With the M.I.C. (Make It Count) mixtape, the Detroit spitter is capitalizing on his new-found hype with a new collection of songs featuring his spitting crew (Tre Lil, T-Dot, Cutty Mack, Vicious, June). Consisting of about 15 tracks, the majority of the songs on this outing take the form of battle tracks with one or two concept cuts (“Brothers Keeper” and “On the Road”) generously thrown into the mix.

       On “Jump,” Nottz delivers a smooth, laid-back bounce accented with synth strings over which Royce lyrically roasts the ‘nads of wack emcees with darts like: “.Man please/ there’s niggas deceased/ coming with better throwaway rhymes than every one of your keep-ers.” His M.I.C. crew comes off better than average and gives decent performances on posse cuts like “Stand Up” and “Switch.” Thankfully, unlike other crews, (cough, DIP SET), where most of the soldiers sound just like their general, each member of Royce’s clique possesses a distinct, individual flow. The disc is rounded out nicely by straight-up mixtape joints like “52 bars” and “F*ck a Hook,” where Royce again spits highly-evolved battle lines over classic MC Lyte and Run DMC tracks.

     Even though shiny moments abound on this outing, M.I.C. still has the overall feeling of a randomly thrown together project, as opposed to a carefully crafted album. In other words, it’s a ‘mixtape,’ just like the title states. For those needing a Royce fix, there is more than enough on here to sate your craving, but the next full-length album from the D’s next Great Black Hype will surely be a masterpiece. 

    After the first listen of the album, it becomes immediately clear that the Uniondale crew is trying to tap in to that ill mid-nineties era of East Coast hip-hop that produced novocain joints like “Shook Ones,” “Glaciers of Ice,” “Protect Ya Neck” and “NY State of Mind.” That era when MPC60′s and jacked-up Casio’s were masterfully used  to create murky, street-corner heaters that had you feeling like Tony Montana when you bumped them in your headphones. UN or U Out features production by heavyweights from the aforementioned era like Pete Rock and Large Prof, and these vets don’t disappoint. The former shows that his skills haven’t slacked any by delivering two lethal tracks, “Avenue” and the chord-heavy “Ain’t No Thang,”- two bangin’ tracks that prove that all hip-hop beats don’t need sped-up vocal soul samples or Wurlitzer synth loops to be dope. Crew members, Roc Marciano and Mic Raw get busy on the production tip as well, with Marcy actually crafting one the album’s tightest cuts, “Mind Blowing. ”

     Lyrics and flow-wise, all four members get a passing grade, with Roc Marcy and Dino Brave coming off the nicest. The problem is that the subject matter of all four rappers never ventures out of the same rote street-rap topics (guns, drugs, chicks, money). The only track they do something different and mildly interesting is “Shakedown” on which they kick some story-type flows. Another minus for the crew is that at least three of the four members sound like their whole style was grafted from Rae in his Cuban Linx era. This might be a form of flattery to the portly Chef, but they’re going to have to find their own voices to really establish themselves in the game.

     All things said, the UN has crafted a solid album, especially on account of all the dope stripped-down, basement-style beats that are abundant on the disc. Their wordplay might need some work to really make them stand out, but that doesn’t stop this album from being an above par jump-off.

    Despair not, rap fiends, for Ghostface is back in true form with his Theodore crew (Trife Da God, Solomon Childs, Wiggs, Crime Life, Cappadonna), and they’re out to bring rap justice. After one listen to the album, it becomes painstakingly clear that 718 is the album that should have followed Supreme Clientele. The disc is a superb collection of heavy-metal rap beats, and grimy lyrical salvos that makes a mockery of almost all the underground and mainstream rap music currently in heavy rotation.

    Take for instance the opening cut, “Guerilla Hood,” a track that was originally slated for the Pretty Toney album. Ghost delivers another extra-terrestrial performance on this that points out once again why he exists on a whole other peninsula when it comes to “mc”-ing. Most members of the Theodore collective give solid performances, but the one that gets the most shine is Trife. On the knuckle-scraping “Who are We” featuring Atlanta’s own BoneCrusher, Trife shows he’s ready for the limelight with lethal tandem lines like: “It’s Trife the barbarian / quick to put your dogs to rest like veterinarians / Have them laying up somewhere in the Presbyterian /  Doctors putting air in him / They got his soul floating like he was high off helium.”

    In the same way the Supreme Clientele disc kept hitting you with brain-freezing joints one after the other like “One,” “Malcolm,” “Nutmeg,” so too does this album keep hitting you in the head with amazing, well-executed, songs like “Paychecks,” “Work,” and “Smith Brothers.” On this album, Ghost has no encumbrances like having that radio single featuring a Missy to lure in the ladies, this is an album strictly for the streets. You don’t dance to this, you lean back in your seat with some trees, and just feel it.

    The producers that handle the production (Emile, K-Def, Cilvaringz, Milestone, Dirty Dean) also deserve major props for providing worthy music that matches up to the intensity and accuracy of the verbal darts being thrown. Ultimately, the album proves that Ghost is best when he is complete soul-controller of his creations, and the exemplary end result speaks for itself. Go out and buy this album now.

      It might prove to be quite ominous that A Tribe Called Quest’s 1996 Beats, Rhymes and Life LP on which ‘Quence guested on six songs also happened to be the album that heralded the decline of the Quest triumvirate. Not that he was a jinx, but that unlucky streak may very well carry into Quence’s solo debut–his Kanye-affiliation notwithstanding. The problem with Con is that even though his rhyming skills and subject matter are above average, he just doesn’t possess the conviction and charisma that will make you want to listen to a full disc of his solo material. No one can really doubt Quence’s dedication to the art-form (after all, he’s been grindin’ it out in the game for a bullet now). 

     But it’s not all bad news though. On the tracks that other talented emcees share the mic duties, the end-products are quite spectacular. Take for instance the superb, high-hat inflected, head-bopper,  “Wack Niggas” produced by and featuring Kanye, along with Common and Talib Kweli. Common handles the opening verse on this and sets the bar so high that all the following rappers have to almost step out of themselves to even try and compete. Then there’s the freestyle joint “03 Till Infinity”, a remake of the classic Souls of Mischief song from ten years earlier. The Kon Man crew gets major props for reaching back in the day and unearthing a gem from an era when you could actually be a happy rapper and not have to hide it.. And of course, there’s the 9th Wonder produced “I See Now”, featuring Little Brother, which is just simply good vintage hip-hop.

     Consequence seems to have the same problem that other Queens emcees like Nature, and early-Cormega  did. Most of the ingredients are in place, there just needs to be more fire and ferocity added to the mix to glue it all together. A steady regimen of battles and ciphers with seasoned vets from now to the release his second album might just do the trick.

     The lines above from the classic ’94 album Illmatic served as the excellent introductory platform for Mega Montana to step up and get his own in the game. But even the co-signing from an established emcee, and in this case, arguably one of the best ever, can only take a rapper so far. Cormega has wisely done his part by taking the rock handed to him, and steadily honing his craft to the point where he’s currently set himself apart from the pack of other reality rap emcees scrambling for the spotlight.

      The new album, Legal Hustle presents the Queensbridge MC in the best form he’s ever been. Although he’s not quite spitting those “diamond-cut vocals that carve sculptures,” Mega is definitely repping better than the majority of rhymers out there. Cuts like the Ayatollah -produced ode to the old skool “Bring It Back” show just how sharp Mega’s skills have gotten, and also display his extensive knowledge of hip-hop’s foundation. Cormega also does a fine job of mixing fresh faces into the mix, both on production (Ax tha Bull) and on the microphone (Dona Montana) to create impressive results. Dona is the first signee to Cormega’s Legal Hustle imprint, and she definitely shows a lot of promise. The femcee sounds like a slowed-down Foxy Brown with a deeper voice, and she has a penchant for dropping poignant, heartfelt lines about the everyday ghetto struggle.

     But, it’s the high profile guest appearances that make this release solid. The reigning kings of heavy metal rap, M.O.P. back Mega up with seamless chemistry on the Emile-produced “Let It Go”, resulting in a knockin’, raucous bangfest. Ghostface Killah, probably the most consistent performer in the game right now, delivers another excellent frenetic-paced, crime narrative on the Feil Brothers-produced, “Tony/Montana”. The best collabo though is delivered on “Sugar Ray & Hearns”, a track that features fellow Queens native, Large Professor. Both MC’s sound greatly inspired on this one, and clocking in at an all-too-brief 1 minute and 24 seconds, another 16 bars by both rappers would have definitely been in order.

     The album was originally conceived to be a mixtape, and therein lies the major flaw in the album. There is definitely a lack of continuity and synergy between the 16 tracks on the LP, but there are enough quality joints on the LP to make this problem overlookable. All in all, Legal Hustle is a satisfying listen, and represents another major step forward in Cormega’s continuous evolution.

     The album starts off in a straight-up offensive blitz with the first 4 tracks showing the superb chemistry Yak and his DJ/producer Mondee have developed over the years. Tracks like the head-nodding, piano-laced “Giddy Up” and the syncopated string concoction of “Skywalker’s Here” prove without a doubt that Yak is definitely ready for the prime time. Yak’s wordplay isn’t exactly complex, but he comes strapped with trunk loads of braggadocios lyrics and shit-talking for anyone that wants some. And whatever he lacks in his content or subject matter, he makes up with the sheer fluidity and fury of his delivery. Mondee handles production for 13 of the 15 tracks on the album, and for the most part, he does a laudable job of whipping synth effects, bumping base lines, and Wu-reminiscent strings into some very dope beats. However, the LP does suffer a little bit from the lack of variety in production - this deficiency shows up most in the middle act of the disc with a grouping of about four cuts that tempt you to hit that forward button and hear what’s up next.

     The album picks up heat again in the third stanza starting with the title cut, “My Claim” which leads into two other aurally satisfying tracks “Moving On” and “Spy on You.” The LP’s crowning jewel however turns out to be the already released track “The Drill”. On this one, Mondee freaks a cascading bass line with sick-sounding strings and strategically placed bells to create an instant banger. Yak comes off especially nice on this track with verses that cover the entire scope from street epics to 9/11 nostalgia. Two members of the Weathermen crew show up on the album as well – Cage on “Pimped Out”, and Tame One on the DJ Mighty Mi  produced “O.D.E.”. Both guest emcees rip the microphone lovely and their appearances definitely enhance the overall quality of the album.

The Conspiracy mixtape released last year got heads buzzing about the Weathermen crew. My Claim is sure to take that buzz factor up a few more notches.