One producer that doesn’t really get his due props is Compton’s DJ Quik. Sure, the man has produced some defining LA classics, even spotted working on Dr. Dre’s Detox at one point, after producing Truth Hurts’ “Addictive” for the Beats mogul. Despite his old hits being mined for new DJ Mustard songs, people don’t usually place Quik in their “greatest producer of all time” conversations, even though he should be considered.

Utilizing much more than your standard drum machine and samples, Quik has worked with live instrumentation and takes a unique approach to beat-making. Such is the case on the first track on his new album, The Midnight Life, which finds a pair of broke rappers begging Quik to reveal the secret of what hip-hop’s future holds. His response, “a banjo,” is met with clowning, as he then proceeds to open the album with “That N***a’z Crazy”, which is propelled by a crisp, polished banjo, very much in the style of Andre Young.

However this track gets a little bit messy, with an overbearing R&B singer crooning over Quik’s lyrics to the point where they are almost inaudible. Perhaps this is why Quik is left out of those aforementioned conversations, as the song could certainly use a better mix down.

Nevertheless, he does have a handful of great tracks here, using unpredictable methods of sampling and track arrangement. Songs like “Trapped On The Tracks” (feat. Bishop Lamont & David Blake) and “Puffin The Dragon” do have the post-2001 influence attached to them, yet both are great and are completely different from one another. When he follows with more traditional funk driven fare on “Pet Semetary” and “Life Jacket,” his long range is shown.

Later on “Shine,” he meshes trap drum programming with somber pianos for a well produced concoction for protege David Blake. And just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he switches things up on sultry bedroom instrumentals “Bacon’s Groove” and “Quik’s Groove,” as well as the chilled out “Why’d You Have To Lie” (feat. Joi)

Far from a perfect album, there are some minor gripes. Suga Free’s pimp-to-ho conversational style is still painful to listen to (“Broken Down”, “Life Jacket”) and sometimes Quik delivers some head-scratching lines, despite a tight delivery and cadence. And not every song works, such as the dated “The Conduct” with Mack 10. And for as fully endowed as “Bacon’s Groove” is, that crackly snare seems a bit out of place.

But minor gripes aside, Quik still shows that he hasn’t lost it on The Midnight Life.

The curse of the classic album many times leaves artists always looking back on their greatest work, sometimes shunning it in fear of being labeled a one-trick pony, other times trying to recreate it over and over again. In either case, rarely does lightning strike twice and many are forced to face reality that their best work is behind them.

Diamond D’s 1992 classic debut, Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-hop is a timeless, perfect album that still sounds great to this day. He followed up with a second LP for Elektra in 1997, Hatred, Passions, and Infidelity, which was a worthy sequel despite it not receiving the same amount of critical praise from its audience. With a few smaller side projects here and there, Diamond has more or less disappeared, likely still cashing checks from his work on The Fugees The Score, which has sold 17 million (!) copies worldwide.

With The Diam Piece, Diamond D makes a proper return to the game, producing a Pete Rock-esque compilation album, featuring many of your favorite emcees from over the years. This is a different approach for Diamond, who early on designated “by far I’m the best producer on the mic,” leaving the mic duties largely to himself.

Upon the opening of the album’s first track, “Rap Life,” it feels like Diamond never left, with his booming voice echoing over vintage samples, yet now with Pharoahe Monch taking center stage. This vibe continues throughout the first half of the album, with strong tracks like “Where’s the Love” featuring Talib Kweli, Elzhi, and Skyzoo and “Its Nothin” with Fat Joe, Chi Ali, and Freddie Foxxx. The Diggin In The Crates sound stays strong on on many of the album’s tracks, with songs like “Only Way 2 Go” (feat. Pete Rock), “Vanity” (feat. Nottz) and “Pain” with A.G. and Chino XL.

For as many strong moments that the album carries, there is a fair amount of filler that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the record. “I Aint The One To Fuc Wit” with Scram Jones and “Ace Of Diamonds” with Masta Ace are hardly up to par with the rest of Diamond’s catalog. In other places, we find Diamond adapting to more modern styles of production, such as on the Black Rob hosted “Take Em Off Da Map” or The Alkaholiks’ featured “We Are The People Of The World,” also featuring Kurupt. While it’s understandable that Diamond wants to keep up with the trends to stay in business as a producer, it also goes against why we love his music in the first place.

Recorded over a period of three years it’s clear why this album has a bit of a disjointed sound, as The Diam Piece has moments we like, and moments we don’t. While it’s not necessarily the triumphant return to the game we were hoping for, we still welcome him with open arms.

The state of New York rap has been in flux. The birthplace of hip-hop once proudly laid claim to “hardcore hip-hop,” shunning commercial rap on many classic tracks. Competition in the game however led to that sound disappearing, with artists like Jay Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and Big Pun finding a way to toe the line between huge successful hits and street driven album cuts. Two decades after the Biggie blueprint was laid out on Ready To Die, we find many artists from the region adopting southern styles of rap, pandering to the hot sound of the moment, rather than sticking with the natural style of the Empire State.

Joell Ortiz’s House Slippers isn’t guilty of attempting to craft southern bounce tracks, but does its best to follow in the footsteps of the groundwork laid down those successful NYC rappers that came before. Coming from the Slaughterhouse crew of super-emcees, Joell is no slouch lyrically, as he proves all over this LP. He demonstrates this on introspective songs like “Q&A”, “Say Yes,” and the title track, “House Slippers.” These songs give a peek behind the curtain at Joell’s life, and are some of the strongest moments on the album. Meanwhile, cuts like “Dream On” and the Slaugherhouse party “Brothers Keeper” find Joell delivering his heaviest, most dense lyrical content.

However lyrical rappers like Joell have long had trouble making the transition to mainstream acceptance. Its clear that Joell is well aware of this, as he gives the old college try to a few potential crossover hits. However most of these miss the mark, progressively getting worse with each attempt. The B.o.B. featured “Music Saved My Life” comes off as cliché, sounding very much like something that would fit better on a Bobby Ray album. Songs like “Phone” and “Better Than” suffer from overly polished production, while “Candy” is over-the-top radio fodder that simply does not fit Ortiz.

We are far and away from ever returning to the unpolluted golden era sound of New York hip-hop, and unfortunately, House Slippers is proof of that. Its clear that there is no commercial value in the sound of yesterday, which forces rappers to sacrifice their core sound for success. That unfortunately makes albums like this one sound forced and unnatural. House Slippers has a few solid tracks, but doesn’t feel like we’re getting the real Joell Ortiz.

Queensbridge legend and one time member of The Firm, Cormega, returns with his first new album in several years, Mega Philosophy. Under the watchful eye of The Large Professor, whom produces the entire thing, Cormega’s latest is less about the struggle, and more about life lessons he’s learned throughout his time in the rap game.

There’s a fair amount of complaining from Mega on this release, as songs like the opening track, “A New Day Begins” and the brutally honest “Industry” examine how the music industry exploits the poor. Mega makes poignant observations on the latter, that will have you nodding and verbally agreeing with him like the most on point preacher’s sunday sermon.

“This is business, they don’t care about your lyrics / The better you sell, the better future for their children / Controversy sells so they support conflict / Makes more progress means more profit / And artists get killed they say they so sorry / Meanwhile they tell you the date of his next project / What a life, death made it more profit / Record companies get paid for your drama…”

These are the kind of lyrics record companies don’t want you to hear, and the kind that artists signed to them are too afraid to speak.

Mega definitely has some standout moments here in terms of collaborations, such as on “MARS (Dream Team)”, where “M.A.R.S.” is obviously an acronym for ‘Mega, AZ, Redman, and Styles P. It’s a random ass collection of rap legends crammed into one cut, but damn if they don’t sound fresh over Extra P’s production. Later on “Honorable”, Raekwon pops up, while “D.U. (Divine Unity)” finds Mega and Nature putting their past Firm-related beefs aside in a surprising, revealing collaboration.

But while Mega Philosophy has its strong points, it’s not without its weaknesses either. Both “Rise” and “More” suffer from paltry R&B hooks. Meanwhile, the production is more or less solid, but not compared to the mind-blowing, genre-defining tracks of Large Pro’s past.

Its nice to see Cormega back doing his thing, especially under the supervision of Large Professor. While by no means a classic, the perspective of artists like these is still much needed in this slowly dying art form.

Putting it down on the mixtape scene over the last five years, G-Eazy has carved out a name for himself with a series of six mixtape releases, his last being 2011′s critically acclaimed The Endless Summer. A white rapper from the Bay Area, G-Eazy doesn’t really sound like anyone else from region, yet wisely gets his ghetto report card stamped by E-40 on the catchy “Far Alone”, the second track on his major label debut, These Things Happen.

One look at the video for “I Mean It”, and heads will be reminded of Eminem’s early costume changing antics in the “My Name Is…” clip, yet despite his high pitched vocals, his critics have been drawing closer comparisons to Drake. He doesn’t sound like Drake, but his approach is similar, taking super-chilled out production, and rhyming about newfound stardom and the sex that comes with it.

“I Mean It”, with an infectious hook by Remo, is the song that will sell G-Eazy, much like it’s predecessor “Far Alone” helped build the album’s buzz. He makes no qualms about “fucking your bitch”, but there’s a certain confidence and hints of battle rap swagger here that shows he is a well rounded, skilled emcee. Yet this will ultimately be a hard sell to the old and jaded. But your kids’ll love it.

Despite the Drake comparisons, he actually does a great job of making a highly listenable album. Songs like “Opportunity Cost” and “Almost Famous” are well executed, as he explores the old “Mo’ Money, Mo Problems” adages, with precise skill and visually rich lyrics. Relationship talk is what much of the album is based around, as he blasts scenester chicks on “Downtown Love”, faces rejection on “Shoot Me Down”, and even samples Ginuwine on “Complete”. Yet he will have a hard time shaking the critics that suggest “Drake already did that with Aaliyah!”

It will undoubtedly be hard for older heads to relate to songs like “Tumblr Girls”, as this is clearly meant for a younger generation. And the album’s closing track, “Just Believe”, you can almost hear Drake singing in the background (is that a sample?).

However, G-Eazy is a smart, yet edgy emcee, and he isn’t afraid to reveal his vulnerabilities in his songs, without sounding soft. It’s clear he is influenced by the Em’s and Drake’s of the world, however once he finds his own signature sound, he could easily become one of the biggest mainstream emcees of the next generation.

From Run DMC’s Dookie ropes to Kanye West’s Horus piece, chains have always been essential part of Hip-Hop culture. But while anyone can rock some gold around their neck and think they’re as fly as Eric B and Rakim, medallions are only worthy of a chosen few. Over this Rocky-esque “Gonna Fly Now” beat from J. Cardim, “Medallion” has Fluent revealing the inner-workings of his hustler’s ambition from a hard working youth, to his surreal, lavish lifestyle. Coupled with a hook from Action Bronson, the track is an ode for those who are moving fast from the bottom to the top, a mentality that is frequently showcased on Fluent’s upcoming LP, Supreme Victory, which is produced entirely by J. Cardim. With appearances from Nipsey Hustle, Joe Budden and Guilty Simpson, Fluent is prepared to show and prove that he can last a full 12 rounds and come out victorious.

From VLADTV: “Lord Jamar sat down with VladTV once again and shared his take on Iggy Azalea’s success, saying the industry is pushing Iggy, much more than they push the typical new artist, because she’s pretty and white.

Jamar insists Iggy is being positioned to replace Nicki Minaj in Hip-Hop largely due to white privilege, but questions her authenticity as a rapper because she’s from Australia yet raps with a Southern American accent, saying she’s almost a caricature of a black MC.

Another femcee, Snow tha Product, was brought up in conversation, and Jamar says he knew three years ago that Iggy would be the one between the two to blow up first. When told that Snow is actually a good lyricist, Lord Jamar says he’s not surprised she hasn’t made it further because the game isn’t about skill anymore, but popularity and presentation.”

After recent successes with Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.a.a.d. city and Schoolboy Q’s Oxymoron, all eyes on are the TDE camp, and more specifically, Ab-Soul. Ab has been impatiently waiting to get his album out to the fans, even going as far as to tweet at his label publically that he wanted it out quickly, or he would just leak it himself. While Ab has since brushed it off as a joke, These Days… has finally hit store shelves, yet independently via the TDE banner, without the big Interscope backing.

The lack of Interscope resources does hinder the project a bit, in comparison to recent LP’s from his TDE peers. This is evident mainly in the production, which is lo-fi and low budget, as many of the producers are virtual unknowns, clearly using inexpensive equipment. So while Ab does not have the Dr. Dre’s or Pharrell’s of the industry found on recent releases from Kendrick and Q, he does make the most of it, with an imperfect, honest, and soulful LP.

Ab-Soul is a cool vocalist with a lot of pain behind his voice, which subtly manifests itself in his lyrics. Like on “God’s Reign” where he starts the verse with “My girl died and I lost my mind…” or on “Dub Sac”, where he casually mentions an attempt on his uncle’s life: “N***as chased my uncle there, through God’s grace the gun jammed /
I found comfort in this pleasure, meaning I slept the best through gun sounds.” It’s clear that these true life moments – along with his own physical handicap – have shaped him as both a man and an emcee.

His music takes on an almost hypnotic quality, as he plays with delivery, as well as hook and adlib placement, especially when paired with the album’s largely mellow, soulful, basement production. Tracks like “World Runners” and “Nevermind That” benefit from their Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross guest appearances, yet shine even before you realize they are included. The same can be said for the God’s Son inspired “Stigmata”, dealing with his stigmatism condition of almost blindness, and bonus, has one of the coldest verses from Action Bronson yet.

The best track here however is “Kendrick Lamar’s Interlude”, which features Ab and Kendrick spitting over a gorgeous, brooding, freestyle jazz session, reminiscent of something one might see in a 90′s Spike Lee film. Both emcees are equally yoked here, but the real show-stealer of this track is Terrace Martin, who goes nuts on the instrumental. An entire album of this kind of thing would kill.

These Days… is not without its faults, despite being an honest effort. The cloned DJ Mustard track (produced by DNYC3), “Twact”, is a poorly executed attempt at a club banger, and doesn’t fit with the rest of the album. Meanwhile, the repetitive J. Cole produced “Sapiosexual” fails to deliver on anything but monotony. The title track, “These Days…” (actually a part of “Just Have Fun”), has heart, but even Ab seems a bit embarrassed by adopting Migos’ delivery style on it, stating “I swear to god this is the only time I’m using this flow…”

These Days… is not a perfect album, and just may be the result of him wanting to bypass the major label system and get it to shelves as quickly as possible. While still a solid LP, what it really accomplishes is that it displays major potential for Ab-Soul to release something truly great and defining later down the line.

Legendary hip-hop group Souls of Mischief announce that they’re releasing a conceptual collaboration with renowned producer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge entitled There Is Only Now on Adrian’s newly launched record label, Linear Labs on August 26th, 2014. Inspired by a near-fatal incident involving group members A-Plus, Opio, Tajai, and Phesto early in their careers, the unique and cinematic crime tale creatively and expertly weaves stories of love, loss, and revenge throughout the entire album. Set in 1994, There is Only Now serves as a bookend to two decades of music since the release of their seminal debut album, ’93 Til Infinity.

There Is Only Now sees the Souls of Mischief crew members trading bars with a cast of hip-hop and soul luminaries. Narrated by A Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammed – as DJ for fictional local Oakland radio station K-NOW – the album’s story unfolds under his all-seeing eye. Busta Rhymes makes an appearance as the story’s villain, Womack, on “Womack’s Lament,” while William Hart of the legendary vocal soul group, The Delfonics, lends his buttery falsetto to the contemplative “Another Side of You.” Snoop Dogg drops knowledge on the situation between Stoney and Womack with an ice cold verse on the title track “There Is Only Now,” and Scarub from Living Legends goes in on “Stone Cold.”

Souls of Mischief and Adrian Younge have created a hip-hop album like no other. Recorded solely on 2″ analogue tape, using only acoustic live instrumentation played mostly by Adrian himself, and recorded together as a group in one room, the project boasts incredible dedication, discipline, and skill sets that few others in modern day can match. Adrian employed no computers, no drum sampling, and everything was recorded in one take. The result of a special moment for all involved, There Is Only Now proves that after two decades in the rap game hip-hop’s Fab Four remains committed to the expansion of their legacy as hip-hop innovators and pioneers.

Up and coming Venice Beach emcee Jokem delivers his Craftmatic EP, spitting over some Blueprint beats.

After the runaway success of Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, 50 Cent was championed as both a top selling artist, and an astute businessman. The Curtis Jackson brand took on a life of it’s own, and within the period of a decade, 50 had released an autobiographical novel, a collaborative chapter in Robert Greene’s 48 Laws Of Power series (The 50th Law), a feature film about his life, a video game, a headphone line, an energy drink, a clothing line, a record label, and most famously, the purchase, and then subsequent sale of Vitamin Water to The Coca Cola Company. It’s no surprise that his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition, begins with the lines, “I woke up this morning, this is insane / rich as a motherfucker, and ain’t much changed,” in a bored, cavalier drawl.

But as un-entertained as Fif sounds on the opening of the album, this is actually it’s strongest moment, as he breezes through the pared down, soulful Frank Dukes production, that is reminiscent of his earlier years. He’s able to tap into that classic New York street-hop sound again on tracks like “Pilot” or the anti-wimp anthem, “Irregular Heartbeat”, alongside Jadakiss and Kidd Kidd. The title track, “Animal Ambition” also stands out, despite his corny bulldog growls and pitched down vocals.

Much of the rest of the album is spent trying to recapture that “In Da Club”, “Disco Inferno” hit machine magic, but tracks like “Don’t Worry Bout It”, the “inspirational” “Winner’s Circle” or the Jake One helmed “I’m A Hustler” fail to hit the mark. Even the Dr. Dre produced “Smoke” sounds dated – like something from Jay Z’s Kingdom Come recording sessions – and is drowned out by Trey Songz incessant crooning.

Among the bonus tracks, there are few standout moments, such as the unique throwback to the Aftermath sound on “You Know”, or his collaboration with Schoolboy Q, “Flip On You”, the latter mostly due to it’s guest spot novelty.

Admittedly, this is one of 50′s better albums in recent years, which speaks loudly about his last couple of records. But the biggest problem? Five albums deep, we’re still hearing the same, tired themes. It’d be nice to hear him pull the curtain back on his personal life, or at least put his money where his mouth is, concerning all the beefs he’s started over the years, with some “Ether” style dis tracks.

His departure from Interscope (which ironically sees this album released independently, yet after Jimmy Iovine’s own exodus from the label to Apple) speaks loudly about his *actual* business acumen. With bridges burned behind him, the tactics of strongarming and courting controversy really begin to peel away the onion’s layers, suggesting that maybe this whole thing wasn’t all it was originally cracked up to be. Can’t say the man lacked ambition.

Coming from the Outdoorsmen camp, which also includes Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren builds upon an already solid underground fanbase with his latest release, Silk Pyramids, produced by legendary DITC beatsmith, Buckwild.

The state of New York street-hop has been in flux, as of late, as many artists from the city have chosen to ride with southern rap styles in an attempt to go mainstream. Both Meyhem Lauren and Action Bronson have done their best to keep the original boom-bap sound alive, and that comes through on the album’s opening cut, “100 MPH”, which features both artists. After that, its up to Meyhem to carry the torch solo, despite a few solid guest spots here and there.

As far as the production, those looking for a sequel to Celph Titled and Buckwild’s Nineteen Ninety Now will be sorely disappointed, as Buck leaves the echoing saxophones behind, for more modern styles of production. Well, maybe “modern” isn’t the best word; this is hardly Black Rob’s “Whoa”, its more akin to the D.I.T.C. 12″ era, on songs like “Love and Loyalty” or “Narcotics Anonymous”, which you can just hear Fat Joe or A.G. rhyming over, despite their absence.

While Meyhem does carry the trademark, off-the-wall sense of humor of his more successful bearded counterpart (his last album was called Mandatory Brunch Meetings. This one is called Silk Pyramids; think about that for a minute), he isn’t quite as compelling on the mic. Still, we do get moments of greatness here, such as on “Aztec Blue” (a flip of Doom’s “One Beer” sample by Cortex), where Hologram delivers some laugh out loud lines: “the only hashtags, the price of the hash, f*g / I sell your mother a bad bag / that skate out to Baghdad.” And who can be mad at a Thirstin Howl III guest spot on “Where The $ At”?

All in all, this is classically composed Q-Boro / Bronx bred street hop, but it doesn’t change the world or rewrite the rules of the genre. Considering that this type of music is an endangered species as it is, Silk Pyramids provides ample satisfaction, nonetheless.

Soul-baring honesty, upliftment, and introspective thoughts of isolation are at the forefront in LRG Clothing’s 3-song EP featuring Dizzy Wright and Bishop Nehru entitled BrILLiant Youth. Featuring full production from Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder, Las Vegas rapper Dizzy Wright and 17-year old New York rapper Bishop Nehru teamed up, creating the perfect trifecta to put their honesty and sentimental on display through an artistic storytelling approach.

Kicking off the EP with the opening verse on “Wreckin’ Crew,” Dizzy spits self assuring lines, “I’m not him, I’m not last, I’m not first,” asserting himself as young but serious emcee in the industry, with his own approach and identity. In the second track entitled “Isolation,” Bishop Nehru brings forth his own approach to the EP by rapping about embracing solitude. The third and final track on the EP ends with both Nehru and Dizzy coming together for the title track “BrILLiant Youth” where Dizzy repeats in the chorus, ” Tell them the youth need it/ Oh they want they want the truth/ I’m here for two reasons/ What’s that?/ Money and respect.”

Known for effortlessly switching gears, this EP comes on the heels of two solo party anthems he just released including, “Spark Up The Flame,” which he released yesterday and LRG-sponsored video “Reunite For the Night,” which was the second official single from highly acclaimed recently released State of Mind EP. Always staying busy, Dizzy’s year has been filled with the release of two EP’s, several loosies, a handful of videos, brand affiliations with CIVIL Clothing, LRG Clothing, and Scion, and more. Catch him on his State of Mind Tour, which kicks off next week.

New track possibly from Tyga’s upcoming LP, The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty. Damn he’s jacking both Jay Z The Dynasty: Roc La Familia & The Black Album, plus Rakim’s The 18th Letter with that album title.

Asher Roth fought long and hard to shed the frat boy image created by his debut single, “I Love College”. At the core of this artist is a backpack rap, lyrically driven hip-hop head, but you’d never know that from the way he was initially marketed. He did truly redeem himself on his 2012 Pabst and Jazz mixtape, which played solidly like an album, one too underground for the major label machine to market. After a relatively quiet 2013, Asher resurfaces with the cleverly titled Retro Hash, now sporting long braids and a curious change of wardrobe.

The exterior is not all that has changed with Asher, as his sound has too. He’s undergone a shift in sound and style, opting more for laid back, rock driven tracks that find him singing more than rapping. Make no mistake, his flow is still tight, such as on the very early 90′s Hiero-esque “Dude”, or on the album’s best track, “Something For Nothing”, where guest Coyle Girelli takes up the singing duties.

But the big problem with Retro Hash? Asher can’t sing, yet he tries incessantly. It’s not that he’s off key – he can hold a note without autotuning – its just that he’s no better than the average person, impressed by their own acoustics in the shower. Songs like “Pull It”, “Pot Of Gold” and “Fast Life” with Vic Mensa grate on the nerves, mainly because it just seems so unnatural. It’s as if the label again is stepping in and forcing him to reach out to that college demographic, yet he doesn’t really know how to, beyond bad making stoner rock.

The drums are still raw, but the album’s Hendrix-esque guitar licks are overbearing, coming off as a trite attempt at being something he really isn’t. It is clear that Ash wanted to step outside the box and do something different here, but in doing so he’s alienated the rest of his small, dedicated fanbase that actually cares. Puff, puff, pass.