rap, soul, R&B...). But 88 has produced for Mos Def, Consequence, Talib Kweli and The Pharcyde. He also has features from Kanye, Kid Cudi, Phonte, and Redman. He fits the genre folks, don't dismiss him from the get-go. That was never the primary concern for me though. I've never been a fan of concept songs: I Gave You Power, Gotta Eat, A Friendly Game Of Baseball...and less supportive of concept albums: The Cool, ATLiens, Deltron 3030. For those that have given this album a listen, and didn't really have a clue what they were listening to, here's a brief summary of the storyline. Adam (the main character), is your typical guy searching for sex anywhere he can find it. Adam meets a dime, dates her, and is shot down when he tries to take it to the next level (I can identify there, I won't front). Then Adam moves from the ex-girl to the next girl, who he finds in a nightclub apparently. This is where it got confusing. They have sex, but Adam can't please her, but they stay together still until Adam's life comes to an end... The Death Of Adam. Sounds a little lame to me too, but let's give it a spin.

1. Morning Wood
Produced by 88 Keys
Ehh. I can't recommend listening to this track. Just all-around lame. And not in a late 70's start of hip-hop sense either. Lame as in you're trying way too hard and it shows.

2. Nice Guys Finish Last
Produced by 88 Keys
Much better. I was really feeling the recording process on this track, 88 Keys somehow altered his own voice so it sounds like he recorded his verse through a phone or something. Sounds like Who Shot Ya. I was also feeling the beat and the "nice" vocal sample as 88 sprinkles some knowledge throughout his story.

3. The Friends Zone
Featuring Shitake Monkey; Produced by 88 Keys
If your looking for some indie rock mixed with soft pop this is probably your shit, but I wasn't feeling it at all. At all!

4. Handcuff 'Em
Produced by 88 Keys
The beat was nice. The lyrics were somewhat nice. By this point in time, I've noticed that 88 Keys and Charles Hamilton are one and the same. The song was good if you want to just kick back and take in the sound, but once I started listening to the songs message it seemed mad corny. Like Ms. Officer off C3. And the metaphors keep on coming!

5. Stay Up (Viagra)
Featuring Kanye West; Produced by 88 Keys
Great instrumental here. The Death Of Adam and 808's & Heartbreak seem to be sister albums, categorized as hip-hop but containing a lot more singing than rhyming. By the way, Kanye blows here (no surprise), and his Borat reference had me cringing... really 'Ye... really? On the real though, this instrumental could carry the whole album because it is amazing.

6. There's Pleasure In It
Produced by 88 Keys
This one is nothing more than an beat, this song would be an interlude on any other album besides this one. I wasn't feeling this beat as much as the previous one, mainly because it was made around a moaning sample (F for creativity). Swap the instrumentals in the two previous tracks and you could have had a good song.

7. (Awww Man) Round 2?
Produced by 88 Keys
Seven songs in and I'm on the verge of falling asleep. Good instrumental and terrible lyricism again... SKIP! Learn how to rhyme homie, or just stick to producing.

8. Dirty Peaches
Featuring J'Davey; Produced by 88 Keys
R&B track. No, average R&B track. Don't really remember how it sounded because it was so generic.

9. Close Call
Featuring Phonte; Produced by 88 Keys
It takes fan favorite Phonte to really conjure up a verse deserving of 88 Keys superb production. The first two minutes of this track are the best of the whole album, after the first two minutes it goes downhill.

10. The Burning Bush
Featuring Redman; Produced by 88 Keys
So Redman becomes Adam for this skit/song, and goes to the doctor's office because he caught an STD. I love Redman, but his three verses seem forced here, following a pretty consistent theme for guest features.

11. Ho' Is Short For Honey
Featuring Kid Cudi; Produced by 88 Keys
I'm not a Cudi fan at all. But there's something catchy about this track, but nothing that would make me repeat it. I do admire his rhyme schemes though, and the sampling here. Something to this track, you might have to check it out... maybe.

12. No. I Said I LIKED You
Produced by 88 Keys
I forgot to mention that there has been a girl telling the story at the end of every song. This track they don't put her at the end, instead just giving her the spotlight. Easy skip for me.

13. M.I.L.F.
Featuring Bilal; Produced by 88 Keys
This is another soft R&B track. Nice beat, nice singing. Still kind of ehh...

14. Another Victim
Produced by 88 Keys
And we're done! Nothing more to say about this song, other than it feels like the clock hitting 5 o'clock on a Friday. I'm glad to be done.

There's a difference between Shawty Lo and 88 Keys. Even though I have a hard time listening to both of them, I can't hate on 88. This wasn't my type of album, but I can't give it a really low rating based on my distaste for the album. At least 88 is trying, a lot more than many artists can say for themselves.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 64. Not my cup of tea.

You can find a link here

Jurassic 5/Feedback

2008-11-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

The day Jurassic 5 got together as a group was the day Hip Hop was finally saved. In an era where the West Coast was dominated by gangsta and all that, these Los-Angeles based brothers brought back the vibes of the old Native Tongues maintaining a strictly underground attitude, rising to the scene with groups such Dilated Peoples, Defari and Cali Agents, using East Coast-oriented beats and fresh rhymes reminiscin’ about the Old School. Unfortunately “Feedback” was not only the first album that the group recorder without Dj/producer Cut Chemist, which had left the group earlier in 2006, it was the last album that Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even and Dj Nu-Mark recorded together at all, before splittin for unknown reasons. What’s left was an album that continued the work J5 had done before, maybe less satisfying than its two (three with the J5 Ep) predecessors, full of mid-80’s Hip Hop references and fresh rhymes from each component.

What’s Hot

1. Back 4 U – Great intro, features a very catchy piano loop over a hard beat, one by one J5 makes sure everyone noticed that they’re back. They forgot to mention it was the last time. Sigh.

2. Radio – Okay. This one will tack you back directly to 1985, if you love Run Dmc’s first album, if you ever wore a kangol and sported a heavy radio on your shoulders, this one’s for you. It’s a tribute to the originators, everyone mentions the moment when Hip Hop crossed their heart for the first time, when ghetto blasters and gold chains were a must. Aaahh, that good ol’ times…

5. In The House – Bpm’s goes up and up, here we turn completely into funk mode. Sounds good as an old Coolio cut, “Smokin' Stix”, it’s a party-vibe track with a lot of 70’s flavor in it.

6. Baby Please – We go uptempo here, this cut is about serious business. Does that woman wants you for your money? Save your funds, while you can!

9. Get It Together – The best beat on the entire album. Period.

10. Future Sound – Another great cut, Akil and Soup trade verses over a very good beat. This one’s sounds good even if 2Na doesn’t speak a word….

15. Canto De Ossanha – Every classic J5 album got his instrumental to close out things. This makes no exception, by the way this is the best instrumental cut put together by Nu Mark.

What’s Not
3. Brown Girl – Not a typical J5 cut, the chorus is simply horrendous.

4. Gotta Understand – The beat is so-so, and the Curtis Mayfield vocal loop is too perseverant.

7. Work It Out feat. Dave Matthews Band– This cut is not really bad at all, but once you listen to it, it’ll leave a commercial taste in your mouth. That’s too soft, too radio oriented, not J5 style. I know that they collaborated with people such as Nelly Furtado, but that was a completely different vibe.

Bottom Line

A very good album, anyway it does not sees the greatness that “Quality Control” and “Power In Numbers” contained. There are two or three missteps that bring the overall quality down, Chali 2Na is not that much present with that monsta voice that bless any drum roll possible, anyway the beats, even without Cut Chemist, are very creative and the overall concept is still different from anything your ears is accustomed to.

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 85. The fact that it’s not Jurassic 5 best album doesn’t mean that it is not good. It could've been done better, okay, but it's still way above average.

You can find a link here

M-1/Confidential

2008-10-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

When I got a request to review this album I actually jumped at the opportunity (not that obvious by my delayed post... sorry). But I've been needing a good excuse to jump into my Dead Prez collection, as it has been collecting computer dust for more than a year now. Lately all my music has been collecting computer dust but that's a different story. I first found out about Dead Prez when I heard Hip-Hop, I'm sure that's probably how most people know them as. But this time unlike many others when groups are categorized and unfairly labeled by their breakout song, Hip-Hop really did symbolize the message Dead Prez was trying to present. Strong, combative, political hip-hop that could be taken seriously. Dead Prez consists of two members, Stic.Man and M-1. So without any further adieu, here's the review;

1. One Side (The Anthem)-
It's really nothing more than an intro. If this were not an hip-hop album, it may have been a good song, but for this particular genre it's still an useless album intro.

2. Early-
The first thing I noticed about this song is it's lack of aesthetics, the album itself isn't very smooth and doesn't exactly mesh well together. For each of the three verses, their is a new flow, a new subject matter, and it's very incohesive (uncohesive?). It reminds me of listening to a Tech N9ne song, where there is almost no structure at all. Can't say I hated this song, but I can't say I'm ever going to listen to it again either.

3. Land, Bread, & Housing-
A pretty safe song when compared to the whole Dead Prez catalog, but it's worth checking out. Butter provides the backdrop for M-1's eclectic mix of family values and Pan-African "Fuck the white man" ideals. Song is very R&B tinged, and it's the first one I could recommend checking out.

4. For You-
You wouldn't really be missing anything if you skipped over this song. It's an organized mess of a song.

5. Confidential-
This song is a little slower, more of an R&B influence, but I still didn't find much to like about this song. By this point in the album, I'm getting a little bit annoyed by M-1's countless political jabber that just sounds endlessly paranoid. Not to add, he switched topics mid-sentence all the way throughout this song. But it's not something you shouldn't have expected, SONGS THAT SHARE THE ALBUM'S NAME ARE NEVER GOOD! Exclude Ready To Die from the above statement.

6. Love You Can't Borrow-
With a legendary counterpart on the mic, M-1 finally steps his game up and produces a track worth hearing. I'm not the biggest fan of the chorus, but I'll gladly listen to this chill mellow track again.

7. 5 Elements-
Once the beat kicked in I knew that this was a banger. And not in the typical sense either. By far the best song so far, only blemished by the cutesy Bruce Lee quote in the beginning and hook. It's not kicking knowledge when you take an open-ended philosophical statement and manipulate it to fit the songs message. Regardless, peep this track.

8. Gunslinger-
This is one of the worst interludes I've ever heard. And it's a song! Stay far, far away from this song. It reminds me of Caribbean Connection on Capitol Punishment. Obviously out of place, and horribly detaching from the album's overall message. To be curt, delete.

9. Comrade's Call-
Sounded like a repeat of For You. The hook is wack, the beat is insanely over-produced and everyone's flow is just off. Skip!

10. Don't Put Down Your Flag-
Another generic, two second hook... but this time it is accompanied by an outstanding beat and engaging lyricism and flow. Just for that alone, this song stands out. Aside from the album, this song holds it's own too... I guess you could bang this one.

11. The Beat-
Is out of place and does not fit the song at all. I guess they tried to turn a club beat into a instrument for political tirades, but it doesn't really fit well here (correction: it doesn't really fit well anywhere). The flow is really cut-up (in order to ride the beat) and detaches from anything useful M-1 or Bang Double could have said.

12. Been Through-
You'd think M-1 could have possibly chosen a more fitting instrumental when he has a feature from fucking Ghostface, but naw... you get more of the same. I understand the optimistic overtone here, but this beat does not fit the lyrical content. And fuck if M-1's weed-carrier Raye doesn't throw in 40 seconds of the weakest shit this side of Advil. Fabrizio Sotti may just be a possible candidate for worst producer ever and that's coming solely from this album.

13. Till We Get There-
Where is the originality? This is just like Love You Can't Borrow, Land Bread & Housing, and Confidential. They are all the same song. If you haven't yet tired of the above listed songs, you might like this one. It's admittedly one of the better tracks on this album, but that's not really saying anything.

14. Too Smart-
I wasn't very smart and listened to this song in it's entirety. The subject matter is kind of obvious, how M-1 is too smart to give in to government conspiracies set to scrutinize the black man. By this point I've had enough.

I have nothing positive to say about this album, so I'll just say that I wasted a small portion of my life on this album, and I advise you not to.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 58.

If you really want to...You can find a link here

Joe Budden/ Halfway House

2008-10-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

First, I want to apologize to everyone who checks this site regularly, I really have been slacking lately. Second, I will no longer post direct links to full-album downloads, but I will push you in the right direction if you in fact want to acquire an album (you'll see at the bottom of the post). And last, if you work for the DMCA, you are not welcome here, under any means.
Since I haven't posted for about a week and a half, I might as well take on some exclusive shit in the form of Joey Budden's latest. Halfway House, is being released as an album strictly to provide Joey's fans something to feed on after Padded Room got pushed back to the end of February. Lately Joey has been running shit on the coast. His song Who, was huge in the blog universe a few months back. And the newest installment in his highly acclaimed mixtape series Mood Muzik has been made into an album, and re-mixed by countless producers. Shit's looking real good for Jump-off Joey right now.

1. Intro-
Your typical lame-ass intro: "Sorry for the push-backs, I've been grinding lately". Seems like every rapper is using that as an excuse nowadays. Sprinkle in a few "L"'s and you get an instant skip. But it is an intro...
2. On My Grind-
This sounds like one of those high-octane rock-rap songs, and the beat is really abrasive. I was impressed with the lyricism but the flow doesn't match the instrumental. And the hook shreds any piece of respectability to shreds. "He's a beast, he's a monster, he is insane, he's an animal, he cannot be tamed". Really Joe? Really? Come on...
3. Overkill (feat. Heartbreak)-
Sounds like it might have been a reject from Mood Muzik 3, I say that in the best way of course. Blastah Beatz tries a little too hard here, the instrumental sounds real dramatic and a little forced. And even though it's Joey's track, Heartbreak fucking puts this beat in a coffin, cold bodying the track with his puchlines and lyricism. I've never even heard of his dude, but I was really surprised and impressed with the verse he turned in... trust me it is ill as fuck! Buddens goes second and even though his verse is straight, it doesn't even compare to Heartbreak's sixteen bars.
Check it here, you'll be glad you did.
4. Check Me Out-
This track starts off slow and quickly gains momentum. The first minute and a half is pretty weak, but once Joe becomes introspective the lyrics start to mean more and this song makes a turn for the better. The instrumental is more of what I was expecting: soulful, poignant production, this time by Mizfitz Soundz.
5. Sidetracked-
I wasn't feeling this track at all. Weak-ass beat, and the lyricism is overly-predictable. Easy skip for me.
6. Slaughterhouse (feat. Royce Da 5'9, Crooked I, Nino Bless, and Joell Ortiz)-
The posse cut that puts all other posse cuts to shame. I have to admit that as soon as this album downloaded, this was the very first song I was eager to hear. Just an all-star lineup right here. And Scram Jones' instrumental immediately grabs your ears, it just commands attention. And then everybody throws in their best effort, I'm not a huge Joell fan, but he really does come with straight crack on the track. Nino and Crooked are no exception either. But Royce straight fucking murders this beat! He is by far the best lyricist of the group, and he proves his worth in spades here. Surprisingly, I found Joey to once again be the worst of the group. Still, that's not saying much because he turns in a decent verse here.
7. Under The Sun-
I never thought that a Bryan Adams sample would fit a hip-hop instrumental of any type, but I was wrong. Hazed Khaos does a great job of fitting that sample into the instrumental here. The first verse has unmatched intensity, but after that it drops off to a pretty low level. The last verse was materialistic and phony as hell. It's still a pretty good song though.
8. The Soul-
The beat sounds like something a post-Black Album Jay-Z might have rapped over. But this song seemed like filler to me. A half-assed ode to hip-hop back in the day.
9. Anything Goes-
Skip/delete this one, it's weak all-around.
10. Go To Hell-
Wasn't really feeling this one either. The rhymes are getting a little bit monotonous at this point. And this Blastah Beatz production doesn't compare favorably to his previous one.
11. Just To Be Different-
There are some weird-ass samples on this album; Styx, Coldplay, Bryan Adams, and Shinedown. A lot of R&R influence for a hip-hop album. Especially for a Joey Budden album, you'd think he would stay away from Coldplay since Jay's worked with them.
This is a great song, once again Joey is introspective here, yet he comes with some of his best material. A great instrumental here, and the awkward hook is the only thing that really detaches from the song. It's sampled in a Ghetto Gospel manner, substituting Elton John with Shinedown.
12. Touch & Go-
I listened to about one minute of this song and instantly deleted it. It's pretty bad even as far as singles go. Really Joe? Really?

And that will conclude this album, I don't have the Amalgam bonus tracks, so I can't really say anything about them. This album was pretty average, and it didn't really do all that much for Joey in my opinion. It's less of an album and more of a compilation of unreleased tracks, which explains why you go from absolute genius like Overkill and Slaughterhouse to mediocrity like The Soul and Go To Hell to plain-terrible like Touch & Go. Considering it's not an actual album, it's not so bad. I would recommend acquiring about half of the album, as the first half is actually really good, but staying far away from the second half. It's also kind of interesting that Joey is at his best when he talks about his internal problems, drug problems, and anything emotional. Heavily reminiscent of an early Eminem, although they have two completely different styles.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 74.

You can find a download link here

Nas/Street's Disciple

2008-10-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to drop a review on here for a while, so I thought I'd start with this beast of a two-disc album.
As much as I want to go track for track with this work as any Nas album deserves, I'll just touch on each track a little bit so this review doesn't go on too long.

DISC 1

1. Intro/2.Message to the Feds
"Peace."
That one word contrasting over the foreboding piano sets the mood for this dark, contemplative album perfectly. Crickets sound in the background and Nas talks quietly to the listener and let's us know that this is a conversation. Nas has often been looked at as someone who shoots ideas over everyone's heads, but he's always known how to speak directly to the listener, he just doesn't dumb himself down. The trick is not letting his status overwhelm you or make the overall meaning of his songs seem out of reach. The second the beat drops you can just feel the need to pump your fist in the air to this. Nas appropriately closes the first verse with "And they're aware of us though/and we don't give a flying 747 fuck though/staying on my hustle." Within the first minute of this album you know Nas is going to say some strong shit.
3. Nazareth Savage
First off this beat is a monster. The choir gives it a heavenly sound while Nasir paints gloomy pictures such as "Sons back with flows, they say mine is very scary/smell fear like a canine that finds buried babies." And let's not forget about Nas' straight lyrical ability, "I squeeze nipples like pimples to get the puss/pus, get it?"
4. American Way/5. These Are Our Heroes
Back on ground level Nas starts looking at today's issues concerning politics and black leaders/influences. These tracks are like an early look into how Nas approached his new 'Untitled' album. Again, not enough can be said about Nas' ability to present an issue in a way that makes you think, even if that means saying some things that will make people hate him.
6. Disciple
As the title suggests, Nas speaks on the people he has inspired to follow in his footsteps. Good song, around average level of quality compared to the rest of the album.
7. Sekou Story/8. Live Now
In these two tracks Nas' story telling ability shines in an epic story about living life to the fullest told through a couple different perspectives of a man name 'Sekou.' These are definitely two tracks you should sit down and listen to, though I'd recommend that for most of the tracks on this album.
9. Rest of My Life/10. Just A Moment/12. You Know My Style
I grouped all of these together as all of these tracks are straight, but they aren't really stand out tracks either.
11. Reason
This is the sleeper hit of the first disc. Though it seems low key and out of place alongside the grimy/hard hitting tracks, this is such a good track lyrically, production wise, and the hook sounds real nice.

DISC 2

1. Suicide Bounce/2. Street's Disciple
This side starts off with a bang with Busta Rhymes on the hook and Nas doesn't even give the beat a chance. "To your power structure Nas is dangerous/ya'll the antithesis, the opposite/twitch and shit, all up in your body language." Nas makes absolutely sure that we don't forget he can tear the mic to shreds. The energy slows down for the title track, but Nas doesn't let up in quality here.
3. UBR (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)
Cool concept, but I thought this kind of dragged the album down. It's basically just Nas listing off some facts about Rakim's life.
4. Virgo
Ludacris jumps on for this track. It's decent enough, maybe lacking a little bit in content but as always these two artists turn in competent verses. Doesn't take away from the album, but I didn't think it was necessary either.
5/6. Remember the Times/7. The Makings of a Perfect Bitch/8. Getting Married/9. No One Else in the Room
I love the energy on Remember the Times and Nas comes really creative with his imagery describing his past sexual encounters. This leads into The Makings of a Perfect Bitch, a cool concept executed really well where he goes into what he wants in a woman. Finally this leads to Getting Married where the trilogy of relationships with females ends. This one's the weakest of the three in my opinion but it's good enough and completes the idea. No One Else in the Room continues this a little bit but what I liked most about this track was the feel it gives off, from the beat and the way he spits it. I haven't even listened to the lyrics of it closely yet it just sounds good.
10. Bridging the Gap/11. War
Two good songs, they aren't favorites of mine but Nas still comes correct.
12. Me & You
A song dedicated to Nas' daughter. I'm usually not a huge fan of these kinds of songs since I don't have a kid and can't really relate to it, but I can't help but feel Nas' happiness and pride in his daughter on this track.
13. Thief's Theme
I can't say enough about this track. Such a good way to end an album of this scope, Nas spits grimy over the In-a-Gadda-da-Vida sample.

Personally, I consider this to be the best Nas album. Period. Going track by track and being a little iffy about the inclusion of a few tracks makes me take the score down a little bit but I think this is Nasir in his purest state, his potential more realized then ever. As always with his albums there is more than meets the eye (/ear) and Nas presents ideas that can't possibly be all taken in from one listening. Hell, I'm still deciphering this and every time I hear it all the way through I find something new. All of these songs are good stand alone but as a whole this is just a really complete album, which is saying a lot considering it's a double LP.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 93. There are a few tracks that weigh it down so despite my personal opinion of the overall quality technically I shouldn't give it a higher score than Illmatic.

Can Find A Link Here

I Apologize

2008-10-25T16:13:00.001-07:00

I started this blog this summer, feeling bored and not having anything to do. I know that lots of the people who actually read this blog are disheartened by the lack of posts lately, and I genuinely do apologize to y'all. It hurts me to know that I was posting daily, and now I'm only posting weekly.
Still this is a young blog, very young. Only a few months old, I hope to revamp the layout soon and all sorts of other stuff.
I also plan on posting more, so stay tuned.
And once more, check out FunCrusher Plus.

Also, this site is getting like 3-400 views per day, so if there's anyone who views and would like to help out... SPEAK UP!
You can reach me at doctaprodigy@yahoo.com

One love to all.

Bushwick Bill/Phantom of the Rapra

2008-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, I know it's been almost a week since I last posted, thanks to everyone who stopped by anyways. I just looked through the site, and I really felt as though, there is no real 90's southern rap on here at all. And even though, I'm not the Geto Boy's biggest fan by any means, I can appreciate the music Scaface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill have made. I was looking through my collection of unheard CD's and this was at the top, usually I skip through it, but for some reason I really had a lot of motivation to give this CD a chance. Doesn't hurt that I just heard "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me" last night... one of the finest tracks to come out of the south ever. And I personally find Bushwick Bill to be a pioneer of the horrorcore genre, even more so than Scarface or Willie D. While Big L was earning props in the NYC, Bill had the south on lock. Anyway, good for nothing long ass intro...

The Good:

2. What Cha Gonna Do- One of the best intro's I've heard in a while, there's something to be said about Bushwick's cool laid-back style which perfectly compliments this chill instrumental. "What you gonna do when the world goes by? I'm a light a spliff and keep getting high".

3. Times Is Hard- Another slow relaxing instrumental, this time Bill spits about getting out of the ghetto, and it's really a heartfelt song.

4. Who's The Biggest- I was waiting for one of these songs... and it's your typical babble about "size doesn't matter, step to me and I'll kill you". You could listen to it, but you know what's coming next.

5. Ex-Girlfriend- Another slow-ass chill instrumental, and Bill is so at home over these beats it's crazy. The topic matter is pretty average, but still Bushwick puts his own different twist on it.

9. Subliminal Criminal- Huh... well... He compares himself to Chucky about 25 times too many for my liking, but it's not a bad song. The beat is very interesting, has electronic bass and all sorts of stuff mixed in, still I was kind of bored with this track.

10. Inhale, Exhale- This is "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me" part 2. I swear, listen to the song and the theme is carried over, and the beat sounds almost identical.

And that'll do it for this album. Only 12 tracks, and over 200 references to the Devil, Hitler, and Chucky... seemed kind of lame to me, but considering the time, I guess it wasn't too played out back in the mid-90's. Some great production on this album, and when Bushwick isn't lacing the wax with Satanic prayers and what-not this album came correct.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 76... if the Geto Boys are your shit, then you'll undoubtedly enjoy this album, but if your looking for 8Ball & MJG esque southern music... this likely won't float your boat, even less so if your expecting Outkast type shit. Those are my two cents:

Download Here
P.S. I know ZShare is down, but this is the only link I could find.

Nas/ The Lost Tapes

2008-10-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it's take me so long to post, that latest post has take a lot out of me. For those who haven't heard yet, I've been working on a new project... Iron Flag definitely check it out if you have some time, we're going full throttle ahead. Now, as for this album, I picked it up a few months ago and wasn't able to give it a listen for a while. I guess I can thank my readers for motivating me. Last I heard, this album had tracks from the "Stillmatic" sessions, and a few from "I Am". Looking back on Nas' career is crazy, considering Nas only started fucking with Main Source in like '92 or something. Back then he was just a sleepy-eyed teenager with a knack for mic skills and cadence, and Large Pro or MC Serch never could have imagined that he would become the phenomenon he was today. They were probably even more surprised in '94 when he released "Illmatic". Not that any of that really pertains to this album...

The Good:

1. Doo Rags- This seems like a song that may have gotten cut from "Stillmatic". The beat is real calm, piano keys and bass. But the lyricism makes this track, when Nas comes with his smooth flow over a real calm instrumental, the result is a very listenable track.

2. My Way- I was feeling this track, although the beat wasn't as soft and the song didn't flow as well. I felt that the whole "I Did It My Way" was pretty cliche, but that's probably the only bad thing I can say about this track, it's not great, but by no means is it bad.

3. U Gotta Love It- This is more of the Nas I was expecting, this sounds like a L.E.S. job that could have fit on "It Was Written" perfectly. The flow is slower, and Nas settles in to lace some storytelling lyrics. It was really easy to listen to and a revisit to classic Nas lyrics.

5. No Idea's Original- I was always, always amazed how this track got left off "Stillmatic", it would have been perfect right after "One Mic". The instrumental is amazing, probably one of The Alchemist's best collabs with Nas. And Nas' lyricism is amazing, don't sleep on this track!

8. Purple- The Invisible Man (one of our contributors) gave this song some very high praise. And after listening to it three or four times, I was also very impressed. The production on this track is pretty obscure, Hill Inc. produced it? Still, the beat is simple yet very effective, and Nas goes for more of a storytelling aspect here, and kills it.

9. Drunk By Myself- This was a very strange song, the beat itself could have carried a track, when Nas adds his multisyllabic rhyme scheme to the mix it sounds good. But at times this song sounds awkward and forced, especially during the hook. Overall, a great beat and great lyrics but they don't really flow to well together.

10. Black Zombie- This was back in the day when Nas rarely made political tracks. But when he did, the whole world listened, as you should if you haven't heard this song before. One of the best off this album. Another great production job by Hill Inc.... gonna have to check them out.

12. Fetus- This track is a hidden...bonus track... on a compilation album. You don't get closer to unreleased than that. And I really do wonder why this track was almost unreleased, it is a great concept, Nas imagines himself in his mom's fetus. An ill track overall.

I was really, really surprised by this album, it is very playable and I only had to skip a few tracks on this album. Out of 12, I'd say there are 8 songs that are dope and you need to hear.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 87. It's actually really good for an compilation album... some classic Nas material on here.

Download Here

Password: Keizertijd

What's coming soon

2008-10-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Top 100 hip-hop songs list coming soon... review of Black Rob and Nas coming soon. And a review of Blu & Exile's classic by Were Read 2 Def is coming soon!

Ill Bill- The Hour Of Reprisal

2008-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

I was reading comments people posted, and it seemed like a large number of people actually were interested in an review of this album. I am a huge fan of Ill Bill and Non Phixion Records in general, so I thought why not? I can't front and pretend I know all about Ill Bill so this summary will be fairly short. Started off rhyming with his brother, Necro, someone you should definitely check out if you haven't already. He released a few tracks where he featured with his brother under their record label Psycho + Logical Records (I think it was bought out by Tech N9ne, but I'm not sure). After that it was a CD full of rarities, demo's and all-over rare tracks (this CD was released in 03, yet all the material is from 91-94). Very interesting cover for that CD, anyway after that he released a second CD of rarities and mixtape tracks titled Howie Made Me Do It, this one with a more familiar cover, Ill Bill flipping the bird. Finally, in 2004, William Braunstein released his very first album, (which is still causing waves in the underground community) named What's Wrong With Bill. I honestly believe his debut album to be on par with AZ and Dr. Dre's, it is an amazing piece of work. If you ever look through the production values you probably won't run into even one familiar name... but needless to say the production is fucking amazing for that album. Seriously, check it out! After his debut, he released a semi-mandatory instrumental album (because the production is amazing). Then for the past few years he has been dropping mixtapes here and there, getting some hype for his new album The Hour Of Reprisal...

1. Babylon
Featuring Howard Jones; Produced by T-Ray
At first it's your usual self-righteous album intro, then the choir begins to sing and the drums/heavy metal instrumentals sets in. As a warning, a large part of this album contains heavy metal either in the chorus, hook or in the instrumental or maybe in all three. He actually features a metalcore singer on this track too. The instrumental on this song is really abrasive and annoying, I did not feel it added anything to this track. The lyricism itself heavily outshines anything T-Ray (nice name by the way jackass) could have ever hoped to accomplish. The chorus is sampled from a song which is in a completely different tempo so it doesn't really mesh all that well. But despite all of those negatives, when Ill Bill flows he turns everything upside down with his insane lyricism. And the track appropriately ends with the theme of "Anatomy of A School Shooting" carrying over.

2. Doomsday Was Written In An Alien Bible
Produced by Ill Bill
The first time I heard this song I was quick to label it as weak because of the simplistic beat and awkward flow. But after a second listen, I found the genius of the second verse which is among the best I've ever heard. All the other aspects of the song are pretty average. The hook is in typical Ill Bill style, long and wordy, which makes it difficult to identify.

3. Trust Nobody
Produced by Ill Bill
Way too heavy of an metal influence for my liking. The flow was off, the beat is very quick and choppy which makes the lyrics very difficult to decipher. And when you do get to the lyrics you'll discover that they are pretty weak compared to the above material. This was a delete/skip for me.

4. A Bullet Never Lies
Featuring Vinnie Paz; Produced by DJ Lethal
Ill Bill and the Jedi Mind Tricks collective have done some incredible work together, specifically Vinnie Paz (the anchor of Jedi Mind Tricks) and Ill Bill have done some great work. The production on this trick is pretty good, although the hook seems really forced and repetitive. Ill Bill once again turns in an average verse, and I believe he gets outshined by Vinnie Paz on this track.

5. White Nigger
Produced by Ill Bill
I heard this track for the first time back in late 06, I'm sure it had been floating around the internet for even longer than that. But I instantly fell in love with this track for the raw emotion and pure logic throughout. I could do without the first 30 seconds but the rest of the song is VERY good. Ill Bill narrates this story about how he grew up in Brooklyn as a white Jew who was attracted to hip-hop. Even though the title doesn't suggest it, this is actually a track denouncing racism, and I believe it is very effective. Probably the best song so far. It's comparable to "Peace Sells" from his first album.

6. My Uncle
Produced by Ill Bill & Sicknature
Another raw emotional song, this one is about how William grew up around drug abusers. I do like this song, but if it were executed differently (maybe minus Ill Bill yelling) it would be on a different plane of greatness. Still a song you should definitely check out though.

7. Riva
Featuring HR and Darryl Jennifer; Produced by Ill Bill
If you can possibly ignore the first 45 seconds of singing, moaning, and singing through nasal cords... you will reach a tribute song for Ill Bill's daughter (I think). But it is more of an insult than a tribute, I'm still grimacing after listening to this song.

8. War Is My Destiny
Featuring Max Cavalera & Immortal Technique; Produced by Ill Bill
Minus the demonic singing on the hook this would have been a decent song... Ill Bill sounds very comfortable and at home over this instrumental, although I can't say the same about Immortal Technique who sounds out of place over this beat. I found this to be one of Immortal Technique's weaker verses and probably his worst collab with Ill Bill. Maybe a delete, definitely a skip.

9. Society Is Brainwashed
Produced by DJ Premier
No that's not a misprint, Primo produced this track and Ill Bill definitely knows it. He comes out blazing and flows lyrical FUCKING murder all over this dark instrumental. The only downside of this track was the out-of-place vocal sample on the hook... otherwise an impeccable song.

10. This Is Who I Am
Produced by DJ Muggs
Two big names in a row... two amazing lyrical performances in a row. On this track Ill Bill explains his career in the rap game and all the shit he's had to go through to just achieve a little bit of underground hype. He rides the beat for a solid two minutes and then Muggs lets it ride out at the end. A really good hook for a change too.

11. Too Young
Featuring Hero and Slaine; Produced by Darp Malone
A very innovative beat, with elements of violin (I think) and soft piano. The first verse starts off slow, Ill Bill's verse is fire, then the last verse is pretty hot too. I wasn't really feeling the hook on this track either.

12. Pain Gang
Featuring B-Real and Everlast; Produced by Cynic
This is probably as close to hip-hop heavyweights that Ill Bill can put together, both B-Real of Cypress Hill and Everlast of House of Pain have been out of the spotlights for a good 10 years. B-Real had the huge hit "Insane In The Brain", and Everlast had "Jump Around", it's kind of a shame that most people will only recognize them because of these songs (it's a shame that some people still won't recognize them). Once again the hook is terrible on this track, and it really upset the great lyricism by both Ill Bill and Everlast... Everlast was on some Immortal Technique shit here. B-Real has always been a pretty weak lyricist and he definitely gets shown up here, and I would have to say it's pretty even between Everlast and Ill Bill, both turn in great verses.

13. U.B.S. (Unauthorized Biography Of Slayer)
Produced by Necro
When I saw this song on the track listing I instantly thought it was a lame idea... I didn't really like Nas' biography of Rakim... but Slayer? Well, I was wrong, this beat is simply put amazing, and it helps me drone out Ill Bill's boring lyrics. I wonder who he thought would enjoy this song?

14. Coka Moschiach
Featuring Raekwon The Chef; Produced by Ill Bill
Raekwon murders Ill Bill on this track. This is probably William's weakest verse off the whole album and it does not come at a good time. Rae has been putting in work lately, I'm beginning to think Cuban Linx 2 (when it comes out) may not be the disappointment it will inevitably be.

15. The Most Dangerous Weapon Alive
Produced by Necro
Once again, this song starts off slow with a lackluster first verse, it is helped out with an above-average (yet not spectacular) hook... and then the last verse is ill as fuck. I'm beginning to wonder why Ill Bill didn't have Necro produced the whole album for him.

16. Soap
Interlude... can't say it's worth your time, but it does set up the next track pretty well.

17. I'm A Goon
Produced by Ill Bill & Sicknature
This is more of what I was hoping for from this album, less metal and more turntabling... Sicknature's influence on this track in turn makes it more DJ Premier rather than Killswitch Engage. I really enjoyed this track, I can't pinpoint what it was specifically, but it was really well produced and the lyrics were on point.

18. Only Time Will Tell
Featuring Tech N9ne, Necro and Everlast; Produced by DJ Muggs
Necro starts this track off in an incredible manner spitting an fiery verse, then Tech N9ne ruins the second verse,(but I'm biased) and Ill Bill sounds incredibly awkward on the last verse. Not a good way to end this album.

Bottom Line:
Huh... this album was a very mixed experience. I did not enjoy most of the heavy metal sampling/chorus work on this album. I did however enjoy the Unauthorized Biography of Slayer. Even though this album is only 60 minutes, you will have to listen to it again to uncover much of the symbolism behind Ill Bill's rhymes... or to analyze most of his political and revolutionary tirades. The wide range of guest features on this album adds to it's greatness but also subtracts from it's playability. When Ill Bill does songs with like-minded artists it sounds real good, but when he features unorthodox metal singers on his choruses it just sounds out of place. The production is also pretty shaky, there are a good portion of the songs which are well-produced. But for some reason, the songs I disliked, for the most part were all produced by Bill. At the same time, the Primo and Muggs tracks were great, Necro did a great job and Sicknature helped out too. Not a bad album, but it's filled with holes and mistakes. But that's just my opinion.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 84.

Download Album Here

Download: Society Is Brainwashed

Heltah Skeltah/D.I.R.T.

2008-10-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know the album cover is just fucking ridiculous. But name one hip hop head who hasn't been waiting for this album to drop. Forscore and 12 years ago, Heltah Skeltah released an equally goofy album cover, both rappers hanging from the sky... in Twista "Kamikaze" fashion. As goofy as that album cover was, the music inside was gritty as hell.. if you haven't yet heard "Nocturnal", it should definitely be on your to-do list of Golden Age hip-hop. For those who have heard "Nocturnal" and "Magnum Force", this is obviously an album you had your sights on for quite some time. It's been ten years since Heltah Skeltah has released an album. Don't get it twisted though, both Ruck and Rock have been grindin out street singles on a consistent basis for those 10 years. In fact, they joined a hip-hop supergroup known as "Boot Camp Clik", which is them, Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. It is kind of like the East Coast's version of the Four Horsemen. Combined with the critically acclaimed first two albums and the huge underground of the Boot Camp Clik, this album has got crazy hype attached to it. I only wonder if it deserves the hype...

1. Intro
Featuring DonRocko, BummyFlyJab and Alkatraz; Produced by D Dot
Imagine what's happening on the album cover in song. It's just a messy mix of death threats, bullet shot sounds, and random yells of "Heltah Skeltah" or "Boot Camp Clik"... and then Ruck (I think) decides to spit a few bars at the end. I guess it's alright for an intro, but I would skip it.

2. Insane
Produced by Marco Polo
I wasn't really ready for this track, but after about one minute I got really into this track. Marco Polo does a great job on the instrumental, especially with the dark, eerie mood he provides, and also with the "insane" sample. Heltah Skeltah rips this track a new asshole with their lyricism, I was really impressed.

3. Chipmunk 3000
Produced by Fatim
I don't have much to say about this track. I wasn't really feeling it at all.

4. Everything Is Heltah Skeltah
Produced by Ill Mind
Definitely feeling this track. "Fuck with Charlie Manson, tell you everything is Heltah Skletah". This beat is very simple yet it fits almost perfectly to the rhymes. The lyrics are great, and it's just a great song overall... I repeated this song 3 or 4 times.

5. D.I.R.T. (Another Boot Camp Clik Yeah Song)
Produced by Khryis
"You so subpar/ you subleasing/ Subway sandwich eating, sucka type/ Sucking your teeth in/Substitute the subliminal shots with some shit that sounds like the subwoofer when it go Rah Rah" Need I say more? This track fucking bangs! Also look for the same sample that Kanye West used on "Wouldn't Get Far".

6. So Damn Tough
Featuring Buckshot and Ruste Juxx; Produced by Ill Mind
Another raw-ass instrumental and some more grimy, gutter rhyming. The lyricism is amazing on this track... and watch Buckshot outshine everyone on this track.

7. WMD
Featuring Smif-N-Wessun; Produced by M-Phazes
Easily the best song so far. The Smif-N-Wessun verses are AIDS sick! Ain't no fucking with this track.

8. That's Incredible
Produced by Double Up
The beat is really boring, I was hoping for more from Double Up. And when Heltah Skeltah gets on the mic their verses are real weak. This is a skip for me.

9. Ape Muzik
Featuring The Representativz; Produced by M-Phazes
If this song was acapella it would sound like some 90's lines. I liked The Representativz verse's, but Ruck's verse was ill as hell. The beat sounds like a Dipset freestyle instrumental (in the best way possible of course).

10. The Art Of Disrespekinazation
Produced by Khrysis
"Fuck rap riddles, get shells yo/I'm a beast, you a bitch like tickle me Elmo".... You gotta check this song out, cuz it's propane fire.

11. Hellz Kitchen
Produced by Evidence
This beat is straight fucking horrible. If it wasn't for the track-saving lyricism I would have skipped instantly skipped it. The lines on here are crazy, but the instrumental is what ties it all together, and it's nearly non-existent.

12. Shmack Muzik
Produced by Sic Beats
This song is the opposite of the above one, you've got an appropriately sick beat... only the rhyming is boring and monotonous. The hook is terrible too (one of the very few times I can say that about a Heltah Skeltah track).

13. Twinz
Produced by Ken Ring
I'm not really a fan of slow beats and quick flow... but I guess if that's your thing, you will like this track. Once again Ruck saves this track from obscurity with his great verse at the end. But it's too little too late.

14. Ruck N Roll
Produced by Stu Bangas
Who hasn't freestyled over this beat yet? Seems like it was only Heltah Skeltah, and now that they've done their freestyle on this track maybe we can get rid of this instrumental already. Not exactly the ideal way to conclude your return to form album... but it's different strokes for different folks.

Bottom Line:
This album was everywhere, from great songs like "WMD" and "D.I.R.T." to what were they thinking like the intro and "Chipmunk 3000". I found much more successes than failures, but at the same time I had no clue what the hell I was listening to way too often. I respect that Heltah Skeltah is trying to be "different", but they sound like jackasses just like the album cover at times. I say this has about six or seven tracks that you should hear, about five or six that are average, and then two that nobody should waste their time on.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 78... like I said it's on and off.

Download Album Here

Large Professor/ Main Source

2008-09-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was 8 years old walking home from school, and I'd hear Large Professor's voice booming over a car stereo as I walked by. To this day, I won't forget that Main Source brought me into hip-hop, real hip-hop nonetheless. I grew up in Toronto, Canada and probably because of the lack of homegrown cats we had, everyone (and I mean everyone) banged the shit out of Main Source. After Main Source broke up in 94, I was really hoping and waiting on Large Professor's supposed "solo career", but it never took off. But then early in 2001, I remember hearing that Large Professor was set to release a shelved album that was supposed to be released in 95' or 96'... and of course I scooped it up as soon as it came out. And I loved it, it obviously wasn't as much an album as it was a compilation of remixes and b-sides off vinyl records... but it had the same effect. It bought me back to real hip-hop. And then Large Pro released another album just a few months later called "The Class". If you can't tell by now, I'm really biased, and I honestly believe "The Class" to be one of the best hip-hop albums released in 2002. But then sadly, just as Xtra P had created insane buzz for another album, he fell off the map (as an rapper not a producer) for nearly half a decade. That is until today, when he releases his quote-unquote comeback album...

1. The Entrance- I forgot to mention that Large Professor is a fucking Nobel-Prize winner in the studio... so you know this whole album will have the hottest instrumentals known to man. The instrumental has heavy sampling of funk and heavy jazz which should set it apart as a great instrumental, but when you add Large Pro's multisyllabic rhymes in here, you get an unbelievable intro. I could quote something, but he spits fire for two minutes straight.

2. Hot: Sizzling, Scorching, Torching, Blazing- And this is a bit of a dropoff, the beat is boring and really detaches from the insane lyricism again. The hook is pretty weak too, but since Large P adds a new loop just for the hook it sounds infinitely better. The vibe's still there though!

3. Maica Living- This is more of what I was expecting from this album: gritty, raw production with grimy underground rhymes. Weak hook and the beat is pretty simple, which is to be expected when you've got 2 features on one song, I do like the pow-pow sample though... livens things up a little bit. This is one of those 90's tracks, which you just nod your head to unconsciously. Watch for Killer Sha's "killa" verse too.

4. Pump Ya Fist- Wasn't feeling this track at all... the beat is too poppy and moves way too fast and that makes it hard to keep up with Mikey D Lotto and Xtra P. This was a delete/skip for me.

5. Party Time- So Large Pro called a political/social commentary song "Party Time" and he called a fast moving party song "Pump Ya Fist"... this song needs to trade titles with the above song. After I got past that confusion, I found a great song with another simple yet effective instrumental which Xtra P tears to pieces. The hook seems forced as it is not necessary at all on this track. But don't confuse a weak hook for a weak track... cuz this shit bangs.

6. In The Ghetto- I had to listen to this song a few times before it grew on me. It doesn't seem very good at first, but once you get past the nearly non-existent beat and almost spoken-word rhymes... you will discover a song that makes you think. Great use of storytelling.

7. Hardcore Hip-Hop- Everything I love about hip-hop all mixed into one on this track. Add a soulful jazzy beat to 60 bars of straight crack and turntabling on the hook. One word: fire! Should have called this track Dragontales.

8. Frantic Barz- Really weak... that's all I can really say. Any time an artist spells bars "Barz", you can tell your in for a disaster. Trust me and just skip.

9. Sewin' Love- Ain't really feeling this track so much either. It's not bad, it's just really boring, in fact I just heard this track and don't remember a thing about it.

10. Ru Dope- Starts off in "Who Shot Ya" style... and ends in Jeru The Damaja spitting a hot 30 second verse. This track was nice, even though it is only a minute long.

11. Dap- Another short verse, except this time it's Big Noyd, who firebreaths all over this track.

12. Noyd- Big Noyd stars on a track called "Dap" and Lil Dap stars on a track called "Noyd"... is there some inside joke I'm not in on? This is the song that will end the three song run of Gang Starr family features... and it's by far the worst of the three. BY FAR!

13. Classic Emergency- Large Pro's awkward flow ruins this promising beat, and very promising hook. I'm definitely not feeling the weak metaphors either.

14. Rockin Hip-Hop- I don't even know what to say about this song. Probably because I've already forgotten all about it.

15. Large Pro Says- Your typical interlude produced by the artist. "Do the bounce like you from down south" ?

16. To The Meadows- Large Pro starts off by murdering this soft instrumental and then he lets the beat go for a minute. Great song... probably the best display of lyricism on the whole album.

17. The Hardest- Wow... I was about to say this album fell off something crazy in the second half but this track takes it back. You could already tell this track was gonna be hot with AZ and Styles P, and they definitely deliver. This track goes hard the whole way, great way to end.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 84. This is definitely not what I was expecting from this album. If your expecting gritty, raw rhyming on every track you'll be disappointed. And if your expecting Large P to come with fire on every track, you'll be disappointed too... but if you have your expectations in check and are hoping for a consistently good album, you won't be disappointed. The first half of this album actually really surprised me... but once you get to track 12, this album really drops off, and doesn't pick up until the very last track (which is fucking fire).

Download: Download song: Hardcore Hip Hop

Download Album Here

Atmosphere/ You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

2008-09-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

I did a post awhile back introducing Atmosphere and their label Rhymesayers Entertainment... You can check it here. I assume most of you have heard of Atmosphere, as their probably the first group to fit into "mainstream underground hip-hop". Also called emo-rap, presumably because the duo strays away from "Fuck bitches, Get Money"... instead opting to rhyme about everyday marital problems and blue-collar life (pretty emo if I do say so myself). Anyway, as a Minnesota hip-hop-head, the scene 10 years ago was nearly dead... there's always a few people doing there thing... but one person can't support an entire state's musical reputation. When these guys arrived on the scene 10 years ago, they were met with very little attention, as most good rappers are, and it's taken years for critics to pay attention to Ant's superb production skills and Slug's innate rhyming... but now that the world has begun to pay attention, it's pretty funny how much support these guys have gotten from the same people who shot them down a few years before. Aside from creating an extremely well respected record label, Atmosphere has also created a stronghold in underground and alternative hip-hop... After that long-ass intro, let's see what they bring to the table...

The Good:

1. The Arrival- I've always thought that Slug sounds best over these loud-multi sampled instrumentals... and this track is no exception. Only problem is that the lyrics waver from ill to wack and incoherent... beat still fucking knocks though.

4. Musical Chairs- I don't know what the fuck the last two tracks were... but the album gets back on point after this track, although the lyrics are questionable (rapping about Pilgrims and 18th century civilization with no tie whatsoever to the song).

5. Say Hey There- Probably the most brilliant elevator music sample ever... but sadly the slow flow and quick moving instrumental take a while to mesh... you'll be feeling this track halfway through.

8. Pour Me Another- One of countless songs Sean Daly has written about alcohol... this is one of the better ones although it's not all that memorable.

9. Smart Went Crazy- Probably the best song to ever come out of Minnesota (maybe even the Midwest).

10. Angelface- Another one of those songs that's pretty good but not memorable in any sense.

12. Get Fly- A hustlin' anthem for all the non weed carriers. This is one of the better songs off this album, and it's only marred by the last two minutes of the track which nearly put me to sleep.

13. Little Man- Echo the comment from "Smart Went Crazy", this song is amazing in a different way but in the same breadth as song number 8.

This album was very well produced, Ant has always been one of the most consistent producers I have ever heard, and his productions are always enjoyable. Slug is much more inconsistent, he has a few out-of-the park successes "Smart Went Crazy" and "Little Man" which are amazing tracks... but he also has his fair share of missteps: spoken word on lots of the songs, he opts to sing at times, and the lyricism is very shaky.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 78. I noticed that HipHop DX rated this as one of their best albums ever... which it isn't. I don't know if I even recommend a download, you could probably be on your merry way if you just downloaded the standout tracks listed above.

Download Here

Mase/ Harlem World (80's/90's hip-hop)

2008-09-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

I feel like Dave Chappelle at the Hater's Ball whenever I see this album, I really really got hate for this album... even though Mase has supposedly turned his life around, which hasn't stopped him from rapping and collecting a few million dollars (in the name of Christ of course). But whenever I see the album cover I'm just reminded about the ugly side of hip-hop, P Diddy and Bad Boy records back in the 90's. Back in about 1996, P Diddy was the Lil' Wayne of the rap world, he could do no wrong in the eyes of his fans. Think about it, here was a clever record producer with charisma, a hard work ethic, and an ability to spot talent instantly... you'd think that would equate to a great job behind the scenes. Not if your name is P Diddy, or Puff Daddy or Puffy, or Diddy, or Sean Combs. Wait, actually think about the name Puff Daddy... Puff Daddy? Yeah, the symbolism there is really unrivaled. Anyway, Puff Daddy signed all sorts of "street dudes" to cement his reputation, and of course the only real street dude out of all of them, Shyne, gets into a gun fight in front of the press... even P Diddy probably thought that was too good to be true. And of course, now we all now that P Diddy has bored of the rap game, and releasing terrible R&B albums, and when he isn't Making A Band or bossing around college students begging for camera time, Diddy is starring in commercials for Burger King and making weird YouTube videos (Swagger like Puff?). Anyway, all that's kind of off topic, so let's get back on topic and underway...

The Good:

3. Take What's Yours- Still a great song, no matter how I feel about Mase and Bad Boy, I will always bump this track because it is straight PROPANE.. fire! Everything is on point... and I'm surprised this DMX hook hasn't been sampled more, this is one of the very few times when I can actually applaud Earl Simmons' singing.

9. The Player Way- This track is average, but it's much better than the sewer garbage that preceded it. It looks kind of weird that 8Ball and MJG were on this album, and it sounds even weirder... really out of place feature.

11. Niggaz Wanna Act- Mase sounds really good over these soft instrumentals, but surprisingly Busta Rhymes' tribal yells don't make Mase sound better... who would have knew?

16. 24 Hrs. To Live- Mase packs in about 4 or 5 good feature verses before DMX ruins the last minute of this track... shit's still banging.

19. Wanna Hurt Mase?- For those hoping this was about Mase's insecurities and easy ways to murk him, you'll be dissapointed, but for those who want to hear a loud beat overpower soft feminine lyrics which are really hard to hear... you'll be very pleased!

And that'll do it... I think it was pretty obvious from the beginning that this album wouldn't be all that good and it wasn't... the four above listed tracks (I hope you could tell I was joking about 19) are actually really good and the rest of the album doesn't compare to them.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 53... yeah I know that's nice of me.

Download Here

Elzhi/The Preface

2008-09-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I never heard of Elzhi, but quickly realized hes a part of Slum Village. Of course, I heard of em, but never really check their music doe. I heard alotta people luvd Elzhi's new record The Preface, so I thought Id give it a shot. BTW..its mostly produced by Black Milk. Lets c if its worth da praise.

1. Intro (The Preface) - Elzhi n his boy complain bout da rap game n show us how 2 make a classic. He then kix a brief rhyme. All which is over sum beautiful soul production. Nice intro track.

2. The Leak - This is prob da most borin track on da album, which says a whole lot bout The Preface (Ull ketchup lata). I say borin cuz of da production, which seems repetitive but catchy. I keep hearin "its the leak" over n over n my head. Im not sayin its a bad song either. Elzhi comes correct doe, hes such a great lyricist. But its "the leak you wanna hear."

3. Guessing Game - Da title of da song says it all. Jus listen 2 da chorus. Its a guessin game. Elzhi spits a line which ends n 1 syllable of a 2 syllable word n b4 he spits da 2nd, ur supposed 2 guess da word. Dont let him fool ya doe. Very creative song. I luv it. Hip Hop needs more shit like this. Nice drums 2.

4. Motown 25 - Elzhi rips this soulful work of art, while Royce "seems kinda lazy." His flow was jus slower. Dont worry he still spits flames. This no hook track is nice 2 sling darts round.

5. Brag Swag - This rite here is prob my fav cuz I luv da beat, Elzhi's brag sway n da Hov sample, "nigga u heard what I said." Im glad sum producer still use scratchin.

6. Colors - "OK kids, today we learn the color schemes." Here he name drops all da colors n his short stories over a nice catchy beat. "What exactly did we learn?" "We learned that Elzhi's da shit!" "Oh you right."

7. Fire (Remix) - Posse cut here over a simplistic beat. Get 2gether ur metaphors n similes. I mostly hit skip. Its jus not as good as da other songs.

8. D.E.M.O.N.S. - Elzhi gives several meanings of da acronym which is da title of da song. My fav would b "Devils Effecting Music Out Now on your Stations." Jus more creative shit 4 ya ears.

9. Save Ya - Da message here is he isnt Captain Save A Ho. Mo soulful shit 4 ya ears.

10. Yeah - This 1s got sum mesmerizin horns. Elzhi's boy Fat Cat schools da hatas on this track..."I dont water my shit down 4 da record execs." Elzhi spits gems 2..."I light up White Pubs like light bulbs." Nice!

11. Transitional Joint - Another nice track wit a soul sample. Here he rhymes bout love. Nuthin real excitin, but not bad either.

12. Talking In My Sleep - This 1 sounds like it coulda been produced by 4th Disciple or Mathematics for a Killah Priest joint. Nice production. Elzhi raps bout all his dreams, his 4 real dreams. Great track.

13. The Science - "On that 2Pac Juice tip." Descent track that is 1 of 2 that wasnt produced by Black Milk.

14. Hands Up - I dont no y no1 has used these samples n concept b4. Great story bout stickin up a store. "Hands up! Freeze, Freeze, Freeze, Freeze!"

15. What I Write - I luv da writtin n da background. Its on sum Stan shit n I think Proof had a song like that 2. Did I mention that I luv a good soul sample? Ha! This track is self explanatory, he talks bout what he writes bout.

16. Growing Up - Da sample n this track was used n Red Gone Wild. Personally, I like Redman's version better, but not a whole lotta difference.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe 1 good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half r good songs, half r weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all r great songs

1 word...CLASSIC! I would give this album a 95 rating. WoW, is that even high nuff? But then again, maybe Im bein bias cuz this is da kinda Hip Hop I luv. BOY...was I blown away! I had 2 listen 2 it over n over 2 soak up da entire feel. Elzhi's creative ideas n messages r great n really hit home wit me. There wasnt a bad track at all. Not 2 mention Elzhi's lyrically game is quite high n hes a very witty writer as well. When I think bout it, I havent been this excited bout an album since Blu & Exile's Below The Heavens. I think older heads r gonna appreciate this album since younger fans luv da shit on da radio, but if u r younger I would still encourage u 2 give it a listen. Basically, if ur a fan of great lyrics over soulful production, then dont even DL it...go buy The Preface.

4 Da Thieves

Allen Iverson/ 40 Bars (Underground)

2008-09-20T10:21:00.001-07:00

What? A.I. released an album? Yep, this was before David Stern decided to cut down on the "urban" influence on the NBA. Allen aka Jewels probably felt bored and decided to throw an album together, that's what I'm guessing anyways. Although I have heard good things about this album, guess I'll find out soon enough...

The Good:

1. 40 Bars- Damn... don't let the album cover throw you off, cuz this song is gritty as fuck. Like Wu-Tang gritty, not Shaquille O'Neal gritty... and did I mention that Jewels can spit fire?

2. Answer VI- I don't know any self-respecting rapper that would put an basketball commercial on their debut album. But after a good listen I noticed that it's an above average collab between Jada and Jewels. By the way I'm just wondering how Allen was able to secure all these exclusive guest features on his album.

3. Crystalized- Allen has a great ear for instrumentals, this jazzy beat illuminates the calm flow that shines throughout this track... also note that A.I. rhymes circles around both of his features, which can either be interpreted as A.I. being superhuman, or that the rap game was in shambles even in 1997.

5. Gunlow- Goddamn... another banging instrumental, and Jewels rips this track a new asshole, maybe more than one asshole... I think Cormega features here too, which proves that A.I. really is a street dude.

9. Rapin Tha Game- After skipping a few club tracks, you reach this song. And once again Allen rhymes circles around his guest feature... sounds like Lil Kim, which makes the feat less credible, but still commendable.

11. Stronjay- This is a double track, and both songs are hot. The first song displays Jewels' great storytelling, and the second track is just insane lyricism.

12. War Games- It's one of those tracks you nod your head to, but don't remember anything about it 2 minutes later.

14. Answer V- Another commercial verse, except this one is much hotter over the same instrumental.

15. Time To Build- Allen's verse is crazy sick, and almost compares to Jay's verse... Jay as in Jay-Z, who sounds awkward as fuck over this instrumental, but still turns in a fly 16.

And that'll do it. I was really surprised by this album, I thought it would be a gimmick, but A.I. can really rhyme and flow with the veterans. There are actually quite a few good tracks to check out on this album, so I would suggest a download.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 85... minus the club bangers and the few weak tracks, and this album would have been a sparkling debut. In fact, I still see this album as a sparkling debut, kinda makes me wonder why Jewels ended his rap career prematurely... oh yeah, David Stern.

Download Here

Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die (80's/90's hip-hop)

2008-09-19T14:45:00.001-07:00

You knew it was just a matter of time before I got to this album, and honestly I don't think there's much more I can say beyond "Tupac and Biggie are both insanely overrated"... bet someone will be leaving me hatemail at the bottom:

The Good:

2. Things Done Changed- This song is still over-played, and I for one do not mind in the least bit... it still sounds uniquely like Biggie Smalls.

3. Gimme The Loot- This is the unique storytelling that made Biggie's dark and suicidal lyrics appear artistic and hard... this track is still great 14 years later.

4. Machine Gun Funk- This is Easy Mo Bee proving that not all Bad Boy instrumentals are pure shit... in fact this instrumental makes Biggie sound real good (not that he needs a good instrumental for that).

5. Warning- Another great storytelling effort that would later be quoted countless times... and Easy Mo provides his 3rd straight sick-ass instrumental. And the hook although simplistic, is great.

6. Ready To Die- And Easy Mo Bee's 4th straight instrumental, and this shit is sick as AIDS... and Biggie illuminates this dark-ass beat with his flow-tastic rhymes... and only the weak hook detaches from this superb song.

10. Juicy- The message is admirable, but it's delivery and execution is somewhat spotty, and it's not as much Biggie as it is Total.

11. Everyday Struggle- Probably the most introspective song off the whole album, and thus it's probably my favorite... and remember how people were on Weezy's dick for this line on "Fireman": "I see she wearing them jeans that show her butt crack
My girls can't wear that why, that's where my stash at"... Listen to this track again, and see how Weezy stole that line almost directly from Biggie.

12. Me and My Bitch- The whole "I sell rocks to get out of the struggle, and support you (my bitch)" lyrics are getting a bit old...

13. Big Poppa- There's no possible way you haven't heard this song before. I was also really surprised to find out that Puffy produced this track (really)?

14. Respect- And it's just obvious how Biggie actually overpowers this terrible instrumental.

16. Unbelievable- Insert the guaranteed to be hot DJ Premier track... if Preemo produced, I shouldn't even have to tell you that this track is hot.

And that will conclude this review... shouldn't be anything new, because I'm assuming everyone has already heard this album, and if you haven't yet, then there's a download link at the bottom. Now, I want to set things straight, Biggie released this one album before he died... comprehend that, one album and he's a legend... everything else is posthumous. Now think about 2Pac, who released over 50 albums, all of them pretty average, and consider his legendary status. And now consider the rap game if both of them were alive today... imagine a 2Pac/Weezy track... you don't want to? Neither do I.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 91. It's fun to listen to, but you can tell it is a debut album, with lots of little missteps (P Diddy cough)...

Download Here

One Be Lo/S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Underground)

2008-09-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

So I actually got some time, and I decided to dive head-first into one of my favorite albums. One Be Lo, born Nahshid Sulaiman represents pure alternative hip-hop in it's purest form. Think the straight hip-hop dedication like J Dilla, mixed with Common's good guy/conscious rap message, fused with politically charged rhymes. Add all those together, and you get about half of Nahshid's overall message and appeal... I'm telling y'all don't sleep on this dude.

The Good:

1. Intro- The instrumental is awesome, and the lyrics by themself are also great, but together they don't really work.

2. The UNDERground- As ignorant as this sounds, this track really embodies what hip-hop would have were it not for the rise of the South and hip-pop... and ultimately this song sums up all my feelings about hip-hop in a concise three minutes.

3. enecS eht no kcaB- Compare every song ever made to this one. It's beyond perfect.

4. Questions- This is one of those verses that sounds like it was taped by telephone (maybe it was). But if you really focus on what Nahshid's saying, you will marvel at how cruel the world really is.

5. Oggie- This track is a little bit weaker, One Be Lo is quite the vivid storyteller, but you can tell when he's lacing the wax with filler...

6. Propaganda- Every line is true, and I'm Jewish (listen and you will see the irony).

8. Axis- This track is an underground classic, ask any hip hop head what they think of this track and they'll answer with one word: CLASSIC.

10. True Love- A Tribe beat, you know how I say I don't like tracks that are female-oriented... this once, and probably only once will I change my mind completely... love this track.

12. Used To Be Fly- You know shit is tight when you can listen to a track that's pretty much acapella, over and over and over and over and over and over again.

13. Deceptions- I'm about halfway done with this review, and I'm running out of synonyms for perfect... um... this song is great!

14. Can't Get Enough- Fuck replay potential, this track has got "Live my life by this track" potential.

16. Evil Of Self- Back to the basics!! An insanely smooth jazz sample, that itself is probably a supreme track... lends an upper hand to one of the better narratives on this album (and that's definitely saying something).

17. The Future- Another sick instrumental, laced with great lyricism. It's getting hard to not sound repetitive (I'm sorry)!

18. E.T.- The instrumental matches the title of the track, a very funky almost "One Love" type vibe.

20. Rocketship- It's almost funny after hearing One Be Lo share part of his soul with his intensely personal rhymes, to hear him on that old school tip talking about how fake the industry is... but this track is still tight.

22. Follow My Lead- And if you ever think you've heard a good rap outro, YOU WERE WRONG!!

If you couldn't tell I was biased coming into this review, now you can... this album is something everyone must have, EVERYONE! Yes, that includes you...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 98.
First, when I gave "Illmatic" a 95, I said no album would ever get higher... I was wrong, very wrong... I always held this album in high acclaim, but after hearing it again. Damn... it's nearly perfect.
After listening to this album and falling in love with hip-hop once more, I expect all of you to go out and cop this shit.

Download Here

Sol-Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams

2008-09-18T22:01:00.001-07:00

I am so proud of Solange! I am so proud of her because she is not in her sisters shadow anymore. Before it would be like "WELL SHE IS NO BEY" well now you don't even want to compare her... you should be saying Beyonce is no Solange. Well back to her music the cd had a very good vibe 2 it of a old school meets new school vibe. Her single "I Decided" was a jam you would sing in your car and just have your own peronal performance to. Solange is a woman that marches to her own drum with alittle more soul beat. I also loved how nothing was off limits like my personal favorite track off the cd F*@k The Industry (signed Sincerly). She basicly says she is what she is and she doesn't have to compare to anyone. Lets get thi shit straight she is no Byadu but she definitely not the traditional pop-R&B that so many artists are into especially most notably her sister QUEEN BEY! I am not saying this was legend work but it was a better effort than her last album and it really gives you a sense of this is who she is. Her voice doesn't have amazing range but she makes it work. I want to aplaude to her for her effort and hard work of being a individual!

TRACKS THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR IPOD:
F*@k The Industry (signed Sincerly) (NOT ON ALBUM)
ChampagneChroniKnightCap ft LIL WAYNE (MY FAVORITE TRACK)
God Given Name
I Told You So
Sandcastle Disco

ON A SCALE OF 1 to 10 (1o being amazing and 1 not worth mentioning) I GIVE Sol-Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams a 6.5

DJ Drama/Gangsta Grillz Volume 17 (Mixtape)

2008-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

There's one series that towers over all mixtapes, and that is "Gangsta Grillz" (you bastards) lol... it's really how DJ Drama and Don Cannon have made their names. Although mixtapes are usually a place to exhibit new talent and unsigned hype, Gangsta Grillz uses a different formula which is very clever if I may say so myself. DJ Drama aka Tyree Cinque Simmons compiles the latest songs off artist's mixtapes and makes a definitive list of what's hot right now... kind of like "Kidz Bop" for online gangsters. Usually included are singles and remixes. Also a fun fact, maybe I'm speaking too early, but Tyree really enjoys to take pictures of himself from the side... in fact I've never seen an album cover where he faces forward. Off topic, so let's start:

The Good:

2. Gangsta Grillz Intro- Somehow they manage to fit in 5 guest verses into less than two minutes... if anything only check this track out for Ludacris' sick ass verse.

6. 3000 Something- I've read everywhere that Andre 3k kills this Jay beat, but it's only average for me...

7. They Know (Remix)- This beat is fucking ill! But Shawty Lo can't rhyme to save his fucking life, how the hell did he get this beat in the first place?

9. Never- The new Scarface verse which has appeared in more places than his Greatest Hits album (which probably has yet to sell one copy). Not a good time to put out a best of album... but if he makes a few more of these tracks Scarface will be relevant soon enough.

11. I'm A Beast- This has always been one of my favorite Lil Wayne tracks... which is saying something, crazy beat, and always sharp lyricism (imagine if Lil Wayne could flow, had an ear for beats, and didn't flood the market).

16. For The Love of Money- The orgasm sample is terribly out of place, but you will be pleasantly surprised by LA The Darkman's verse on here even if Willie The Kid takes lyricism to an all-time low a few seconds later.

17. Umma Do Me (Remix)- Just check out the original... Rocko blows.

19. For A Minute- B.G. actually goes hard on this track, and the production is very well done. T.I. only appears on the hook which is actually a good thing.

21. Hand On My Glock- Another sick-ass La The Darkman and Willie The Kid collab... even Willie comes with some fire.

22. I'm So Hood (Remix)- I really wanted to hate this song, but I just can't... at the same time I don't love it. It's a pretty decent remix, too many features for my liking.

25. Ridin Down The Freeway- A good Young Buck track? Can't be... but it is. Make sure you read carefully, this song is only good, and nothing more, but it's not the usual garbage that Buck comes with. The instrumental is just begging to be sampled, another great production job by Drama.

And we're done. I was actually really surprised by this mixtape, I was expecting something terrible when I looked at the track listing, but it's actually pretty good.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this mixtape a 76..

Download Here

DJ Big Mike- The First 48 (Mixtape)

2008-09-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who voted on the poll, and for each vote, I will post an album in that specific genre, so 2 votes for mixtapes, I will post two mixtape reviews... and accordingly for the other categories.
There's not much to say about this mixtape, just picked out at random, been in my music library for a while, and I decided I'd give it a spin. I've known about Big Mike for a while, dude's been on the circuit for a second and has definitely put in work. For those who only listen to albums, you will find that the biggest difference is DJ's talking over somebody's lyrics... like somebody care what they got to say. I do however like how mixtape DJ's all have their different personality, all have different catchphrases, even though I hate G-Unit, I love DJ Kool Kid's signature catchphrase. I've just about run out of filler text so let's get started...

The Good:

3. Freestyle- A well-thought out title. Regardless, this is pretty decent for a freestyle, Sheek Louch always comes with fire, and is better off the top of the head then he is with a pen and a pad. Big Mike sure has a lot of shoutouts...

5. Stronger- Even though the hook is weak, I do like this instrumental and this D-Block posse cut is tyte... still not feeling Styles P though.

7. Can't Take It No More- Cassidy almost always comes with that real shit... and this track is no exception, FIRE!

11. Superstar Remix- If you can get past Jeezy's abhorrently terrible verse, you will reach Lupe's verse which is pretty hot... then Tip kills it, but that's what you get when you match two average southern rappers with a lyricist.

14. Freestyle- Damn... I had been hearing about Remo Da Rapstar, but this was my introduction to him... and this shit sounds real good, not to mention it's over a sick Little Brother instrumental. I've heard that beat 100's of times so needless to say I was bound to love this song, but all biases aside this track is nice.

16. Stop Breathing- This shit is hater-proof, all I got to say.

19. Dope Boy For Real- It's not good, but then again it's not bad... it's probably all you can hope for based on the title.

20. Paper Touchin- G-Unit made a good song... Really? Well kinda... Kool Kid made his first good instrumental and that makes everyone from G-Unot sound much better. I've probably heard this song on every G-Unit mixtape, so needless to say, this is probably the best 50 and company can do.

21. Fucked Ya Girl- Wait!! I know this song isn't good... in fact I just wanted to mention that this is one of the worst songs I've ever heard.

26. Freestyle- One of the better outros you will ever hear on a mixtape, a good Bun B and Weezy collab. For some reason I really doubt that Bun B was freestyling.... but maybe it's just me.

And we're done...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this mixtape a 68. One of the better mixtapes I've heard lately, primarily because of the lack of an intro, outro and interludes. But at the same time there are some good tracks on here... there's also a fair share of garbage too... but as always the decision is yours:

Download Here

Fat Joe/ The Elephant In The Room

2008-09-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have long been a Joey Crack stan, and I remember the days when it was cool to listen to Terror Squad, sadly I think Bad Boy has even overtaken Joey's squad nowadays. But back in the day, Joseph Cartagena rapped alongside the greats of Big Pun, Big L, Notorious and many other New York rap kingpins. And even though most heads will only acknowledge Joey as the dude who found Big Pun... I believe that the music he was making in the 90's (minus the bullshit-which is about half) stands neck to neck with "Capitol Punishment". And even though he's fallen off tremendously, I wouldn't count Joey Crack out, after all Primo, Cool & Dre, and The Alchemist produced on here.

The Good:

1. The Fugitive-This song is awesome... it takes me back to playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (not so much for you)?

5. Get It For Life- First things first DJ Khaled can eat a dick, (insert Ice-T sound-bite here). Second, this track is pretty average but has sporadic moments where it's decent.

8. K.A.R. (Kill All Rats)- The second StreetRunners contribution, besides "The Fugitive" and it's fire just like the first one.

12. That White- The aforementioned DJ Premier contribution, and this instrumental is fucking crazy good. Even Joe's lines are fire.

That will do it for this album. I was really disappointed because of all the terrible songs on here, don't get me wrong, this is an decent album, but the "good" songs are really good... and the bad songs are horrible.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 58. If you do download you will be rewarded with a few good tracks...

Download Here

T.I./Paper Trail

2008-09-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Can't pretend this is exclusive or nothing, cuz this dropped a few weeks ago... but I'm giving it my first listen today. I've never been a big fan of Tip Harris unless he's dropping heat like "Rubberband Man" but that's usually once an album, so I've never given him much of my attention. I do however own "King" and it has gotten a few spins in my car... I've heard "Front, Back" quite a few times and I do say that Mannie Fresh created the sickest beat in the South's history. But other than that track the album was weak (I might just review it one day when I'm busy). But I'll give the homie Clifford a spin...

The Good:

1. What's Up, What's Happening- A huge beat but the only lyrics I heard was: "I'm the king/ quit hating sucka niggas"... I was expecting a lot more over this promising beat.

2. Life Of The Party- I have to believe even Tip could have done better over this chill instrumental. The hook is uninspired and the R Kelly verse is half-assed, and T.I.'s verses aren't much better.

4. No Matter What- This is some early 2000 Tip shit... and the hook is very well done. This song sounds really fucking good.

5. A Better Day- Consistent throughout, but not spectacular by any means...

9. Message To The Government- Fire

10. Swagger Like Us- This song isn't good, but if you want to witness a good artist throw away his career to fit in with the cool kids, you have Exhibit A: Kanye West.

14. Let My Beat Pound- Although this isn't that good of a track, the production is pretty interesting, and that itself will make you listen to this track again before you delete it.

15. No Matter What (Official Remix)- This song is actually really good... probably the best off the whole album. Real slow flow and Yung Joc shines on this track... and T.I. comes with some fire.

16. What Up Remix- This version sounds a lot better than the original, even though it is only one or maybe two new verses.

This was a pretty average, bland, boring album. It's exactly why people get the wrong impression of southern rap. There's also an exorbitant amount of songs for the club on here... and I actually like Tip when he doesn't write, even though I barely noticed a difference. When you don't like this album, don't say I didn't warn you...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 63... lots of hype for no reason... shit is pretty average and boring at times.

Download Here

Project Pat/ Walkin' Bank Roll

2008-09-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to give Project Pat a listen, and 3 6, but I found this on my Zune first. I just saw "Hustle And Flow" last night, and it was aight, the ending was epic as hell, but ultimately part of the soundtrack sounded really good which made me want to get into some Memphis rap. Not gonna front and pretend like I know a lot about this dude besides that he was on the funniest show to ever appear on MTV: "Adventures In Hollyhood". If I ever watch that show again, you can expect either a 3 6 or a Lil Wyte review the next day, but for today, readers will have to settle for Patrick Stephen Houston

The Good:

2. Rubberband Me- As much as I should hate this song, for some reason I find it enjoyable. The instrumental is pretty hot, and the hook is even pretty good, and for a southern lyricist Pat can flow pretty well even if he isn't very lyrical.

4. Talkin' Smart- Probably one of the last songs that Pimp C would ever make, and it's actually really good.

6. Powder- Another track that I shouldn't like, but it sounds good... I especially like the slow flow and the hook is menacing as fuck.

10. Hit It- I just noticed how well produced this album is, and this track is an overt example, even though the hook is downright fucking horrible.

14. See Me- Ehh... I guess this song is alright.

15. Bull Frog Yay- Another very well produced track... the hook is hot, and this great instrumental almost drones out Project Pat's voice (which is always a plus).

And that will be it, not a very good album, a few good songs, and quite a few terrible ones.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 45... only a few songs that are actually recommendable, and I can find alternatives that are much better.

Download Here

Rhymefest/ Blue Collar

2008-09-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

I probably should have reviewed this album right after Common's to exhibit how Mr. Lynn has influenced the state of conscious hip-hop... but better late than never. So, who is Rhymefest? Other than Kanye West's admitted ghostwriter, Che Smith (long live Guevara) is an MC's MC. Like many other Chicago MC's (Consequence to be specific) he rhymes about topics that everyday people can relate to... working blue-collar or family problems. And as much as I hate how sentimental that above statement sounded, I still mean it... and respect Rhymefest for actually creating a true-to-life positive message among hip-hop fairy tales. If you liked this album, Che is coming out with a new one sometime soon, supposedly fall 2008, but these rappers can never stick to a deadline...

The Good:

2. Dynomite (Going Postal)- The Just Blaze instrumental is definitely over-the-top. And Fest sounds real gimmicky on the hook and even with his lyrics... not a bad effort just makes you kind of cringe at times.

3. Brand New- "The motherfucker you love to hate but can't because you love what I make" Kanye uttered this quotable... and that's exactly how I feel about Kanye these days. Sounds like "Breathe In Breathe Out" part two. Again, it's not bad, just not all that good.

4. Fever- The first song that I loved off this album, the metaphors on this song are crazy:"You seem weak homey like yo' heart pump green tea/ I stack greenbacks then lean back, scorchin hot/My torch'll leave yo' ass charcoal black/" Who fucking with that!?

5. All I Do- The instrumental is kind of boring and it doesn't really bring any sort of attention to what Rhymefest is saying... which may be good because he jumps topics every line.

6. Get Down- A cover of the Nas' song by the same name... I'm kidding. A No I.D. job equipped with some more crazy lines.

7. More- After hearing this album quite a few times, I can confidently say that this is by far my favorite song. But today was the first time I looked and realized that Cool & Dre produced this amazing instrumental... damn. This is the way the whole album should have gone, chill instrumentals, Kanye on the hook not on the beat, and Rhymefest kicking some deep shit.

8. Chicagorillas- Sort of a posse cut even though Fest doesn't really affiliate with either of these dudes. The beat is sick, but the tiger purring doesn't really fit in with the "Chicago Gorilla's" theme. Still a tight track.

10. All Girls Cheat- This is weird. My second favorite track off the whole album and guess who produced? Cool & Dre... I'll ponder that situation later, but for now what excites me about this track is it's potential. This is a great track that will appeal to the mainstream even though anyone can appreciate it, and remember I usually stay away from the tracks for the ladies.

11. Devil's Pie- If you ever decide to check out Rhymefest's mixtape(s?) you will hear more instrumentals like this one... Fest is signed to Mark Ronson's label and Ronson is a producer who likes to incorporate elements of rock into his beats. And it seems to be working, he does produce both Rhymefest and Wale.. two up and coming artists with crazy potential. Oh, the song, it's pretty good.

12. Sister- Surprisingly Cool & Dre didn't produce this track, yet it's amazing. The soulful sound that Common and Kanye became famous for... yet Fest and No I.D. recreate their vibe perfectly. The instrumental is beautifully done... and the lyrics are on point, but the hook is terrible.

14. Bullet- Good song, good storytelling, good chorus, good hook... combined equals an pretty good song, that isn't very memorable.

And we're done. This album is well-produced with a few misses here and there, but overall it is definitely a great listen. The first thing you have to check out are the Cool & Dre produced tracks because they are amazing!

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 88. A great listen, that needs a few improvements to reach it's full potential.

Download Here!!

Mos Def/ Black On Both Sides (Link re-upped)

2008-09-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

People that don't know too much about today's hip-hop are quick to label two innovative New-York MC's as hip-hop's saviors: Talib Kweli and Mos Def. Kweli for his lyricism and optimistic message, and Mos Def for his old-school sound and resemblance for what hip hop really stands for. Needless to say, Dante Terell Smith has his fair share of fans, and very few haters. Not surprisingly, Mos Def has taken his successful rap career and translated it into the money cow that is movies. He started with hip-hop related movies, and now he can secure any role he wants... and it's good to see the good guy finally receive what he deserves. Mos Def proved that you can sell records and make great albums without "gun's, sex, drugs, and ho's". And it's amazing how the hip-hop community embraced this guy, from Ali Shaheed Muhammad to Primo to Diamond D to countless others... on a debut album, how insane is that...

The Good:

2. Hip Hop- Samples from Eric B and Rakim, O.C. and David Axelrod should be placed on a track named "hip-hop"... the opening line:
"Speech is my hammer/bang the world into a shape and let it fall"... yeah I know it doesn't rhyme, but that's a crazy opening line. Accompanied by that sitting in the park kicking rhymes vibe. The instrumental is insanely engaging.

3. Love- Deeply introspective Mos Def lyrics over a blatant 88 Keys instrumental, this is a song that will get you thinking. If only Mos would rhyme more than he sings...

4. Ms. Fat Booty- If you haven't yet heard this song, it should be number one on your list.

5. Speed Law- At first this track sounds boring, but upon a second listen you will learn to love this track. The lyricism is crazy.

6. Do It Now- This seems like it would be an ill-fated collaboration with Mos and Busta, but this song is mad sick. Check it out... Do it now.

11. Know That- Supposedly Mos Def only sounds good with Kweli, and even though that isn't true... this may be the most underrated song off this album. No hype, yet this song is AWESOME.

13. Brooklyn- Never been a fan of changing instrumentals mid-song... but this track makes me a believer. The first two instrumentals are commendable pieces of work, but the "Who Shot Ya" instrumental is very out of place and ruins an otherwise great song.

14. Habitat- This track just takes me back, and it's not so much about what Mos is saying, but what memories his lyrics trigger. I love the hook (not a constant occurrence) and the instrumentals is supremely produced.

15. Mr. Nigga- I remember I was reading about this album back in 99 and I read about the semi-controversial "Mr. Nigga" and I instantly knew that Q-Tip was going to jump on the track. 9 years later, I am now working as a telephone psychic... and still banging this track.
Gets back on that "Ms. Fat Booty" tip with the storytelling, and interestingly Mos gives all women the same accent.

16. Mathematics- What songs didn't DJ Premier sample for the hook? Regardless this was the song with the most hype, obviously because of the producer... but Mos makes the instrumental his own and murders this instrumental. Probably his best lyricistic performance.

And that will conclude this review. I had this album on my to-do list for quite a long time, and after finishing it, I can honestly say that this album is a huge addition for the site, as well as for hip-hop in general.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 91. Like I said, supremely produced, and when Mos Def isn't singing, he's spitting fire.

Download Here

Posts coming

2008-09-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

"Would someone please just put a dick in that guy's mouth please"... Classic Carlin

Oh yeah and there will be multiple posts coming today and tomorrow... word.

David Banner/ The Greatest Story Ever Told

2008-09-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've been swamped for time, so I decided to do an easy review, and I thought who better than David Banner? Even though his career has been short, Lavell Adrian Crump is one of the worst producers I have ever heard... and his rhymes are on the same level. I actually have known about David Banner for a good five years, "Mississippi: The Album"(not the state) got crazy hype, and even though I didn't check it out, I was still interested to see if David Banner could live up to his hype. Then I started to see his name on production values, probably because making scary faces on an album cover is all the qualification one needs to create instrumentals these days. Needless to say, I wouldn't have given this album my time of day if a friend hadn't (conveniently) forgotten this album in my car. So for my love of blogging, I have decided to suffer through the rap version of the dentist's office...

The Good:

4. 9 MM- A catchy Akon instrumental and hook, decent Weezy verse, and then a ear-breaking terrible performance by both David Banner and Snoop. Not a bad track, but check out the remixes...

9. Syrup Sipping Break- The sad thing is that I'm listing an instrumental/skit as a good part of this album.

10. Hold On- A weak story-telling attempt, but it's one of the better songs I've heard so far. The hook's not bad...

13. I Get By- The instrumental (not produced by Banner) is great, and the Carl Thomas hook is soulful... and even David Banner comes with some below-average lyrics (which is good for him).

18. Ball With Me- I guess this is was supposed to be a street single, but it fucking sucks, and Chamillionare sounds worse than Davey so...

21. Faith- Probably the best song off the whole album, the instrumental is boring, the hook is terrible, the Lil Jon sample is unbelievably awkward, but it sounds somewhat alright.

I ripped this album onto my computer to listen to it, and I have deleted every last track off my computer already.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 12. I could not find one "average" song, all of them were downright terrible besides "9 mm" and there are remixes all over the web which sound much better than the album version... this album is a disaster. At the same time, I do wish this disaster was mine, because it did sell 132,600 copies... which is mind-blowing. Here's a download link for those of you who are illiterate:

Download Here

Public Enemy/ It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

2008-09-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Before Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West, before The Coup and Immortal Technique, and even before Common and Nas, Public Enemy was the first group to mix political/ socially conscious lyrics with instrumentals full of samples and heavy bass. To have an Ice Cube, or a Paris, first you need a Chuck D, to have Just Blaze or Timbaland you need The Bomb Squad, and lastly Public Enemy would never be the group it is today without Flavor Flav, useless or not, he partly creates the unique sound that made "PE" relevant today. Let's go back to 88', 10 years after Afrika Bambaataa established Afrocentricity in hip-hop, his influence had declined and hip-hop and it's subject matter was being carved by 5 "Niggaz With Attitudes" who saw insane commercial success rapping about "money,hoes and guns"(the rims would come later). On the opposite coast, Rick Rubin and Def Jam held the threshold of successful rap records and picked the winners by hand. At the same time, just as Def Jam was losing it's reign at the top, the second coming of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five was quietly recording records in Long Island. Def Jam quickly scooped them up, released "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" and grew confident in the socially-conscious group. Just a year later, Chuck D, Flavor Flav and company released their second album under a more controversial name: "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back"... the two protagonists behind bars. The album was met with positive acclaim, eventually peaking at #42 on the Billboard Top 100. Then years later, people really began to appreciate this album for what it is; a modern masterpiece.

The first thing you'll notice when you give this CD a listen is the bass-tastic instrumentals and Chuck D's controlling baritone voice. Beyond that, The Bomb Squad did a great job sampling and controlling FLAVA FLAVVVVVV's random outbursts to a bare minimum. Chuck laces the wax with insane lyricism:"From a rebel it's final on black vinyl/ Soul, rock and roll comin' like a rhino/Tables turn/ suckers burn to learn"
And my personal favorite: "Never badder than bad cause the brother is madder than mad/ At the fact thats corrupt as a senator/ Soul on roll, but you treat it like soap on a rope/ cause the beats in the lines are so dope/".
This album is a seamless combination of Chuck D's ardent pro-black lyricism and The Bomb Squad's innovative and eventually influential production. What more could you want than an album that's a great listen from 1-16....

Andre Nickatina/ Conversation With A Devil

2008-09-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

I did promise, and here it is... King Nicky aka Dre Dog aka Andre Nickatina aka I don't know his first name. Hailing from the West Coast, more specifically San Francisco, Nickatina has been crafting rhymes for 15 years now. Nicky has created his own genre of music, think Wu-Tang samples meets Rick Ross boss rap meets hyphy. I'm from Minnesota, pretty much as opposite of San Fransisco as possible... but Andre Nickatina is huge here, he really can flow and what appeals him to me is his enigma, no one really knows a lot about this dude, and his rhymes are one of a kind. His affiliates are even more underground, his boy Equipto can spit for days, but has even less acclaim than his partner. All that being said, this album is known as an underground classic and for good reason....

The Good:

1. Conversation With A Devil- Instrumental is crazy, and the rhyme scheme is interesting... and the Daddy Kane reference fits perfectly.

2. Fly Like A Bird- That annoying voice at the beginning, that's Mac Dre... Kansas City's hip-hop savior. This shit is amazing.

4. Pick-Cha- Damn... the metaphors are crazy, and the dark lyrics are perfectly placed beneath the dark samples and grimy instrumentals.

5. Dice Of Life- I've always been confused by this track... only Andre could spit cocaine rhymes over a Scottish instrumental and the hook: "Mike Tyson likes custom models"? But still I love it...

6. 5th Gear- The first Equipto contribution and it's fucking ill.... and Nickatina outshines Equipto's nearly immaculate lines. Another unique instrumental.

7. Soul Of A Coke Dealer- This instrumental has always taken me to a different place, and the storytelling just immerses you into this song for the sheer 4 minutes it lasts.

9. The Falcon and The Snowman- GODDAMN!!!! Listen, words can't explain this avalanche of HIV- ILLNESS!!

10. Summer In Florida- Slows it down to screw-n-chop level, and Nickatina sounds menacing as fuck. This is the song to drive slow to.

11. Ayo For Yayo- Widely regarded as Nicky's best song ever made, silky smooth delivery over a soft instrumental and every word is brought out beautifully. THIS MAY BE THE BEST SONG EVER MADE... by anybody... in rap... and in any genre.

12. Fist Full Of Dollars 'Green Eyes'- The instrumental is a bagpipe, but the lyricism is insane.

13. Train With No Love- Sounds like "5th Gear", but another interesting narrative that's obviously exaggerated, but it's still a good waste of 4 and a half minutes.

14. Nino Did The Cartah- I wish Nino did the Carter, but I'll settle for this track.... I'd quote a line, but their all immaculate.

And we're done. I'll admit that I loved this album a year ago, and I love it even more today. Everyone who feels they love hip-hop needs this album, because even if Andre isn't the most original or honest cat, he spits fucking heat 99.99999 % of the time, and the instrumentals are like nothing you've ever heard.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 92, I searched for this link forever, so people please give my dude a listen and holla back.

Download Here

Eric B & Rakim/ Paid In Full

2008-09-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder where all your favorite rappers stole their rhymes from (besides their ghostwriters)? A likely place to look is this album. Eric B and Rakim are "pioneers" of old-school hip-hop, and Rakim is considered the best MC of all time by a wide variety of critics. Supposedly Rakim created some rhyme scheme that everyone bases their rhymes around now (no big deal). And Eric B revolutionized the production process by including jazzy riffs into his instrumentals (no big deal either). That being said, I'm going into this review pretty unbiased...

The Good:

1. I Ain't No Joke- The sampling, the jazz riffs, the horns, and the smooth delivery is what made this group as legendary as it is today. It's amazing how easy Rakim's flow is.

5. Move The Crowd- The instrumental seems like a separate entity from Rakim's verses. This song doesn't mesh very well... still decent though.

6. Paid In Full- The first time I heard this track, I recognized it from "CB4", which is pretty embarrassing. Kind of a boring track, the hook is non-existent... and Eric B is one ugly ass motherfucker, what girl is he talking about?

9. Eric B Is President- Eric B should be president after this superb production job... damn, this song is fire.

And we're done... that was relatively short, I might have to do more of these types of albums. I wasn't very impressed, as a hip hop head who enjoys 80's and 90's rap, this shit was boring. Eric B rarely displays his wizardry on a turntable and Rakim only sounds good on a select few songs.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

Maybe I'm being harsh but I give this album a 71... I'd advise everyone to give it a listen as it is part of hip-hop history, but it's not the most entertaining piece of work I've ever heard.

Download Here/

A Tribe Called Quest/ The Low End Theory

2008-09-05T13:49:00.001-07:00

I just saw "Prison Song" last night and as I thought about it, I remembered an album that needs to be on a site called "Hip hop album reviews". What is hip-hop without "The Low End Theory"? What is conscious rap without "The Low End Theory"? And what is rap music without A Tribe Called Quest? All harrowing questions when you realize the breadth of people influenced by "The Low End Theory"... it is literally an album every rapper should be able to recite word for word. It is an album that defines conscious hip-hop, it evokes all the feelings of real hip-hop, and it is the album all others are compared to. What hip-hop head can honestly say they don't have this album? After all this album's fanfare, I, like most of the hip-hop community was amazed with "Fiascogate"... I love Lupe, Lupe is my generation's conscious rap, but how do you cover a Tribe song and not know the words? Damn... that's more than not showing respect for your elders, that's called tourism... making your money and being out, not caring at all about the culture your profiting from. Only this album could evoke so many feelings from hip hop purists...

The Good: (I know it's pointless)

1. Excursions- One of my good friends quotes Tip's opening line every time we talk hip-hop. This track is on the top of Q-Tip's resume for "Best MC ever".

2. Buggin' Out- Proof that Phife Dawg is more than just complementary to Tip. Together they unleash some crazy vibes that bring you back to New York in 1991.

3. Rap Promoter- I've never loved this song... I'll admit that it's alright, but not much more.

4. Butter- Smooth as butter, and Phife shines on his solo verse. Maybe the basis for Dane Cook's jokes... drawing inspiration from everywhere now (or maybe copying from everywhere).

5. Verses From The Abstract- Always been one of my favorite cuts, 4 minutes of perfection. Q-Tip at his absolute best.

6. Show Business- It's hard to appreciate this track to the fullest because of it's placement... but it's ill as hell. More upbeat than the rest, and the posse cut sounds awesome.

7. Vibes And Stuff- And we drop off again to a more chill instrumental, and it's another great back-to-back effort by Q and Phife. The jazz meshes with the lyrics and creates an super relaxed vibe.

8. The Infamous Date Rape- Same jazzy instrumental, same flowtastic rhymes, and the same song with different lyrics.

9. Check The Rhime- Probably the song you can always listen to. The instrumental bangs, and the hook which consists of jazz samples is amazing... and the lines are crazy fresh.

11. Jazz (We've Got)- Probably my favorite song off this impeccable album... this instrumental makes there superb lyrics sound heavenly.

12. Skypager- These are the abstract sounds and hooks that A Tribe Called Quest would later transform into... personally, I'm lovin it.

14. Scenario- This song is a lot more obnoxious and arrogant than the ones that preced it... yet it's not bad, a good introduction to Busta Rhymes who would prove to be an average rhymer. Not a bad outro...

I've heard this album countless times, I assume most people interested in hip-hop have heard this album before so this review should be pointless... but if you haven't this is an album you have to acquire through any means. I'm no advocate of anarchy, but if you have to steal, it might be worth it...joking of course. A very chill album the whole way through and a true gem to listen to.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 94... it's truly something everyone must here at least once.

Download Here right now

Afu-Ra/State of The Arts

2008-09-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long, I've been insanely busy... but I promise to be more active. I've been dying to listen to "State Of The Arts" for a long ass time... Afu-Ra has long been a dude I've wanted to check out, it doesn't hurt that he has affiliations with Gang Starr (I promise to review Jeru The Damaja). I've heard material from Aaron Phillips before but never payed much attention... because his music is hit or miss to the max. But then a few of my friends recommended this album and I read up on it and sounds like it was met with some acclaim. So here goes:

The Good:

4. Pusha- This instrumental is fucking fire, and the lyrical competition between Afu and Royce da 5'9 is insane.

6. Living Like That- Amazing.... besides the hook.

7. Rumble- This should be a stand-out track, but the chorus is terrible: "You, do you want to rumble? Come rumble with me"... what the fuck? I guess the rock and roll aspect of this track is innovative, but it just doesn't sound good. Axl-Ra...

9. Why Cry- What should I say? This track has the potential to be something amazing and serve a purpose... but instead it becomes a Caribbean reggae song full of political satire and commentary. Someone has an ear for beats...

11. Cry Baby- The lyricism drops down, but the instrumental makes it sounds so much better. I've never been one for these "songs for the ladies".

12. Dynamite- What? What is he saying? Oh he's spitting fire over horns that drone his voice out.

16. Only U- Either Memphis Bleek sampled Afu, or Afu sampled Bleek because this is the instrumental for "534".

17. Poisonous Taoist- The sampling is out of place, the instrumental takes the focus off the lyrics, which clearly outshine any part of this song.

Huh... this album was hard to listen to because the instrumentals are horrible, or just don't fit and I didn't hear one good hook. But when you pay attention to what Afu is saying, you will realize that he is a very special talent... no one spits fire like he does. Dude just needs some more Primo beats.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 63. I'd find a different Afu album, bit if you have your heart set on this one...

Download Here

AZ/ Doe or Die

2008-09-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Any hip hop head would be inclined to think of Nas when they think of AZ, he was the only feature on an untouchable album. His verse on "Represent" is sick as hell, and provides Nas' the motivation to unleash maybe his best lyrics of all time. AZ has achieved a fair amount of success in his career disregarding his Nasir Jones affiliation, and he is often listed as one of the co-creators of "Mafioso Rap" a genre that has already burned out. And dude is still grinding, recording, and selling records to this day, he released an album titled "Undeniable" this year, and I would say it is better than Nas' "Untitled". But back in 1995 people were excited to see what type of shit Anthony Cruz would come with. This album has been mentioned on countless lists as "must-have albums", but that doesn't mean a thing to me so...

The Good:

2. Uncut Raw- I don't know how to explain this instrumental's appeal but it sounds real good. This track is the definition of grimy, raw, gritty and all those other adjectives Fonzworth Bentley overuses.

3. Gimme Yours- This sounds like a worse version of "The World Is Yours"... but not by much at all. The lyricism is great, and AZ still sounds good when he quotes himself... can't say I'm feeling the hook at all.

4. Ho Happy Jackie- This does not sound like the same Buckwild who produced "Lifestylez ov Da Poor And Dangerous".... but I am really feeling this instrumental. It's amazing how effort free AZ's flow is.

5. Rather Unique- Only Pete Rock could have produced this song, AZ flows some fucking lyrical murder, and the sample job on the hook is amazing. No, this whole song is amazing.

7. Sugar Hill- I want to hate this song, I want to delete this song, but I just can't do it. I don't know why, I think I hate this hook... but I'm not sure.

8. Mo Money Mo Murder (Homicide)- I don't want to love this song, I don't want to favorite this song, but I just have to. I don't know why, but I love this song. The hidden track is halfway decent but that's it.

9. Doe or Die- It's usually a rule that the album title song is never good. But this shit is fucking awesome. Another "Represent" sample... but that's the only bad part.

11. Your World Don't Stop- Damn this track would be better acapella... weak hook, unbelievably simplistic beat. And then you have AZ's rhymes which overpower this track.

12. Sugar Hill Remix- Much better, in every aspect.

And that raps up yet another review of a supposedly "classic" album (I know the quotations were unnecessary). This was not a classic album, this was classic lyricism, classic storytelling, classic rhyming and rapping... but the instrumentals and hooks are HIV-stricken weak. Even the producers that always come through with heat only provide average beats (cough... Pete Rock... cough). So I will say this is an interesting listen, I wouldn't say it's something you must hear, and I doubt an album like this will make your musical taste anymore widened.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

After ragging on AZ, I give this album an 82. One of the weaker ratings for a "classic"... so that should say enough, but if your really interested:

Download Here

The Invisible Man/Rebirth Of The Fresh EP

2008-09-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

The Invisible Man aka Dan Johnson reached out to me to check out this EP. I can't say I know anything about this cat, so let's get started. Since it's a 6 track EP, I will do track by track.

1. Medical Crew- The production isn't the best, and The Invisible Man doesn't have a very exciting voice, but the lyricism and flow is something you have to check out. "Step into the doctor's office and I'll check your reflex/ Get it bouncin like I'm steppin with a T Rex". And the hook (sampled in a Wu Tang sort of way) sounds awesome.

2. Breathmints (Something Fishy)- The instrumental is dull, but the storytelling is impressive. And the hook is wierd but in a good way.

3. Nonsense- Huh... he flows crazy and the lyric are crazy. A better instrumental and this would be a banger.

4. Hyde and Seek- Start to drift away and relax, the lyrics are crazy again.

5. Fresh To Death- This track is well-produced and it is enjoyable to listen to... and it is uniquely made. I really enjoyed this track.

6. Rebirth of The Fresh- Another unique instrumental, great lyricism... yet it's still a little dull.

I'm a brutally honest person, and even though Dan Johnson is a great person, this EP was not my cup of tea. The production is severely lacking, all the beats sound good but are too eerie and gray to enjoy. The Invisible Man has the biggest monotone ever, it really detaches from the overall message. After abusing my man, I'll say that his lyrical game is crazy, if you really start to listen, you'll hear crazy rhyme schemes and flow adjustments. Even if The Invisible Man never makes it as a rhymer, he'll probably be your favorite rapper's favorite ghostwriter.
This album needs no rating, I gave you guys all the motivation you will need. If your interested in good lyricism... check out this album.

His personal blog:

http://hiphopsprivateeye.blogspot.com/

His Myspace if you like what you heard:

myspace.com/1nvisibleman

Download Here

On A Random Note

2008-09-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was funny, every white teen wants to vote for Obama because he's black (the only change he'll bring is ethnicity). And McCain gets a woman to run with him so he can at least get the woman vote (seriously fucking Alaska?). And these republicans try to find all the dirt they can against Obama...
Enough ranting, kind of reminded me of this video, Mad TV classic.

Young Jeezy/ The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102

2008-09-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

I will admit I'm biased when it comes to Young Jeezy, this is the first album I ever bought. Jeezy is the first southern rapper that I really could listen to, and "Hypnotize" has got more than 100 plays on my Zune... I'm feeling this cat. I'm obviously not doing the reviews in chronlogical order, so "I'm feeling this cat" doesn't exactly pertain to "The Recession"... a decent album that is not worthy of Jeezy's name. I first heard of Jay Jenkins as Lil J, and paid very little mind to him... then he started featuring on Akon and company's tracks... and then he released "Thug Motivation 101" and 102... which have gone down in history chronicling actual good Southern music. What separates Jeezy from the rest of the pack is subtle, and something you probably would have never known about. Jenkins releases about a mixtape a month, mixtapes not featuring him, just his face... which makes him seem like other southern rap kingpins (T.I. and Weezy). But Jeezy's work ethic sets him apart, most people have heard how he recorded over 100 songs for TM 102 and only chose 17 to make the album. Even though the spares probably became mixtape fodder, you don't see Kanye throwing away instrumentals simply because their not album material. I believe Young Jeezy is the one thoroughly "mainstream" rapper who stands out from the heap of bullshit clouding the top of commercial rap. On a side note, this may be a longer review, because I have heard this album countless times:

The Good:

1. Hypnotize (Intro)- The perfect combination of Jeezy boasts, ad-libs, and Southern production. Shawty Redd produced almost all the great songs off TM 101. "They think I'm shallow but I think so deep/ Deep as the abyss/ So when you get a second take a look at my wrist/ Perfect...

4. J.E.E.Z.Y.- Shawty Redd produced this track too and it sounds a lot better than the two previous tracks. More ad-libbing, and another weak hook... but a decent song still.

5. I Luv It- You can tell why this was a single... not necessarily a bad song but I've heard better....

6. Go Getta- The second single, the beat bumps, the R Kelly hook is hot... but there's not much substance to this track. Still hot though.

8. The Realest- I can picture a suburban high school kid riding to this song. Maybe it's just the hook, the instrumental is too dramatic for my liking, the lyrics don't exactly grab your attention either. But it's a pretty good track still.

10. Bury Me A G- Fucking ill (PERIOD).

11. Dreamin'- Despite Keyshia Cole this song fucking rocks. A different hook and instrumental would make this a classic.

12. What You Talkin Bout'- More of a "Thug Motivation 101" track, but it's still legit. Think "Go Crazy" meets "And Then What"

14. Mr. 17.5- Fucking classic.

And that will conclude this review. After promising a classic, I couldn't even convince myself, this album does not sound as good as it used to. The few great songs on this album are among the best the South has to offer... there is a lot of filler on this album though. I'm gonna have to give TM 101 another listen, but for now...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 76. Like I said, it's a great album at times, but at other times this album put me to sleep. I would still recommend a download, because there are some songs you just have to hear...

Download Here

SUPe/ Supe'd Up

2008-09-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

I won't pretend I know even a little bit about this cat, besides that he's from the west coast, and is signed to some small record label. I copped this shit from dubcnn.com, and I advise anyone who is looking for underground music to check that site out. So now for the review....

The Good:

1. Fasho Flow- Two minutes of straight fucking fire, check this song out. You will not regret it.

3. Get Money- The instrumental doesn't fit at all and the hook is weak... but this song is pretty decent still.

5. Ollie At Me- Another weak hook, how exactly do you "ollie" at someone? But I love the instrumental, literally light bass with a flute sample... but the lyricism puts me to sleep.

11. He Said She Said- Grimy as hell, an introduction to SUPe's affiliates, who you've assuredly never heard of. SUPe changes up his flow and spits some fire over this slow instrumental. Can't say I love the hook though...

14. Wow- Sadly no Flavor Flav sample. Another slow beat, and I slowly grew to like this track.

18. No Pain- Another unique instrumental equipped with some slick rhymes leads to a great outro.

For a random-ass mixtape(?) I found a few great songs, most were weak, but the few great songs (namely the intro and outro) fucking rock.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this a 47. Like I said, the intro and outro are amazing, especially the intro... but the rest of the songs don't compare. Here's a link for anyone who feels experimental...

Download Here

Common/Can I Borrow A Dollar

2008-08-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

If you don't have love for Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr, you must have never heard his music before... better known as Common, he created a place for nice guys in rap music. Just as Wu-Tang came out with their release which created a genre now known as "hardcore" rap. At the same time, Common released his first album, which established "conscious" hip-hop... first created by A Tribe Called Quest. I personally don't believe in labeling any artist... but Common had a very distinctive voice in the innovative 90's. Were it not for Lonnie, Chicago may not be the hip-hop hot bed it is now, how many times has Kanye West labeled Common as the inspiration for his career. And even Lupe Fiasco, the hip-hop illiterate epitome of a conscious rapper has labeled Common as an inspiration. So how did Lonnie sound 16 years ago?....

The Good:

1. A Penny For My Thoughts- This is No I.D.'s first released production job and this instrumental still holds up. Common's flow has changed a lot since 1992, but I like his flow on this song, and you will listen to this song again. I promise.

3. Take It EZ- Even back in the day when Common equipped a rapid-fire delivery he still spit lines that just sound totally awkward. Not a bad song though, the production is superb.

4. Heidi Hoe- Early Beatnuts production job, early Common... Way before their time.

5. Breaker 1,9- How eerily similar does this sound to "Big Poppa", and any guy can attest to what Common is saying. This was a single, and judging by NO I.D.'s slow jazzy beat and Common's woman-oriented rhymes and the time period, I can imagine how the music video looked.

6. Two Scoops Of Raisin- Kind of an ironic song when you examine Common's persona... but I like the back-to-back rhymes.

8. Blows To The Temple- Only Common could get away with this weak-ass hook. As corny and easy as the rhyme scheme is, I love this song, more specifically the vibe that this song exudes.

9. Just In The Nick Of Rhyme- This sounds like a freestyle 2 pc. DRK threw a beat over. It sounds good as hell though...

10. Tricks Up My Sleeve- I'm sick of these lazy-ass/zombie choruses. This is Rayshel's only major album appearance, and for good reason, she sounds like a man.

11. Puppy Chow- I love the Isley Brothers sample... and this is more like how Common would sound on "Resurrection".

12. Soul By The Pound- how Main Source does this sound? The instrumental is like "Fireman" meets "Halftime".

13. Pitchin Pennies- A Busta Rhymes reference, and a pissing sample... thanks for the send-off.

I loved this album, even with the corny rhymes... I hate to say this but: "This is what used to be good about hip-hop". This is a great listen for everyone into Golden Age records, even though Common would soon become a different type of lyricist, this album is a landmark of Chicago hip-hop, think "Illmatic" of conscious rap.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 91, and I dare anyone to challenge the rating.

Download Here

Wu Tang Clan/ Enter The Wu- Tang (36 Chambers)

2008-08-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Method Man, Masta Killa, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Prince Rakeem, Raekwon, and U-God make up Wu-Tang Clan... arguably the most influential rap group of the 90's (like how I eliminated almost all arguements). It's obvious how much of an effect this had on early 90's hip-hop, and still on today's hip-hop... NaS, AZ, Cormega, and many others have visible influence from Wu-Tang, even Jay, and especially Big L. As a warning beforehand, I'm not a Wu fan, and "respect" and "acclaim" can't buy me... so you Wu heads who think that God gave birth to "The Genius", I'm sorry.

The Good:

1. Bring Da Ruckus- Not a bad start, this track is actually really good, I wonder why I didn't like this album...

2. Shame On A Nigga- And we drop off a little bit, still a pretty good song. Never been a fan of ODB, average lyricist with a unique voice.

3. Clan In Da Front- And GZA picks it up, this track is straight fire.

4. Wu Tang: 7th Chamber- And some more heat, even ODB comes true. Methodman kills it, and RZA comes with another great instrumental.

5. Can It All Be So Simple- The bass takes away from the beatiful instrumental, but Ghostface murders this track.

6. Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'- ODB's moaning would later be sampled in a song I think everyone has heard (I'm not saying). The only negative is the poppy beat which takes away from the gritty rhymes.

8. C.R.E.A.M.- Even my 7 year old sister has heard this song.

10. Protect Ya Neck- The single... and it's actually really good. All the verses are sick as fuck.

12. Wu-Tang:7th Chamber-Part II- Didn't U-God already use the "fallopian tube" line before on the first part? Otherwise, this track is fire, other than the jazz sample that RZA inserted for no reason.

13. Method Man (Skunk Mix)- This version is a lot better than the original... but still only an average track. Why Method Man had two songs named after him, I'll never understand...

And that concludes this review... and what did I think? I enjoyed this album for the most part, by no means was it "amazing" or "classic". There are some great songs, great examples of lyricism, and great instrumentals throughout the whole album.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 87. Now I need a nap...

Download Here

J The S/ When In Rome

2008-08-30T13:24:00.001-07:00

I was on 2dopeboyz.com a while ago, and I found this mixtape, thought it looked interesting... so I downloaded it. Then I heard it, and now I'm writing about it. Why? Because J The S aka Jake The Snake is repping Boston like crazy, and has rhymes for fucking days, and I think it's my obligation to get this dude even a little bit of hype. These underground cats are all on the come-up, and not enough can be said about the state of underground hip-hop today... there are too many good rappers to support, while I can only think of a few mainstream artists I would ever even think about supporting. That being said, the Bean has been producing crazy rhymers for the last few years... and if J the S's albums are as good as his mixtapes, New York might have some competition.

The Good:

1. Right Of Passage- This was the first thing I heard, and obviously it made quite the impression on me, and this song is still at the top of my playlist. The wordplay is crazy. But J changes subjects every other line, and he over exaggerates just a little bit... for those who actually listen you'll know what I'm talking about.

2. Pump- The hook is terrible... but the rest of the song is fire. The featured artists are good too.

5. Do You- This would have been the single of the mixtape. The hook is terrible, but the instrumental is awesome... the Joell Ortiz and Lee Wilson features are amazing. And J the S bests both of them... that's saying something.

6. Push My Buttons- Great production job, the rhyming is alright, there's a few weak features, and a Stack Bundles feature (R.I.P.)

9. Loosen Up- Perfect.

10. Whispers In The Dark- Soulful beat laced with some real lyricism... the hook is a bit too obvious, but the rest of this track is real impressive.

12. Get Low Remix- No Memphis Bleek feature, but a great song. Badnewz (nice name) has a terrible verse but it still makes me interested about the original...

13. Forever Tomorrow- A crazy-ass instrumental, real soulful and meaningful lyrics... the combo just takes you to a different place. Love this track.

14. A Strange Feeling- I have a strange feeling this song is gonna be straight fire. What do you know? I was right... I like the "You Know My Steez" reference.

16. Kilograms (I Know)- He got Ras Kass to feature on this track... even though J The S comes with some strong lines, but Ras Kass completely outshines him. I'm getting tired of the Iraq/Osama references already.

And we're done... not what I was expecting from a mixtape, but I would listen to at least half of the songs over again. J The S aka SNZA (Don't bite the Genius too bad) comes with deep, introspective commentary. I feel like a douchebag saying it, but he ultimately is a less-talented version of Immortal Technique. But at the same time... his lyrical game is crazy and pretty unique, very few dudes are spitting like he is so check his shit out fam...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this mixtape a 82... check it out cuz there's some great songs on here, but this admittedly is not for everyone.

Download Here

Jay-Z/ American Gangster

2008-08-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

As we all know, hype always follows a new Jay-Z album. Hype isnt da only thing either, haters & dickryders as well. When da Big Homie came back 2 save Hip Hop da last go round, I was mad hyped, only 2 b given a real shyt samitch. I mean da 1st 3 songs was a great start 2 da album, but then fell off sumthin horrible. Da intro track 2 Kingdom Come was str8 crack that shoulda been on this album, but I guess it didnt follow da script 2 da fullest. Da script was 2 have scenes from da movie American Gangster turned in2 a song. Lets give it a spin.

1: Intro - Jus sum shyt from da movie.

2: Pray - Great song by Hov, beat by da Hitmen wit Beyonce singing. Jay raps bout da struggles of da hustle & hopes not 2 get caught.

3: American Dreamin' - On this Marvin Gaye sample, Hov goes on bout da american dream of a rags 2 riches story. Classic!

4: Hello Brooklyn 2.0 - Let me start by saying that I hate Lil Wayne. This song would b a lot better if it had a new hook, but 2 me...SKIP! I mean come on, a Beastie Boys sample.

5: No Hook - ...And I don't need no hook for this sheeeeiiit! Proof that u dont need a chorus 4 a song 2 b good.

6: Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...) - Catchy single that a lotta peeps luv. Great song but not my personal fav.

7: Sweet - I luv this song. Great production by da Hitmen once again. "Couple mistakes here & there, not always right, but I'm always real, that's how I sleep at night."

8: I Know - I dont care 4 this song at all. SKIP! That damn Pharrell or was it supposed 2 b Pharreal.

9: Party Life - This is aiight. Nice sample, but nuttin amazin.

10: Ignorant Shit - Wit a different beat, I think I would b all bout this song. Da hook is fyre! Still worth a spin though.

11: Say Hello - IMO, this shoulda b da lead single. Da hook is fyre & production by Toomp is great, not 2 mention Jiggas lyrics. "Here comes da bad guy again." Can u say...repeat?

12: Success - Oh man! Big Homie & Lil Homie on a track once again. Is it Xmas? Like Black Republicans wasnt already a nice present. Da No I.D. production lets Dat Bitch Breathe. Lyrical game tight. But who got who? Thats 4 u 2 decide.

13: Fallin' - Great ending song 2 da album bout a gangster bein took down. Solid production. Now on 2 da bonus tracks.

14: Blue Magic - This track is a beast. I guess he is Pharreal. Nice old school flava from da Neptunes. Jay kills this track wit his impression of Rakim. Did I say da lyrics r tight bangin son!

15: American Gangster - I luv a soulful sample. Great production. "The rest of my belongings belong in the hall of fame, a list of hits next to all my names. I came." Str8 crack.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe 1 good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half r good songs, half r weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all r great songs

I would have 2 give this album a 88 rating. As I mentioned b4, if he used da intro on Kingdom Come & changed sum things on a few songs, then this would b a classic. Nice concept album here. On sum songs, Hovs lyrical game is sharp, while others r not as great but never slacking. Last note, Jigga hasnt lost his ear 4 beats.

4 Da Thieves

Mic Terror Freestyle

2008-08-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Rookie Of The Year/ Ya Boy

2008-08-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

William Joseph Crawford aka Ya Boy is probably the least-known Gold-certified artist ever. For those of you who haven't heard of the new product of hyphy music... you will soon have to put up with suburban white kids reciting Crawford's quotables. Mix west-coast production with a pinch of lyricism and a confident flow and you've got Ya Boy. I first found out about this cat because of his affiliation with Black Wall Street (I'm a Game fan if you haven't noticed). Then I started checking out dude's mixtapes (which are crazy by the way) and then I graduated to his debut album. It was refreshing to know that Crawford's mixtapes were much hotter than his album.... not to ruin anything.

The Good:

1. Introduction- Ironically, most of Ya Boy's best songs are named "Intro", no joke. The hook is terrible, but the instrumental is ill and he laces this track with crazy metaphors.

4. Right Here- "I'm not one for female-orientated tracks", I believe that I've said that once or twice. This is another song with insane potential because of the beautiful (yeah it's beautiful, no homo) instrumental and the fitting lyricism. But the hook is terrible again.

8. Bad Company- The first 30 seconds of the instrumental proved to be promising, but when he starts spitting, the beat is nearly non-existent. Not a bad nearly acapella verse though.

11. Turf 2 Tha Club- Almost every aspect of hyphy that I hate is included on this track... yet it still sounds decent.

15. Somethin To Rap About- Best, the guest verse is weak though...

17. How You Want It- Another track for the ladies that sounds alright.

And that concludes this short review. The songs I listed above are only good, a few are stand-outs, and a few are great... but this album as a whole is not comparable to the mixtapes Ya Boy makes. I'm saying if you want a real taste of his music check em out (I will do a review on one of them soon)...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 58... it's weak, and the few songs worth checking out aren't "amazing" in any sense.

Download Here

Fabolous/ From Nothin' To Somethin

2008-08-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

The one dude everyone is sleeping on nowadays is John Jackson, a mainstream artist who can rhyme with the hungriest of underground cats. I remember I was in New York early 2005, and the song "Breathe" was fucking everywhere. So I copped "Real Talk", his album, and I was somewhat impressed... lot of bangers, but a lot of garbage too. That's why I was looking forward to his new shit 3 and a half years ago... but from what I remember, he got into a Kanye West-esque accident and stopped rapping for a second, got better started doing guest features. Then 2007, "From Nothin To Somethin" came out and I got it the second day it came out, not something I was extremely proud of, but I did it. And what did I think...

The Good:

1. From Nothin To Somethin Intro- I don't know if I like the Sportscenter sample... but the beat is banging and the lines are fire.

2. Yep I'm Back- You want a fucking street single? Well you got one... this song is straight lyrical murder. Every line is a quotable. This might just be a 15 dollar song right here. Why wasn't this a single?

3. Change Up- As much as I hate what Akon is doing to hip-hop... I'll admit that this track is real hot. And the lyrics are on point.

6. Return Of The Hustle- How does Swizz still have a career? What a weak-ass chorus, that Cream/Wu reference fucking blowed. Liking Fab's verses though.

7. Gangsta Don't Play- The cool thing nowadays is to feature reggae singers to do your hooks... and it nearly ruins this song which is fucking awesome without the hook.

10. Diamonds- The first time I heard this song I wasn't really feeling it, but now that I heard it again I realized that it's not that bad... but not that good.

11. Brooklyn- Who do you think Fab sampled on a track called "Brooklyn" featuring Jay? Anyone who didn't say Biggie may not feel welcome here. The sample feels out of place, and Uncle Murda appropriately murders this track.

12. I'm The Man- This song fucking rocks. "Your bitch is so easy a caveman could do her".

13. Jokes On You- Pusha T's comedy references are pretty impressive... and I strangely like this hook. And the song, it's really good.

15. This Is Family- This is a gritty ass song to put on such a club banger album, I'm also really impressed how Fab got Ransom, Budden, and Paul Cain to get on this track. Too many features for my liking, but it's still pretty decent.

This is by far my favorite Fab album, it's not that he changes his style at all... he just raps like usual but a lot better. This is by no means a "street" album, but I think everyone can find what their looking for and be satisfied. Loso's World (new album) coming end of the year.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 84, I definitely enjoyed listening to it and there are only a few bad tracks. Also check out "Yep, I'm Back" that song is fucking crazy.

Download Here

Clipse/ Lord Willin'

2008-08-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Your family's favorite twin coke pushers seem to be giving Jesus a ride... probably to their cocaine factory. I was apprehensive to give this record a listen because of Clipse's shady affiliation with Pharell (my favorite raspy, talentless singer who befriends today's talented mainstream artists). But once I re-listened to the "We Got It 4 Cheap" series again, I got serious motivation to give Malice and Pusha another chance. These two are probably the only rappers who can honestly get a guest appearance from anybody... from Kanye to Jadakiss to DJ Quik to... you get the idea. This album has 3 remixes so be ready... for what I don't know...

The Good:

1. Intro- How ironic would it be if a song called "Intro" was a single. This is a good song, since I've cheated and heard this album at first... I will say this is one of the better songs off the album.

2. Young Boy- I LOVE this hook!!! And the "Woo-Hoo" sample.... Yay! On the real, it's amazing how Malice and Pusha ride the beat and make a great sounding track even though the hook and aforementioned sample are ridiculous.

3. Virginia- Sounds like a beat Juvenile would spit to, but I liked it. More of a somber and serious song... even though the previous songs were about cocaine dealing.

4. Grindin- Back in 02, this was the song to drive to, people were driving to church listening to this song... it was that big. This instrumental is pretty sick, and the punchlines are ill as hell. Nothing I should have to write about, since you've probably heard this song before.

5. Cot-Damn- A Re-Up Gang posse cut that sounds really good. Now if Pharell wasn't on the hook...

8. When The Last Time- The hook fucking blows, but the instrumental and Clipse verses sound real good.

10. Comedy Central- Clipse would later make a song just like this on Fab's "From Nothin To Somethin". I'll admit that this song is pretty tight. And I didn't hear Pharell once.

12. Gangsta Lean- Clipse seems somewhat out of place trying to make a song for the ladies... but it still sounds really good.

13. I'm Not You- This song has been sampled and freestyled over more than "Dead Presidents II"... and I have to say I like this original version more than any other song on this album.

Neither of the remixes were even comparable to the original, so needless to say they weren't any good. I'm glad I don't have to listen to Pharell anymore... but I will probably do a "Hell Hath No Fury" review soon enough. I can honestly say this album was a good quality listen most of the way through, there was very little filler and the Neptunes production was great. The hooks not so much...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 83. Like I said... give it a listen, you will probably like this album if you haven't heard it before.

Download here

Gang Starr/ Moment Of Truth

2008-08-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

The best producers ever: Ski, Pete Rock, Jam Master Jay, many others and then there's DJ Premier. I've honestly never heard a bad song produced by Preemo, and he's produced at least 500 songs... and I've probably heard 100 at minimum. And not enough can be said about his monotone partner, who made lyricism street and gritty. Even though everyone names Wu as an influence, no one really mentions Gang Starr... who probably influenced your favorite rappers (maybe not Wayne and company). But Camp Lo owes much of their success to the jazz rap pioneers, as does Ski who has made his name as the second coming of DJ Premier. Interestingly, Guru and Preemo have both gone their separate ways, but are still active in hip-hop. Guru has been silent for a while... but DJ Premier is hard at work with my fucking boy TERMANOLOGY, check the kid out people. But now to bring it back to 1998, and for the heads who know their album history... I'll quote Cool J: "Don't Call It A Comeback"...

The Good:

1. You Know My Steez- This song is on the top of a short fucking list named "Best Album Intro's Ever". This was a single? HOW!?!?!

2. Robin Hood Theory- The lyrics are fucking murder, but the beat is much to subtle to emphasize what Guru's saying.

3. Work- All the hipster-hop artists nowadays freestyle over this instrumental. For good reason, this track is fucking awesome.

4. Royalty- Why didn't these guys sell millions? Still a mystery to me... I wish this song was two and a half minutes... but it's 5 minutes... still it's beautiful.

5. Above The Clouds- Appropriately named, as repetitively as I say this... it's true: You just do not hear shit like this anymore. And it's a damn shame...

6. JFK 2 LAX- Just a chill track... Premier laces this track with a beautiful vocal sample. And Guru's storytelling is commendable... I'm loving the lyricism.

8. Moment Of Truth- The topic at hand is pretty lame... and this track flip flops from weak to decent. Not surprising for a track the album was named after or vice versa.

9. B.I. Vs. Friendship- Let me get this off my chest... as gimmicky as M.O.P. is they were the first ones to come out with their sound. (which is why I am willing to listen to them) That being said, they sound pretty good... well as good as two screaming maniacs can sound over a jazzy Premier beat. Now Guru...

10. The Militia- This instrumental is fucking awesome. Big Shug is fucking awesome. Guru is fucking awesome. Freddie Foxxx is a different story.

11. The Rep Grows Bigga- Why? Why? Why? For those with patience, you will suffer through a minute and a half long interlude... but you will be rewarded with a good track equipped with insane sampling jobs by Primo.

12. What I'm Here 4- Let's just say my neck hurts from involuntarily nodding it after repeating this track 15 times.

13. She Knows What She Wantz- A completely different vibe, but I love this song. Not enough can be said about DJ Premier's ability to perfectly simulate a vibe with his instrumentals. And Guru well he delivers like always.

14. New York Strait Talk- Average, maybe below average... still better than most rapper's best.

15. My Advice 2 You- My advice to Gang Starr: Come back and make another album right fucking now. This track is a dream that you don't wake up(and don't want to) from until you hear...

16. Make Em Pay- Another amazing track, if you ever download this album, it will probably be your introduction to Krumbsnatcha... and it's quite the introduction.

18. Betrayal- It's hilarious how accommodating Gang Starr is to Scarface on this track. Slow beat, slow flow... still a great track. Check the attention to detail in the storytelling too... not too many people do that. The hook is amazing, I'm surprised it hasn't been sampled, and Scarface gets on his "I Saw A Man Die" shit.

19. Next Time- The chorus SUCKS!! but the rest rocks.

And sadly (in contrast to most albums) we're done. I can honestly say that this album is not just a good listen, it's a fucking Tony The Tiger great listen. All the way through... it's real hip hop that don't stop... at all... for one second... of one nanosecond.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

Remember "Illmatic", I said no album would ever top it... as good as this album is it's no "Illmatic", I give it a 92. And everyone young, old, musically deaf or gifted... pick this shit up. And you hip hop heads listen to Primo's instrumentals one more time before you decide not to give my boy Termanology a chance (would he really fuck with lame cats)? The download for ya ass:

What Part of Download Now Didn't You Understand

NaS/Untitled

2008-08-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

A lot of hype over this album, especially cuz of da albums original name. U know what it is. NaS dropped a beast of a mixtape. If u havent heard it, then go cop "The Nigger Tape". Lets see if da Gods Son comes correct...

1: Queens Get The Money - Da piano production is FYRE, courtesy of Jay Electronica. If u dont know who he is, then google him cuz hes creeping on da come up. NaS kills a perfect intro track, which seems 2 throw shots at Fiddy.

2: You Cant Stop Us Now - Okay, whats up with this sample being used by both RZA & Salaam Remi? I like both versions, but I might have 2 lean towards this version a lil. Also, dont expect NaS 2 disappoint on da lyrics either. Is NaS defending Michael Vick by saying da chinese eat dogs? I dunno lil homie, I aint on that.

3: Breathe - Pretty good song, but a lil boring cuz of da beat.

4: Make The World Go Round - What da FUCK is this? If u want my opinion, "Letter To The King" should of made this album instead of this crap.

5: Hero - Dah shyt! Perfect single, NaS kills da song & da production is pretty good. I could imagine him performing this song in front of a huge crowd, str8 spitting.

6: America - I love da production & lyrics, but da chorus is horrible. So it lost a notch or 2 in my book.

7: Sly Fox - Da infamous Fox News diss, "I use Viacom as my firearm". This is a pretty good song accompanied by a rock sounding beat. "I pledge allegiance 2 da fair & balanced truth, not da biased truth, not da liest truth, but da highest truth. I will not b deceived, nor will I believe in da propaganda. I will not fall 4 da oke-doke. I am tuned in..."

8: Testify - This might b my favorite song off da album. Great production & chorus. NaS slows it up a lil but comes correct. My only knock is that its not long enough.

9: N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave And The Master) - Good song, but da production may be a lil boring. Thanks Toomp.

10: Untitled - NaS kills it once again. Da whole song is fyre! I thought this song was supposed 2 b called Louis Farrakhan.

11: Fried Chicken - I love this song. NaS is at his best at song like this. Concept songs? Da production is pretty good. Y is Busta talking bout pork though?

12: Project Roach - I was expecting more when I heard about this song. BUT...dont get me wrong is still a great song. I guess I was thinking it might b da next "I Gave U Power".

13: Ya'll My Niggas - This song has da best chorus on da entire album. Great song, point blank period.

14: We're Not Alone - I think I would like this song better if there wasnt so much singing on da chorus.

15: Black President - Great Pac sample, good beat from DJ Lantern. I heard da original version wit samples of sum politician introducing Obama, but of course da sample didnt pass so they used a different voice. I was looking 4 NaS 2 give us good valid points on y Obama should b our next president, but he came up short.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe 1 good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half r good songs, half r weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all r great songs

I would get this a 87 rating. A solid effort by da Lil Homie. I think he MIGHT b developing an ear 4 beats. NaS hardly eva comes up short on his lyrical game. Lyrically, its a step up from "Hip Hop Is Dead". Its also way better, but not better than Illmatic, It Was Written or MAYBE Stillmatic. Definitely worth being in my collection. How bout yours?

4 Da Thieves

ALLOW ME TO RE INTRODUCE MYSELF!

2008-08-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hey this is vivacious with you and ready to post some reviews.... My first review will be on Solange's new album which...lets just say is dope...well that probably be today or tomorrow. I am just excited I was invited to blog here about the 2 things i vibe the most...music and hip-hop. Well I will be doing my first review sooon.... for now check out my blog as well!!! PEACE!!!

Da Real Iz Back!

2008-08-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Yo! Jus wanted 2 give yall a lil announcement man. Im joinin da team here. My name is Were Read 2 Def. Ill b postin sum reviews here soon, so look out. 4 those who aint up on me, check my site...Only If Its Lyrical.

N dont 4get 2...Holla @cha Boi!

Young Jeezy/ The Recession

2008-08-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

First, big fucking ups to my boy PeanutbutterToes at forfreedownloads.com. I been waiting on this shit for a hot second, and I bet you were too. I just heard "The Inspiration" for the second time and I realized what a huge part Jeezy has had in reinventing the genre of "Southern Rap"... which is infested with downright thieves. Don't get me wrong, there are some good(at max 50) Southern rhymers, but there are far more gimmicks. Which is where Jay Jenkins comes in. Mr. Jenkins actually released a god-awful first album, and kept improving from there (who said debut albums are always best)? Now he is a household name, if not for his stellar lyrics, definitely for his adlibs. After making the acclaimed Thug Motivation series (which will be reviewed soon enough), Jeezy decided to steer away and created "The Recession" which hopefully is not a political album...

The Good:

3. By The Way- Damn, Jeezy said this album was Thug Motivation on steroids... I don't know if I agree with that, but this track is real hot.

4. Crazy World- I'm pretty sure this is a single, the beat is crazy, and ironically enough this song is political.

8. Who Dat- Once again the instrumental is sick... but the lyrics are weak. Which makes it an average song.

9. Don't You Know- Same hook, different words... same lyrics, different words, same instrumental different bass.

10. Circulate- This shit is hot!! Love this track already.

11. Word Play- Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

15. Don't Do It- Finally a real song... this sounds kind of like "Dreaming".

16. Put On- You've heard it, and it's pretty good... for a street anthem. Kanye's verse sounds dumb as fuck though.

18. My President- This shit is straight fire, Jeezy kills it, and even though Nas goes back on his Black Republican/Democrat shit... it still sounds really good.
Nas seems to be finishing off lots of albums nowadays... or maybe it's just me.

I didn't really like "The Recession", it sounds like one long song that changes subjects 18 times. The hook is almost always the same with different words, the lyrics are simplistic and repetitive, and the production (good as it is) begins to bore you halfway through. There's a few great songs off this album, but the majority of them sound generic to the whole album.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 64. Didn't love it, but it was good at times. Can't say I recommend a download, but...

Download Here

Today

2008-08-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

I actually have time and motivation so I will be getting to work on reviews... and on a special project:
I will compile the 100 greatest songs ever made and make them downloadable...
If it sounds good, holla at ya boy.
I should have it done by October.

Ice Cube/ Raw Footage

2008-08-24T18:40:00.001-07:00

I promised, and now I deliver... O'Shea Jackson's 8th album "Raw Footage". For those of you who enjoyed "Laugh Now, Cry Later", you should expect a more political album, full of Public Enemy references (necessary to succeed at social commentary). I remember the first hype for this album came with the single "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It", everyone was hyping it up as Ice Cube's return to NWA form. Which I didn't buy in any case, since the song was on Juice's album named "Death Certificate", named after Cube. I also remember that Nas had a verse... which got cut from the album version for some reason. Is it me... or is it ironic how Ice Cube is going from R rated movies to PG-13 to PG to fucking youth movies, yet at the same time his rhymes are more revolutionary and controversial. How O'Shea still gets roles, I don't know. Let's see if this album is any good:

The Good:

2. I Got My Locs On- The beat and hook are menacing in the best way possible... Jeezy's lines are weak as fuck, but Cube delivers.

3. It Takes A Nation- Just the first P.E. reference, but once you get past that... you will notice that what Cube is saying really makes sense.

4. Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It- If you haven't heard it yet, enjoy.

5. Hood Mentality- This sounds strangely like Nas' new album.

6. Why Me?- The first verse is great, but Cube ruins it with his "white man" racist spiel.

7. Cold Places- The first great song.

8. Jack N The Box- This song bangs, whoever "Tha Bizness" is they did a great job producing this track. And Cube spits some hot shit at ya ass.

11. Here He Come- This song would fit perfectly on "Laugh Now, Cry Later", but not on this album. Regardless, it sounds good. It's funny to see how the members of "Tha Lench Mob" changed... I'm talking about you Doughboy.

16. Take Me Away- Even though this song is only average, it sounds a lot better than the shit before it.

And we're finally done. First, all the instrumental's on this album are good, some are very good, and a few are average. Second, Ice Cube probably made this whole album very quickly (a week I'm guessing), because after the second song the political rhymes get worn out. Not because I'm ignorant and need songs about money, hoes, weed, and guns... but because every other line is "Fuck the government", "Fuck Bush", "Ice Cube For President" or some sorry-ass Public Enemy reference. I wanted to love this album, but it is easily the weakest Cube project I have ever heard. As a hip hop head who admires Nas yet still respects Lil Wayne, I can confidently say: most of this shit sucks.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 62. The lyrics are dull and repetitive after the first half of the album. But if you want to find out for yourself:

Download Here

New Blog Member

2008-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am the type of person who usually laughs during sentimental moments in film, so I'll spare you from all the touching details...
A good friend of mine has agreed to join the blog, so hopefully that will mean more posts and more new music. But we are both students so don't count on it with any odd regularity.
And please, if you are a reader, don't just download, leave some feedback... it's instrumental. And again, I'm always down for recommendations.

Whose the person in the picture? Just guess...

Jay-Z/ Reasonable Doubt

2008-08-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Before he had enough money to fill an Olympic sized pool, Hovito was an disgruntled cocaine dealer who decided to give rap a try... and it turns out he was alright at it. As legend goes, Jay started out appearing in Jaz-O tracks... then featuring in Daddy Kane tracks... but not making enough money, started a record label known as Roc-A-Fella Records, with his cronies Damon Dash and Kareem Burke. Once word got around, Ski (Camp Lo producer) offered Jay a few instrumentals... Clark Kent, and Primo later joined after discovering Jay's potential. And even Biggie decided to offer a feature job... that's what unsigned hype used to mean. This album is considered a classic, and the epitome of "Mafioso Rap", so is it worthy of your collection? I'll help you decide:

The Good:

2. Politics As Usual- Just an introduction to Sean Carter's unique flow... but you have to wait for the final verse if you want to witness Hov's equally unique lyricism.

3. Brooklyn's Finest- The aforementioned Biggie feature, notice the rap-battle aspect of this song. And you might notice Superman's superb production job... and maybe the lyricism (maybe).

4. Dead Presidents II- With one instrumental change, you go from playful to somber. People just don't make beats like this anymore, nor do people even approach Jay's lyricism on this track. This song is so much more than simply a hip hop classic. Say what you want about the subject matter, but it cannot be examined more poetically than this.

5. Feelin It'- A last second Jay record, this was supposed to be a Camp Lo track... but Jay murders this track and exhibits his flow versatility. And the hook... it's pretty good.

6. D'evils- This song is the reason that Jay is still a legend after making "Kingdom Come", why Preemo is still a legend even though he now works with Christina Aguilera and The Black Eyed Peas, and the reason Snoop still has a job and a reality show. (I may have went a little far... but you get what I'm saying... this song is really fucking good.

7. 22 Two's- The ever-necessary "Fuck The Haters" song. The song structure is kind of lame, but it still sounds pretty good.

8. Can I Live- I'm guessing Beyonce can answer the question pretty thoroughly... but I can tell you that this song is classic, "I'd rather die enormous, than live dormant".

13. Bring It On- The instrumental sounds somewhat like "Kick, Push", and the Kid Capri sample fits the vibe perfectly. This Roc-A-Fella autobiography is narrated in a real gritty way... and with the right members (Big Jaz and Sauce Money mentored Jay for years).

14. Regrets- Slow chill beat, equipped with chilling lyrics by a guilt ridden Sean Carter.

People nowadays mention the word "classic" in every other sentence... some call "Tha Carter III" a classic, and some call every Nas album a classic... when you use a word so liberally, it's overall importance and value greatly diminishes. I don't call albums classics unless they are classics... "Illmatic" is a classic, "Capital Punishment" is a classic, and "Uptown Saturday Night" is a classic. Classics are albums that take a genre of music to a level once thought unattainable and are consistently great the whole way through.
The reason I defined classic is because I believe "Reasonable Doubt" is not a classic, although the songs "Dead Presidents II" and "D'evils" are probably among rap's top 10 songs ever made... this album is hard to listen to the whole way through without once pressing the skip button. The songs that are "amazing" on this album are truly once-in-a-lifetime... no one will ever duplicate the vibe that you get from "Dead Presidents II". But the songs that are bad, are just bad (bad as in fucking terrible)... and there are at least 3 or 4 of them.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

Now to sound contradicting, I will give this album an 86. Because even though it doesn't look right on my grade scale... the good songs more than make up for the bad ones. But they just do not make this album a classic or a must-have. At the same time they do make it an album you should probably download:

Download Here

Scott Storch/ Doug E Fresh

2008-08-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Do you see the resemblance?

Mac Lethal/ 11:11

2008-08-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Who is this fucking white boy? Mac Lethal aka David Sheldon is renowned for his freestyling abilities primarily because of his victory at Scribble Jam (the World Series of rap battling). And the only way you would know about Mac is if you keep up with the underground rap gladiator scene (admittedly unlikely), or with the increasingly impressive rap label "Rhymesayers". In Minnesota, mainly Minneapolis, Rhymesayers is a really big deal... they draw pretty small audiences to their local concerts but still appeal as more than just a grassroots indie hip hop label. Slug (frontman of Atmosphere) is responsible for the rise of indie hip hop, in Minnesota if nowhere else... it's also pretty big in New York (what isn't?) and in California. He has been signing no name talents to his label, and equipping them with no name production for years... and his label is now seen as a viable alternative to big record labels. Either this year, or maybe a few years before, Slug was able to land MF Doom, king of underground hip-hop and comic-book hip-hop. (honestly a fascinating subgenre) He was also able to lure David Sheldon (already forgot about him?) to his Minneapolis recording studios, to re-record the album that may have gotten him signed in the first place. If you like this album, and are inclined to hear more of Mac Lethal, I strongly advise you not to listen to his first album, which is worse than fucking horrible. He has a series called "The Love Potion Collection" and it's actually pretty good, we'll see if I get around to reviewing it. The hard and discouraging part about reviewing unknown artists is building a base or any sort of comparison to the artist. I will say this beforehand, if you are looking for lyricism, Mac Lethal has got it in fucking spades. Please check him out.

The Good:

1. Backward- The lyricism is unrivaled, I will proudly proclaim this as an indie/underground classic... that any hip hop fan has an obligation to hear.

2. Calm Down Baby- This reminds me of Wale's ADD tracks... Mac has a really hard time staying on subject, but his delivery and on point rhyming just sounds really fucking good.

3. Rotten Apple Pie- I found myself vibing to this song. The flow slows down, and the instrumental is awesome.

4. Makeout Bandit- A carefree and harmless waste of 3 minutes and 42 seconds of your life.

6. Jihad- Why do I like this song? All his comments about celebrities are right on. I've been saying Fuck Dane Cook for a long time... and worshipping Hedberg and Carlin for quite a while.

7. Crazy- I knew I wasn't the only to receive that e-mail from the Nigerian president...

10. Die Slow- After having his fun... Mac gets back to flowing insanely, and this track is truly remarkable.

11. Lithium Lips- Mac's attempt at storytelling is fully entertaining. You'll have to listen to this one a few times.

12. Tell Me Goodbye- Listen to this and think about the Sean Bell tributes, and all the Biggie and Pac references.

13. Sunstorm- Only Mac Sheldon could make a song displaying himself as an insensitive, cynical piece of shit. And then the next song he makes a sentimental outro. As contradictory as it seems, this song is really good... maybe the best off the whole album.

So, my longest post is regarding an unknown artist whom no one will ever care about. Maybe you shouldn't, as there is nothing morally comforting about this album... but if your looking for introspective lyrics and modern social commentary you will definitely find it... and you might just find yourself vibing to this album.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 83, as much as you want to love this album, you can't. The lyricism is great, at times unparalleled... but at times, the combo of weak production and repetitive lyrics will put you to sleep. I would definitely recommend a download, because this is an album you have to hear and decide for yourself...

Download Here

Comments always welcome

MURS/ Murray's Revenge (Link re-upped)

2008-08-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Who says I'm not into alternative rap? MURS aka Nick Carter has been Making Underground Raw Shit (the acronym for MURS) for over 10 years now. He has affiliations with the Living Legends, The 3 Melancholy Gypsies, and FELT with Atmosphere's head man: Slug. And who was MURS able to snag to produce this whole album? None other than the production king of alt rap: 9th Wonder. And what sets MURS apart from the other thousands of unique west-coast rappers who own their own label and operate outside of the hyphy movement? For one, he has a somewhat embarrassing namesake, but more importantly he has the arrogance of a man who knows how to control the mic, and has made his name for himself in the underground without glossy hustle anthems and Lil Wayne features... that is someone I can respect.

The Good:

1. Murs Day- This instrumental could make nails scratching a chalk board sound poetic. Murs' ability to grasp a mic and your attention is quite vivid on this track.

2. Murray's Law- Listen to the man's lyrics people... he's actually saying something beyond "Fuck bitches and get money".

4. Barbershop- Just kick Phonte out and you got a better version of Little Brother, Pooh is somehow able to evoke that Southern California in the summer mood.

5. Yesterday & Today- This is an anthem for everyone 9-5ing. And the production is just amazing.

6. Dreamchaser- And this is alternative/underground rap at it's best.

7. L.A.- The ever-present rep your city/hood presented in a unique context. Mr. Carter spits some hot shit all over this jazzy 9th instrumental.

9. D.S.W.G. (Dark Skinned White Girls)- I got to say the "Excuse me" sample fucking rocks, as does the whole production job which makes MURS' average lyrics sound a hell of a lot better.

This album is a great introduction to the other type of West-Coast rap. 9th Wonder does an amazing job, he has a few bad songs, but all the rest are amazing, not amazing as in good, amazing as in really FUCKING good. MURS is an average lyricist with way above average delivery, every punchline just sounds that much better...

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 73... it's a decent listen, and I know you will love at least one of the songs:

Download Here

Nas/ It Was Written

2008-08-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

After creating "Illmatic", which would take a while to reach it's now legendary status, Nasir Jones embarked on a campaign to change his image to a "mafioso rapper". The first step was to adopt the nickname Nas Escobar... after the infamous drug lord. The new image was created to appeal to the mainstream... where you had to be a gangster to sell gangster rap (still the same today). The new image was complemented with new producers whose name spelled success, (Dr.Dre for example) and with the new instrumentals Nasir created his best-selling album. So I guess you could say that he succeeded. Some argue that he sold out, and some argue that this is his second classic. Like always, the decision is yours:

The Good:

2. The Message- Maybe the best song ever made.

3. Street Dreams- The hook is terrible, but the lyricism is incomparable.

4. I Gave You Power- This song is legendary for good reason, the storytelling and metaphors were ahead of their times.

5. Watch Dem Niggas- This is a song that could easily fit on Illmatic, but to feed his image, Nas featured Foxy Brown on the hook. Still, you will find yourself involuntarily nodding to this track.

6. Take It In Blood- This song is astonishing, astounding, fantastic, incredible, marvelous, miraculous, phenomenal, prodigious, stupendous, unbelievable, wonderful, wondrous and most importantly Illmatic (yeah the album is now a noun).

8. Affirmative Action- The pure brilliance of this song was probably the motivation to create the ill-advised group "The Firm" consisting of: Cormega, AZ, NaS, and Foxy Brown.

9. The Set Up- Another Firm cut that turns out pretty well.

10. Black Girl Lost- This is Nas' lyrical and heartfelt attempt at "I Can".

12. Shootouts- Different beat, different story, different hook, same sense of admiration.

13. Live Nigga Rap- If this was just a Mobb song, it would already be considered a classic, but it's obvious that Nas has an obligation to outshine Havoc and Prodigy.

14. If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)- This song shows Nas' evolution. He started as a ghetto poet but evolved into a hip hop legend that scorched tracks with social commentary... the 90's version of Public Enemy.

This is a perfect way to conclude: "The lyrics were there, but some of the emotion was gone. Maybe it was the world around Nas changing, or maybe it was changing in himself, but no one can listen to this after Illmatic and not see a change... If Illmatic was the kind of nightmare you can't wake up from and don't really want too, then IWW is a regular dream, not quite "real" but enjoyable all the same."- Joe Katz

As much as I agree with Mr. Katz quote, you will notice more storytelling, which constricts Nas from expanding lyrically like he did on Illmatic. And most importantly, the emotion isn't gone... the production is completely different, and at lots of times just doesn't work.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 89, there's no argument to it's "classic" status... but the one or two bad songs really detach from the listening experience. I would recommend a purchase... or at least a download:

Hip Hop that Don't Stop

Kanye West/ Late Registration

2008-08-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

This is ultimately the CD that proved Kanye's worthiness to the hip-hop community, his sophomore album avoided the jinx and sold an amazing 850,000 and change albums in the first week. By today's standards that's a feat only Wayne can perform, but back in the day (2005) people had some pretty insane expectations for Kanye... and he more than proved his worthwhileness. Dude was everywhere from MTV to Rap City to 106 & Park, and everyone was loving it. He even semi-created the new Kanye (Lupe) and became the new Jay-Z... all this for a guy who spent years selling beats as a career. Foreshadowing "Graduation" this album features a few of the party anthems which would make up most of Kanye's next album, yet there were still the soulful heartfelt tracks from Kanye's debut. So, where does this album rank compared to the other two...

The Good:

2. Heard Em Say- This song always reminded me of "Through The Wire" even though they are completely different. The same soulful Kanye instrumental for which he became legendary.

3. Touch The Sky- Most of the world's introduction to Lupe Fiasco, and it could not have come over a better beat.

6. Drive Slow- Where did this song come from? This is the song to drive slow to, especially with rap's reigning mechanic Paul Wall spitting some hot shit all over this instrumental.

7. My Way Home- Amazing. Period.

9. Roses- For a song that was supposed to be really heartfelt, it's somewhat weird how Kanye jumps off subject all the time... but it's a pretty good song.

13. Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix- The remix is before the original... but this version actually stays on topic of blood diamonds. And Jay's verse is just sick.

14. We Major- Try not to enjoy this song... amazing production job. This shit just sounds really good.

16. Hey Mama- This is what "Roses" tries to be. This is probably the best storytelling that Kanye could ever achieve.

19. Gone- A little long, but it's a good song.

21. Late- It takes a little while to become used to the tempo and flow of this song... but it's one of the better tracks off the album.

This is the best of Kanye's 3 albums, and this is what ultimately sold "Graduation", this album was so successful because Kanye transcended markets. People in the South were looking forward to new album after "Drive Slow" and hip hop heads were looking forward to the new album after the NaS collab.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

This album earns a 86... ultimately I'd advise buying it, but since you won't:
Once again, comments welcome

Download here

Kanye West/ The College Dropout

2008-08-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a few days and I've been pretty busy...
I've decided to do a Kanye West trifecta, simply because I'm lazy and have heard both of the remaining albums quite a few times. It was early 2004 when most of the world was introduced to Kanye West. To know him before you'd have to be a hip hop head who actually reads the liner notes... for production values... on CD's. Kanye has long been a great producer, the hip-hop world has endured countless stories about how Mr. West locks himself up in the studio and creats beats. Which somehow qualifies to be the most outspoken pro-black black man on the universe. No other rapper has ever been so Afro-centric, Afrika Bambaataa has almost nothing on Kanye (bit of an overstatement). All audiences appreciated the first effort by the newly found Roc-A-Fella gem. I think Jay was behind the song selection for this album, as there were songs for everyone, but you'll soon see.

The Good:

2. We Don't Care- This is Kanye West in a lot more than a nutshell. Conscious and smart lyrics draped in soulful jazzy instrumentals.

6. Spaceship- This instrumental gives me goosebumps everytime, and this is just an introduction to GLC and Consequence who are regular visitors on Kanye's albums.

7. Jesus Walks- How controversial was this song a few years ago? It sounds the same, and is still the same average song that catapulted Kanye to superstardom.

8. Never Let Me Down- This is a great song... kind of weird that the hook overlaps Jay's verse, but not very many bad things to say about this track.

9. Get Em High- Is this the same Kanye, the moral crusader who won a Grammy for terrorizing the FCC of radio stations, who wouldn't allow him to make a song about Jesus? Yet he makes a Lil Wyte esque song... And irony of ironies this song is actually really good.

12. Slow Jamz- This is the new age Barry West, a contemporary song that sets the mood.

13. Breathe In, Breathe Out- I know a different southern rapper who could have bragged circles around Ludacris, and maybe thrown in his YEeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaa (not Lil Jon).

15. School Spirit- "We Don't Care" part 2... except it stays on subject.

18. Two Words- I've got two words: Great song.

19. Through The Wire- The infamous song that Kanye recorded through a mouth brace, and this song still sounds just as good as it did the first time Kurt Loder introduced it.

20. Family Business- Who else makes songs like this? Only Kanye.

It's almost an unspoken rule that every good rapper's first album will always be his best, and Kanye is no exception, this album is very impressive. It was back in the day, and it still is. This album marks Kanye's transition from cocky producer to cocky rapper that produces his own shit.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 82, it's a solid listen all the way through. And as always I got you.
Comments always welcome.

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Lil Flip & Judge Dredd/ Court Sessions Vol. 1

2008-08-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

If it's your first time on this site, check the labels before you make an opinion. For others, this is my first try at underground Southern rap, and I think I found a worthwhile candidate. Judge Dredd is a cat who I've wanted to give a fair listen, and I advise that you give this dude a chance too. When it comes to Lil Flip, it's a different story, I guess he somehow got a rep for being good at battling, but judging by his verses this dude can't rhyme to save his fucking life. Sadly, Judge Dredd is a Flip affiliate, which can't possibly be a good career choice... but maybe I'll be proved wrong (I hope so).

The Good:

1. The Answer- A good southern lyricist? Nah... well... maybe.

3. Glocks Up- This is actually a good song, watch Dredd show up everyone at the end. Even Flip is good on this track.

8. They Like Me- The first one that's actually halfway decent, and Flip actually gets somewhat lyrical.

11. H-Town Dreams- Over The Game's "Dreams" and it's actually a good cover. Shit sounds hot.

12. Members Only- Where do I know this beat from? This song sounds really fucking good. The reggae singer is overkill, but you do what you can.

15. GB Run This- I don't know what to say about this song, a completely different beat that actually fits, and the lyricism is impressive.

17. What The Verdict- No rap outro, instead a good song, that fits topic. Wow.

This mixtape is really shaky, which is definitely what I expected, there's a lot of garbage, but there are a few good songs.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 53. I wouldn't recommend it but as always the decision is yours:

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Big L/ Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous

2008-08-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

When you think gritty you think 90's East Coast hip-hop, and when you think of that specific genre, one name stand as it's whole representation: Big L. The accredited inventor of horrorcore rap, L's style has paved the way for many of today's most controversial names in rap. He is also one of the least known rhymers that could still contend for the title of "Greatest Of All Time". As a 19 year old (note it) Lamont Coleman joined the group D.I.T.C. where he created his first hype, as a sidestory Lord Finesse(the "talent manager" of D.I.T.C.) wasn't even looking for another artist, but once he came upon L spitting rhymes, it was a no-brainer. This album came out in 95, and 4 years later L began to write "The Big Picture" which sadly was released as a posthumous album. L was set to sign to Roc-A-Fella in a week. But instead of living in sorrow of what could have been enjoy the immortal classic from an artist that will never be forgotten.

The Good:(Essentially a track by track write up)

Track #1- Put It On- All rappers pay attention this is a rap intro... I've heard my fair share of "Scarface" and "Goodfella" quotes and none of them compare to this track. Kid Capri is the Ol' Dirty Bastard of D.I.T.C.

Track #2- MVP- This song and most importantly the instrumental takes you back to mid 1990's Harlem. An appropriately titled track that proves L's claim as GOAT and MVP.

Track #4- 8 Is Enuff- This is the type of posse cut that was cool to make back in the 90's. And not surprisingly all these dudes can spit.

Track #5- All Black- This song is "How To Make Death Threats Poetic for Idiots". More of the same, amazing lyricism over the same beat that you will hear from track to track. "I know a good way to gather your family, and it ain't a family reunion"

Track #6- Danger Zone- The classic block reppin track, which is illuminated by sadistic yet lovable rhymes.

Track #7- Street Struck- You might be able to take this song seriously, I wasn't able to. I still admire the lyricism though.

Track #8- Da Graveyard- Another posse cut that goes hard from beginning to end. Maybe the hardest beat off the whole album.

Track #9- Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous- How good does L sound over the door bell sample? Real fucking good. Eugene...Hey Arnold...Harlem...Gerald...Big L?

Track #10- I Don't Understand It- Imagine if this song was made today, I doubt this would be the same upbeat song. South..Cough..Lil Wayne..Cough..50 cent.

Track #11- Fed Up With The Bullshit- This is the East Coast's version of "Fuck Tha Police" under a more politically correct name. If nothing else listen to this song for the rant against taxi drivers.

Track #12- Let Em Have It L- And a lyricistic farewell it is. All rappers pay attention this is a rap outro.

This album is the peak of lyricism, maybe other rappers have rhymed better than L, but nobody does it as consistently and as easily. This album would be a fucking classic were it acapella (which it might as well be)... because after the first 20 minutes you'll start to notice that the beats all sound the same. Probably the only blemish on an otherwise very impressive debut and finale.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 87, if you find a blend version of this album that's actually good... PLEASE let me know. Were this better produced it may have been the best album ever. But the lyricism itself is something anyone can admire:

Real Hip Hop right here

The Game/ Doctor's Advocate

2008-08-17T15:18:00.001-07:00

One more Game for ya ass. When did The Game really gain support for his claim that he was "bringing the West back"? I hopped on the bandwagon after this album, because even though "The Documentary" was good, it was boring. The production was a lot more varied on this album too... because after one album Game decided he could travel the path to greatness without the Doctor. It helps that Game finally found out he can't beef with everyone (dude has a pretty lengthy yet impressive resume). There isn't so much name-calling on this album. It looks like "Big Dreams" targeted everyone Game ever beefed with. And now that he put 50 behind him we can finally recognize him for something other than the over dramatized theatrics between the two. On a more celebratory note, I can honestly say this is a classic West Coast album, put it right next to Dre's classics, Cube's, and Andre Nickatina's (reviews coming soon). For all y'all that know about Dre Dog. Dare I say that "Doctor's Advocate" is better than "L.A.X."? We shall find out.

The Good:

Track #1-Lookin At You- This is a Don King track in every sense of the expression. The sample in the middle of the track is just menacing, as is the beat.

Track #2- Da Shit- The beat bangs and Game controls your ears for the few minutes this track lasts. Not much substance, but you can definitely bang this one.

Track #3- It's Okay (One Blood)- Is this song overhyped? Not at all. All the name-dropping you could ever hope for. Yet it's probably one of the best songs of 2006.

Track #4- Compton- Not a song you would ever expect Will.I.Am. to produce, but the instrumental itself summarizes the Compton movement.

Track #5- Remedy- Just Blaze provides a blitzkrieg of turntabling, piano, and thumping bass. And while this isn't Game at his best, it is definitely something any rap fan can appreciate.

Track #7- Too Much- Soft piano lends the musical background to Game's lyrical annihilation.

Track #9- Scream On Em- Actually a worthwhile contribution from Swizz Beatz. This song goes back and forth, first Game rapes this song into submission, then he goes easy, and in the third verse he finishes the job.

Track #10- One Night-I love the beat, and the raw emotion and story telling makes this the most memorable song so far, and even the weak hook doesn't subtract from this track.

Track #11- Doctor's Advocate- "Start From Scratch" part 2.

Track #12- Ol English- This song could easily be on "Eazy Duz It". Game's storytelling here is classic, and hats off to Hi-Tek.

Track #13- California Vacation- I can imagine that this track was on replay at west coast radio stations for a loooong time. The beat bangs, Game murders it, Snoop almost ruins it, but Xzibit brings it back, and maybe even outrhymes Game. Why does every mainstream rapper feel burdened to include Snoop on their albums?

Track #14- Bang- Kurupt and Daz are more than welcome on this track. And you've got the hardest song off the album.

Track #15- Around The World- I've never liked these types of songs. But I'll admit that this track is good.

Track #16-Why You Hate The Game- Whoa...all I can say, Game decides to make an album full of bangers and then features NaS on the very last track. Blaze's beat is sick, Escobar's lines are fucking ill, and Game straight murders shit. Love this track. "I don't talk about my guns nigga I just blaze". I guess it's smart to put this track at the end to tempt hip-hop fans with what could one day be. What a farewell.

This album follows "The Documentary's" formula perfectly, half the songs are bangers, and half are heartfelt songs full of raw emotion. The difference between the two album is The Game's maturation as a lyricist and his menacing presence on the mic.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 92. The Game sounds like a completely new artist from The Documentary... and every hip hop fan should pick this album up. I'm not even going to give you any babble about how weak and defenseless I am to providing links for my readers:

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