In The Deck

 This critic chronicles the Black Eyed Peas in two eras: "B.F." and "A.F.". "B.F." refers to the great era before Fergie, while "A.F." refers to...well you get the drift.  Granted their commercial success is attributed to Mrs. Fergie, a leftover from failed 90's pop group, Wild Orchid. Because of this, their hip-hop credibility has suffered significantly.  This is coming from a group that used to come out on stage with a live band and break dance throughout their entire show.  This isn’t a hater’s mentality; this is just the honest truth.

      So here it is 2009, the musical landscape has changed greatly from even four years ago when they dropped the ultra-commercially successful Monkey Business. So before you get started you have to ask yourself is this going to be the Behind The Front Peas or the Elephunk Peas. One might expect the latter, but The E.N.D. is neither. Will.I.Am and company have reinvented themselves to follow the trend that has already started in popular club music.  Out are the 75 BPM crunk cuts, in are the 128 BPM uptempo electro-tinged dance songs.  This is apparent by the first mega single “Boom Boom Pow”.  Usually Will handles the production on his own, but this time they are looking for a distinct sound, namely that of veteran house music producer David Guetta and Keith Harris, whom helped reinvent “The Girl is Mine” from MJ’s 25th Anniversary Thriller release.  So if you are looking for a hint of sampled soulful hip-hop, it’s not here.  But if you are looking for an album that nearly every song is playable at a party, you have come to the right place.

      The album starts with a monologue, which almost acts a disclaimer of what to expect. Here, it is stated that nothing stays the same, and everything is changes: therefore, welcome to The E.N.D. The main issue with this is the Peas are jumping on a train that has already left the station.  If this album would have dropped in '06, they might have been ahead of the curve, but instead this looked at more as jumping on the bandwagon. But enough of the diatribe let’s get to the music. 
 
    The album starts remarkably strong with every girl’s favorite “I’m so 2008 you’re so 2000 and late” banger “Boom Boom Pow” which segues into arguably the album's best track “Rock Your Body”, produced by David Guetta, which samples Rob Base's “It Takes Two”.  If this isn’t a single, the A&R on this project is deaf.  Flipping it up from high energy dance is “Meet Me Halfway”, where Will.I.Am dumbs down lyrically more than he ever has, but the Fergie hook sounds like Belinda Carlisle and will be total radio fodder.  “Imma Be” is a more uptempo “A Milli”, while “I Got a Feeling” is Guetta's “Love is Gone (Part 2)".  It sounds like a crazy Will.I.Am bite, but gets a pass because it is also produced by David Guetta. 
 
    The album continues with the autotuned “Alive”, then the booty call ode “Ring-A-Ling”, where Will poignantly raps “my phone goes ring-a-ling, a-ling, ling/ring-a-ling, a ling, ling/hello hello hello hello/the girls want ding-a-ling, a-ling, ling/ding-a-ling, a-ling, ling”. “Party All The Time”, “Out of My Head” and “Electric City” all follow the same formula: dance and party without a care in the world.  “Showdown” is the lone apl.de.ap production credit, and actually one of the album's strongest tracks. “Now Generation” is an attempt at indie rock, however comes off more like “My Sharona”, while “Rockin to The Beat” sounds like it should have been on Chromeo’s album. Not a bad thing, but once again....just a bandwagon jump two years too late. 
 
     As stated, there is nothing lyrical about The E.N.D., if anything it’s the E.N.D. of Black Eyed Peas giving a rat’s ass about hip-hop music. All in the Peas have created an album strictly for the clubs and the radio.  With some truly good songs and many forgettable uptempo fillers, The E.N.D. falls well short of a classic album. We applaud the attempt of stepping out of the box, but merely jumping on the bandwagon and exposing the brain dead public to what deejays, remixers, and club promoters have known for nearly three years isn’t innovative, it’s just recycled. - DG

     Before we talk about relapsing let's take a journey back to 1997. A little known freestyle emcee from Detroit is discovered after releasing an independent masterpiece called The Slim Shady EP.  To most, this emcee changed the game forever. Whether it was his intricate word play, his demented subject matter, or his all-around "I Just Don't Give a Fuck" attitude, a new breed of emcee was born. He hooks up with the most famous producer in history, and the book is written.  It's now been 9 years since Eminem has made anything worth writing about.  Sure, he had a couple albums in between The Marshall Mathers LP and Relapse, but let's be honest those where lackluster at best.

      So we pose the question, how does Relapse stand up in today's microwave EZ-bake rap landscape?  Not only does it stand up, but once again Eminem is at the top of his game, despite a few minor missteps.  Not only is this Eminem's first album in four years, but the album is completely produced by Dr. Dre (aside from "Beautiful").  Relapse starts with a skit that delves into what Eminem has been going through the last few years, with his  much publicized addiction issues, with him checking out of rehab. As the skit progresses, you can already tell this album will take a personal look at not only the emcee, but the man known as Marshall Mathers and the demons he faces.  "3am" opens the album on a dark note, with Eminem spitting raps about murder and drinking bath water filled with blood.  "My Mom" sounds like "What's the Difference Pt 2" with Em talking about a subject matter we have all heard before, his mom.  This time Em has related his mother's addiction to pills to his own, which leads us to further believe his mom may be the devil incarnate. 

    "I was born with a dick in my brain/yeah, fucked in the head/my stepfather said/I sucked in the bed" are Em's brilliant opening lines for "Insane" a song all about the incest from his step-father.  We all know Eminem is an outrageous emcee who can rap about anything and make it interesting to 90% of the brain dead public, but this topic is more disturbing than most and begs the question, did this really happen? Furthermore the song insinuates that his mother knew about what was happening and did nothing to stop it. 

    Up to this point Dr.  Dre's production has been far from impressive, sounding as if he grabbed what wasn't used for 2001 and sliding them to Em, until "Bagpipes from Baghdad".  The bagpipe sample is genius and Em going in on Mariah and Nick Cannon this song is one of the true gems of Relapse.  Dre comes through again with "Hello", Eminem snapping over a dope piano sample and a scratched chorus.  This is exactly what we were hoping for when we heard Dre and Em were in the studio together.  The track fits perfectly with Em's flow and Em's flows so nicely on the track.  Literally, this is the perfect combination.   Once again Em re-introduces Slim Shady back into the rap world, which once again makes the listener wonder, is he playing a character or did all these things he is talking about actually happen?  "Same Song and Dance" is a small twist and old subject matter.  This time putting Eminem in the mind of a serial killer who is picking up women and killing them.  It's not a random collection of ladies, its pop stars, like I said, new take on old subject matter.   

    With "Same Song and Dance" and the horrific single "We Made You", you start to get the feeling the LP is going downhill fast, but once again Eminem reinvents himself with "Medicine Ball" over what maybe the best beat on the album.  "Welcome to the Slim Shady Mecca Rebecca/It's a village in New York right next to the tribeca/it's my sector, homosexual dissector/come again rewind selecta/I said nice rectum/I had a vasectomy hector/so you can't get pregnant if I bi-sexually wreck ya".  Wordplay like this has been absent for so many years we forget that emcees used to be able to weave words in and out so effortlessly.  Even the over the top verse from the pseudo Christopher Reeves is outstanding.  In usual Eminem fashion there is a Paul Rosenberg skit where even Paul can't deal with the incest and Christopher Reeves subject matter. 

   "Stay Awake" has Eminem once again playing the role of a killer while "Old Time's Sake", which features a nice 16 by Dr. Dre (obviously written by Eminem) reminisces on the "early days". "Must be the Ganja" is a pointless ode to weed, which may garner new fans, but the 30-plus-crowd-with-jobs have heard this many times before. "Deja Vu" is an introspective song about Eminem's near overdose, and struggle with weight that came along with it.  Every verse dealing with a different addiction.  First overeating, next alcohol, and finally pain killers and sleeping pills.  The only non-Dr Dre production comes from Eminem himself on "Beautiful" which samples "Reaching Out" by Paul Rodgers.  "Beautiful" deals with the pressure of success and what it's like it's like to walk in his shoes.  Finally "Underground" is the raw, uncut, emcee we were all looking for over the last 4 years.  The minimalistic Dre production allows Eminem to snap on the track like it was 1997 all over again.

      Relapse isn't Eminem's best album, but it certainly his best since The Marshall Mathers LP, giving us a lot of hope for the future.  Eminem shows what is like to be a "sweet emcee from the 313", with all the ups and downs that go along with it.  "Relapse" is Eminem's most personal album to date - and the same time his most demented. Despite a few minor flaws, Relapse could one day be looked at as a classic. With Relapse 2 dropping in December (supposedly) this album should tide you over until the next chapter in the Eminem saga begins. - DG

    Busta Rhymes is an artist who has stood the test of time.  He was there in 1991 with Leaders of the New School, and in that same year for his break out appearance on A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario". He dropped his unmistakable classic The Coming in 1996 and so the story goes.  Busta has switched labels at least 4 times and still in 2009 is signed to a major and has the potential to put out solid music.

      Back on My B.S. can mean one of two things, either Busta is back to the "Woo Haa" or he is back to "I Know What You Want".   After digesting, the album it’s a little bit of both. The album starts very strong with the DJ Scratch produced "Wheel of Fortune" where the old Busta shines brightly as one of the most charismatic emcees in the game.  In typical major label fashion, the A&R missed the obvious single with "Give Em What They Asking For".  Ron Browz laces Busta with a banging track minus the overused auto tuned "Ether Boy" nonsense.  This is the "Ebonics" Browz we are all hoping for with club busting lyrics by Busta.  Danja synth drenched "Shoot for the Moon" is another club banger along with the Ty Fyffe single "Hustler’s Anthem '09"., where Busta makes even T-Pain sound good.  Obviously DJ Scratch hasn’t lost it on the boards which are apparent on the aforementioned "Wheel of Fortune" and "I’m A Go and Get My…" featuring comedian Mike Epps. Up to this point the album are all Busta Rhymes bangers.  This critic wasn’t a fan of "Arab Money", but it did have a large amount of commercial success, so we’ll let it go.

   With "We Want In", the album takes a turn for the worse.  Ron Browz goes back to his auto tune nonsense while Busta shows how little talent Flipmode has left.   Where is Rah Digga?  "We Miss You" produced by Needlez misses the mark badly and Akon and T.I. seem just more filler than stars on "Don’t Believe Em".   "Sugar" is a pseudo club track produced and featuring Jelly Roll and the Eurhythmics inspired "World Go Round" featuring Estelle is outdated and overdone. Mr. Porters "Decision" featuring an R&B who’s who alongside Common is the only saving grace of the latter half of the album. The I-Tunes exclusive bonus track, "If You Don’t Know Now you Know" featuring the always entertaining Big Tigger is sorely missed as one of the albums stand out tracks not on the retail version. 

      Back on My B.S. had potential, but once again falls short of a solid LP.  Busta has a knack for killing his guest appearances and jumping on unofficial remixes but can’t seem to find the formula to make a stellar album.  Perhaps if labels stopped trying to mimic what other artists are doing and let charismatic artists like Busta Rhymes do what they want to do we might see another classic.  Instead you have an album with some stand out tracks, but in the end very forgettable.  Thank goodness we have the DJ Scratch and Busta mixtape I Bullshit You Not to fill the gaps.  Combine the better moments from "B.S." and the majority of I Bullshit You Not and you just might have the classic that hip-hop fans so rightfully deserve. - DG

    The artist who on his third album, asked to be Accepted Eclectic, really meant it, as he has constantly rewritten the script for what is to be expected with each release. His classic debut, All Balls Don't Bounce, was a slept on magnum opus, followed by the ethereal concept album Book Of Human Language with producer Mumbles. He later went on to record with RJD2 for a couple of releases (Love & Hate, Magnificent City), and with his last album, Lightning Strikes, flipped the script completely, releasing a dancehall record with producer Bionik. Now, he's defied expectations again with Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones, a tribute to early Motown soul and doo wop.

     With the emergence of artists like Amy Winehouse and Gnarls Barkley, it's easy to see why Acey took this route for his latest LP. As an indie rapper without many crossover hits, you have to imagine it's probably hard to perform songs like “The Grandfather Clock”, as even the most rabid Project Blowed fan would be caught nodding off in the audience. Like Lightning Strikes before it, Acey taps an outside genre to make more “performance friendly” tracks, as pretty much anyone can latch on to a reggae beat or funky soul music. Teaming again with producer Bionik, Aceyalone and The Lonely Ones reinvent the hip-hop concept album.

    It's hard to say how this album will go over with the audience, however. Longtime fans of the Freestyle Fellowship frontman that have Mear One murals in their homes might be scratching their heads as to what Acey's motivations are behind this record. B-Boys and girls however will have no problem adapting to the uptempo, skull snapping drums of “Can't Hold Back” or “One On One”, as these tracks would mix right in with any classic 115 BPM hip-hop set (or classic breaks set, for that matter). Yet Acey goes beyond that, by emulating the more poppy aspects of the genre, channeling the early foundations of black rock & roll of the 1950's, on songs like sock-hopish “What It Is” and the boot camp inspired “Take It To The Top”. Both are very catchy and easy to dance to, but also evoke memories of Will Smith's “Switch”, which is probably not the comparison Acey was looking for. 

    But Acey makes no apologies for the brand of music found on this album, going in full force, without holding back. This statement couldn't be more truthful when he decides to take it back to the barbershop quartet sound on songs like the opener, “Lonely Ones” or “Step Up”, with out-of-time vocalist Treasure Davis, who plays her part perfectly as a sort of Chi-Lites'-esque singer. 

    While this project doesn't quite hit it out of the park, it's different and interesting enough to check out and enjoy. Some fans will absolutely love the end result, but others may receive it with a collective “ho-hum”. It's obvious he is having a great time, mixing the two genres together, and fans can rest assured that this isn't a permanent change (shit, unless it goes platinum), as Acey is just exploring different musical genres, much like he did on his last album. Producer Bionik captures the sound perfectly, and it will be interesting to see what they come up with next time around. But please, no country. - D.T. Swinga

   And we're back with another War Report update. Prohibition-Era-Meets-The-Taliban rappers known as Capone-N-Noreaga, are currently putting New York back on the map with their long awaited third studio release, Channel 10.

   A little older and a lot wiser, the two have a charismatic chemistry that can only be shared between brothers. CNN keeps it true to the bone, with their notorious hustle hard and dirty cocaine lyrics, but show a maturity in their music and personas that only experience in life can teach.

    "Stick Up," reminds you of why you first fell in love with street life. Capone-N-Noreaga are on a heist gone wrong and dealing with all of the downfalls that come with it. The Biggie-esc cell phone and response a'la, "Warning," has the two alternating positions in the forefront and in the background. "Mirror," is about self reflection. Looking in the mirror, CNN sees their younger, former selves. Products of their environment; the struggles that they experienced while growing up, turned them cold hearted and the hustler's life provided an escape. The counter reflections are older and have seen the error of their ways and no longer struggle as they once did. 

   "The Argument," is the highlight of the album. A tale of jealousy and mistrust, Capone-N-Noreaga confront their fallout. While Capone was incarcerated, Noreaga made moves to grow the CNN name and his own career. Spending habits and the fact that one still stays on the block, while the other wants to stay away, are only one of the many differences that erupted between the duo. Sideliners and record executives began to affect their partnership, turning brother against brother. In the end, Noreaga reminds Capone that the release of his first solo album, N.O.R.E. (1998 ), was created to blow the group up. In the end, they reunited and are down for one another, no matter what. 

   DJ Premier's production appearance on, "Grand Royal," is more than welcomed, with a hard-hitting piano and slice-n-dice turntable cuts. Additional guest appearances are made by Busta' Rhymes, Ron Brownz, Tha Dogg Pound, Maino, Uncle Murda, Mobb Deep, and the Clipse. 

    The overall motif of the album still has a dark and eerie feeling, with reminiscent Godfather styled violins and melodic harpsichords, but the crooned R&B styled hooks on tracks like, "Beef," give the album a newer edge, making it able to be played in the club, or out of one speaker on a boombox.

   Channel 10, is a personal album. It lets listeners gain greater insight on the personal relationship between the duo, while still staying stone cold QB super thugs. Capone-N-Noreaga have come a long way in their careers and friendship, but still remain two of QB's finest. - J. Miller-Dean

    Ten years after the release of Blackout!, Method Man and Redman are back with the sequel.  It's a little hard to understand why they've taken this long, because aside from Method Man's stint on HBO's The Wire, neither of them has done anything worthwhile since.  They had a TV show, the cleverly titled Method Man & Redman (remember that show?  Didn't think so.); they each released a couple forgettable--no, that's too generous, I should say barely noticeable--solo albums; and they've made a variety of appearances on some other nonsense. 

    The original Blackout! album was the perfect combination of two of the most magnetic flows in the business.  However, despite some magical moments of rewind-that-back brilliance early in their careers, neither MC has ever truly maximized his talents.  The Blackout! 2 is a prime example.  It's just blah.  It sounds like mostly retreads of previous songs from their previous albums that really weren't all that good to begin with.

    The first couple tracks ("I'm a Dope Ni**a" and "A-Yo") are a decent enough start--all we're really looking for here is a summer album, anyway.  Something to nod your head to and turn up loud while you drive around, right?  But the album isn't even worth that low standard.

    On "Dangerous Mcees," which sounds just like something off Redman's 1998 release Doc's Da Name 2000, the duo strangely talks as if they're representing the underground.  "I'm trying to stand on my own two/get signed to a major/be a franchise player/and get my own shoe," Method Man explains.  It's possible he's trying to give us some back story on his coming-of-age, but the man's been a household name since the early 1990s, so this seems kind of out place and irrelevant in 2009. 

    Songs like "Hey Zulu," "City Lights" and "A Lil' Bit" will be fine for the clubs.  They're standard issue, throw on a some innocuous thumping beat, give it the most simplistic hook you can come up with and drop some so-so rhymes over it, hip-hop songs.  Of course, we don't want anything deep from these guys, but they could at least do us the favor of not being generic. No such luck with Blackout! 2.  The only time they sound inspired is on the weed ode, "Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers."  Here the two trade witty, self-deprecating rhymes:

    Method Man: "Never thought that little bush in that baggy would have me hooked/I'm a pothead/everyone look/then point your fingers at the bad guy/with the cotton mouth and glass eyes." 

   Redman: "Find me drunk/fucked up/at the Cannabis Cup/...you smoke more than us, ni**a, it's beginner's luck."

    While marijuana anthems aren't very compelling at this point, it's no secret these guys have a passion for the substance, and it comes across in the music.  It's entertaining to hear Doc and Meth poke fun at their perpetually high selves.  It's one of the rare moments of, maybe not insight, but personality on this album.

    You have to realize something about Method Man and Redman: they're pushing 40!  Meth is 38, Redman is 39.  In hip hop years, they're old men.  We don't expect maturity from them, but how about a little wisdom?  Some wryness?  Something that tells me they've been around the block, seen it all, and can have a laugh about it in their old age.

   One of the best Redman lines is from the song "Whateva Man" off 1996's Muddy Waters when he said, "I smoked with a lot of college students/most of them wasn't graduating and they knew it!"  Such a great line.  With this one bit of anecdotal humor he paints an entirely animated picture of who he is as a person, the kind of crowd he hangs out with and his own short comings. However, there are few, if any, memorable lines on Blackout! 2.  And really, it's been so long since Blackout! 1 that maybe they should've come up with a completely new title.  Perhaps, Burnout! - Stefan Schumacher

   For the record, this head has been through Dallas and Austin, but never physically been to Houston. One would like to think that thanks to the UGK by way of Port Arthur, the Geto Boys, Z-Ro, Devin the Dude and Chamillionaire, one might feel at home there.  Sometimes artists find a way to perfectly represent their time and place.  Booker T and the MGs faithfully represented the soul of Memphis and Stax, or Wu-Tang ushering the sound of the streets in NYC.  This album sounds like a perfect collision of the voices and flow of Houston.  It’s not perfect but its safe to assume that Pimp C would be proud.

   This album has thirteen solid tracks and features nearly everyone that has a foot down in Houston today.  "Welcome to Houston" reels you in, with features from Cham, Bun B and Pimp C, Trae and Z-Ro and those are just some of the biggest hitters. Some people might complain about its length, as it clocks in close to nine minutes. But this song is an epic, meant as a slow motion soundtrack driving through a hot day in Houston or anywhere else where the sun hits hot, it’s has the biggest beat on the album meant to shoulder the massive voices of everyone involved.

   The album sounds cohesive as a whole, thanks to production coming from Mr. Lee for much of the album.  The album starts off with the title track, "Boss of all Bosses", which is no strange territory for Slim Thug.  Just in case you forgot he makes sure to establish he’s at the top of the order.  Slim Thug announces “I’m Back” soon afterward, with an assist from Devin the Dude, who sounds comfortable, if not a little bored over the synth underneath.  What should be an unfortunately poor imitation of Flo Rida’s 80’s pop sampling on “I Run” works surprisingly well, thanks both to the production and YelaWolf’s hook.

    If there’s another standout on this album it’s “Show Me Love” with a feature from Mannie Fresh.  The beat is summer music plain and simple.  The horns and bouncy groove are similar too a lot of Killer Mike records, but with a little less anger. "Smile", however, is hard to wrap your head around.  It’s a decent beat, but one that sounds a little too pop for Thug.  “Top Drop” is a perfect song for Slim Thug and a Paul Wall guest spot, as one can imagine a black and white, convertible heavy video, with slow motion camera pans focusing on the song’s namesake.

   While Slim Thug can definitely keep up the pace with his guest spots, he sounds less comfortable by himself.  He steps up his game when assisted by Bun B and Pimp C on "Leaning", but falls back on "Thug and My Bitch".  "Associates" features Z-Ro at his best and on "Hard", Slim Thug tries to keep his candle going against Scarface, but is thoroughly dominated (not that one would expect any less from Scarface).

    Boss of All Bosses is definitely bigger and better than might have been expected with Slim Thug now an independent.  He’s not only managed to make a quality follow up to his debut but he’s also managed to make a cohesive album that has a sound that couldn’t come from anywhere else.  More than that, he shows he has respect for everyone in Houston and they return the favor. - Dane Johnson

      Camp Lo is one of those groups that hip-hop heads hold near and dear.  Though they have not reached the success or solidarity of their debut album Uptown Saturday Night since it dropped, they continue to have put out solid hip-hop music for over a decade. Camp Lo had “swag” before swag was cool and had style way before Kanye. With their newest offering Stone and Rob Caught on Tape the question is whether or not they have remained true to their humble beginnings or fallen victim to the pressure to of the mainstream.

      Gucci Suede and Sonny Cheeba are what the today's budding rappers hope to be. They ooze funk and soul with the way they dress to how they rhyme.  The album starts with “2 Dope Booyz”  produced by new comer Apple Juice Kid, who has obviously been listening to new jacks like The Cool Kids production style and adapted.  Suede and Cheeba trade verses with a different voice inflection than what we are used to, which takes some getting used to. Though “Gotcha” and “Ticket 4 2” were both previously released they stand tall as two of the albums best tracks along with the Pete Rock and Styles P assisted “On Smash”.  Apple Juice Kid shows his diversity as a producer lifting an Arabian sample while each emcee shows why they still are relevant 10 years later.  “Ha” is reminiscent of “PSK (What Does It Mean)” with the same minimalist production as Gucci and Sonny reminisce on growing up in the Bronx.    Other stand outs include “Sky Hi” produced by Smoking Apples and “Regulate” featuring soulstress Yahzarah. 

      The album is not without its pitfalls.  Songs like “89 of Crimes”, “Pips”, and “After the Marv” just don’t seem to fit the fellas style.   They have abandoned the 70’s blaxploitation sampling that made Camp Lo so likeable for a generic keyboard sound.   You can’t necessarily blame Suede and Cheeba for this, but more producer Apple Juice Kid. This critic loves to see groups step out of the box for an album, but unfortunately it doesn’t work for Rob and Stone.  The album seems to have no real direction and the lack of cohesive production persuades you to skip to the tracks that fit the Camp Lo sound. 

    Rob and Stone is not one of the best Camp Lo albums, but it's good to see that the fellas haven’t given up like many of their colleagues from that era (anybody seen Cru?). Unfortunately however, this album goes in the pile of talented emcees that make forgettable albums.  - DG

    Ever wander through a record store, and all of a sudden a mysterious “new release” from your favorite artist catches your eye? Then, upon closer examination, you realize it’s not a new release from said artist, but something along the lines of A Bluegrass Jazz Tribute to Redman, with the word “Redman” in huge letters. Chances are, some of you’ve even been fooled into accidentally buying something like this, and getting home only to find pure disappointment, with the artist having nothing to do with the project, and most likely not even having any idea it exists. Fortunately, El Michel’s Affair Enter The 37th Chamber might seem like something along those lines at first glance, but in fact is completely the opposite. 

    Produced with the blessing of the Wu-Tang Clan, New York City funk outfit, El Michel’s Affair, has covered a handful of Wu classics, instrumental style. It all started in the underground funk 45 circuit, as the crew released big-hole 7inch singles featuring their renditions of songs like “Duel Of The Iron Mic” and “C.R.E.A.M.”, which did so well with the crate diggers that this full-length project was born. Later, El Michels Affair would come full circle, recording a “live remix” of Pete Rock’s “The PJ’s” with Raekwon himself, as well as backing up the Wu-Tang Clan during live performances.

    So a crappy cover album this ain’t. To lend more credibility to Leon Michels and his crew, it was he who produced the original horn section that Jay-Z sampled for “Roc Boys”, and they were commissioned for a remix of Amy Winehouse’s “Love Is A Losing Game”. The rest of the El Michels Affair is made up of members of today’s current funk revivalist scene, including muscians from The Dap Kings, Budos Band, and Antibalas. So yes, this is the real deal.

     Authenticity checks have cleared, but what makes this album so good? First and foremost, like Breakestra’s The Live Mix before it, El Michels Affair has reproduced a handful of dusty groove gems with today’s clean, studio sound. Make no mistake, it’s still raw – by no means did they try to make it sound “modern” – but instead, the sound is full and rich. Unlike Breakestra, however, the group isn’t looking to replay the original breaks, but instead the songs themselves. So “Duel Of The Iron Mic” for instance is exactly that – not a cover of David Porter “I’m Afraid The Masquerade Is Over”. Replayed pianos, moody violins, and of course the actual samples from Shogun Assassin playing over the top of it, making a beautiful new composition. “C.R.E.A.M.” is another lush production, expanding on the original, with reinterpreted Charmell snares and looming RZA basslines, not to mention that infectious piano loop – here played live, of course.  

    Listening to the original instrumentals by themselves might seem a little bare without the Wu’s colorful cast of characters on top of them, but it’s not the case with El Michel’s cover versions. “Can It Be So Simple” for instance, is executed so beautifully, that it evokes the emotional response of the original version and at the same time sounds completely original. In further brilliance, “Glaciers Of Ice” – one of RZA’s most off kilter, hardest-to-grab-onto-ever tracks is amazingly executed, as the crew’s new live rendition sounds less like a strangely chopped sample, but instead a fully realized deep funk song, with rolling guitar licks and that sneaky horn section. It’s original b-side, “Criminology” is another gush-worthy rendition, as its celebratory horns are played almost identical to the original, leading into an orgasmic xylophone driven breakdown. Yes, it’s that good.

     The album hops around different eras of the Wu-Tang Clan’s career, much of it spent on covering Enter The 36 Chambers. However, it also leaps forward into the future with more recent (well, not that recent) hits like “Chez Chez La Ghost” and “Pinky Ring”. Longtime fans of the Wu-Tang Clan, or anyone who was present during the first five albums of the Wu-Tang Saga will fall in love with this record. While El Michels Affair will probably venture into creating an LP of original songs next time around, we can still wish for a song-for-song re-imagining of Only Built For Cuban Links. – Pizzo

    With industry-wide record sales in the toilet, Del moved away from his Hieroglyphics imprint last year, and teamed up with one of the hottest underground labels in the biz, Definitive Jux, for the release of The Eleventh Hour. This seemed like a backpacker’s wet dream on paper – just imagine – the beats of El-P, RJD2, Blockhead, Aesop Rock, and the Def Jux allstars over the wacked out rhymes of Del. Unfortunately, what we got instead was an album marketed and released by Jux, but pretty much all handled by Del himself, with the exception of some help from J-Zone and A-Plus. Not to say that we don’t mind Del producing his own records, but given the fact that he’d done it so many times in the past, we hoped for something different, something bigger. The album moved a paltry 15,000 copies to date. (And you wonder why we’ve moved out of retail?)

    Well, this time around, we’re not sure what the intention is – certainly it’s not to make money off of record sales, as Del’s new project Funk Man: The Stimulus Package is a free, downloadable album. Not exactly something that’s going to stimulate the economy, nor does it come in any kind of “package”. But hey, it’s free. 

     “Funkman” is marketed as “7th Del album, back to the funk funk,” alluding to his first LP, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, which was less Hiero-inspired, but instead driven by the funk-driven production of Sir Jinx and executive produced by Del’s cousin, Ice Cube. Funkman however is not as blatantly funk-inspired as Del’s debut, however. While the album art features a George Clinton-esque style rendition of Del controlling his own mothership, he still remains as experimental as ever. Funk may be the source for his samples, but in many cases here you would not know it.

     Much of the LP finds Del musing on about the industry over varying styles of production. Both “And They Thought That Was Hell” and “Hardcore Punks Can’t Take It” are over almost Wu-Tang styled beats, as Del’s flow is as random as the beats themselves. The dirty “Straight From The Big Bad West Coast” is definitely one of the more funk influenced tracks, however is more El-P than it is Sir Jinx. Here, Del attacks the noisy track with what sounds like stream-of-consciousness freestyle rhymes, addressing the various factions in hip-hop and what role the West Coast plays at this point in the game. 

     This seemingly unrehearsed style rears its head in several places on the LP, many times sounding like Del is just making it up as he goes along, hopping on and off beat. Songs like “News Alert” and “King Of Fighters” sound like they had concepts when he set out to create them, but end up in the rap equivalent of run-on sentences that go on forever and never stop, despite whether or not Del is on beat, but he doesn’t seem to care,he just keeps going on and on without regard for a chorus or change in the beat pattern, dang this sentence is long. Yeah, kind of like that.   

     Looking back, Del used to make songs about things, such as “Dark Skinned Girls” or “Wrong Place”. These songs had topics, hooks and structure - even a beginning, middle, and end – and they helped him sell half a million records. Perhaps we are being too conventional, expecting Del to conform to the general idea of what a hip-hop song should sound like in 2009, but in the end, Del’s latest is too experimental for it’s own good. But hey, it’s free. – D.T. Swinga

Download: http://delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.com

      A few years ago, the phrase “Free Pimp C” was heard on numerous Southern rap songs and found on hundreds of bootleg t-shirts in the region, but today, it’s been altered to “R.I.P. Pimp C”, as the rapper was found dead in a hotel room, just under two years ago. Overdosing on a cough syrup – a substance Pimp C was known to drink recreationally – he and Bun B were halfway through recording this LP before his death. Hauntingly, the album begins with the voice of Pimp C saying “Back from the dead....we still U.G.K. for life.”

     Posthumous albums like this one always have the problem of not being seen through to completion as the artist fully intended, and after the success and equal critical acclaim of their last album, Underground Kingz, it’s understood that this would simply not be as strong. After all, the group saw their biggest single ever with the Outkast featured “International Players Anthem”, and had an LP that lived up to the strength of it’s single. But without Pimp C to complete this LP, it does feel somewhat unfinished at times. 

     It opens with the abrasively funky “Still On The Grind”, driven by a soulful hook from Raheem DeVaughn, obviously being one of the best tracks from these recording sessions. “Feelin’ You” is another well executed joint, featuring Pimp C in flexing his falsetto skills, while Bun B bounces effortlessly on top the track. Later we find some of the crew’s other longtime pals coming out to help flesh the record out, such as on “Steal Your Mind”, which reigns as one of the greatest player anthems ever, featuring both Snoop and Too Short over the sleaziest of guitar licks. Meanwhile, “Used To Be” is a rags-to-riches anthem featuring a welcome return for Eightball and MJG, and Bay representation from E-40 and B-Legit. 

   However, with Pimp C’s passing, there seems to be a wealth of songs here that may have instead ended up in the vaults, if Pimp were here to see it through to completion. For instance, “Everybody Wanna Ball”  opens with yet another play on the usual Pimp C line of “Smokin’ out, hoin’ up, puttin’ dick up in your slut!”, which has been used to death throughout the extent of his career. Songs like “Harry Asshole” find Pimp along with Lil’ Boosie and Webbie, in ultra-descriptive mode of a girl with a, you guessed it, do we really even need to continue? While a furry anus might be some guys’ idea of a good time, not this to critic. Another misstep is the Akon featured “Hard As Hell”, which features the soft-spoken singer waxing poetically about a very special girl “bendin’ over, spreadin’ eagle, all that ass in my faaaaace.” Despite the fact that this song sticks out like a sore thumb with Akon’s soft, adult contemporary radio approach, we’re not sure U.G.K. is going to win any Top 40 spins with such an up close and personal look at a stripper’s naughty parts. Epic fail. 

     The album closes as it opens, with the haunting “Da Game Been Good To Me”. Here, we find Pimp C ragging on washed up rappers that tried to go pop and failed, in a tale we’ve heard time and time again, over a mix of Spanish and spaghetti western guitars. The song takes on a whole different meaning in lieu of Pimp C’s death, however, and raises some questions. Had the game been good to him? He never became a rich, P. Diddy level rapper, and according to his lyrics, he moonlighted as a pimp on the block and on the ‘net. He was arrested on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, and died alone in a hotel room of a recreational cough syrup overdose. Had the game really been that good to him? While some might not see this as a path they would chose for their own lives, this was the life of Pimp C, a life he was completely content with, the life of an Underground King. Rest in peace. - Pizzo

    What can you say about Flo Rida? The kid has number one singles on nearly everything he touches and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.  To be honest this reviewer didn’t think we would hear from him again after Mail on Sunday. He has proven us all wrong by continuing to make hit records and finally showing he can do it without big name guest appearances.  So you ask, what does his new album R.O.O.T.S. have to offer? 

   You can skip “Finally Here”, but the second track, the Nelly Furtado featured banger “Jump”, is his next potential number one smash. From there the album carries on as a soundtrack to the club. “Gotta Get It (Dancer)” is an 80’s inspired freestyle joint with an auto-tune chorus that would make Roger Troutman proud.  The Jim Jonsin produced “Shone” featuring Pleasure P takes a down tempo turn, but Flo Rida maintains his double time flow that keeps the listener in tune.  The title track produced by new comer J Rock is a synth drenched club song that will keep your head nodding.  Much like “Love Hangover” from his previous album, the Ne-Yo assisted “Be On You” is Flo Rida’s ode to the ladies, while the Akon fueled “Available” let’s those same ladies know  that Flo Rida ain’t got no girlfriend either.  “Touch Me” lifts Benny Benassi’s house anthem “Satisfaction” for yet another club banger in the making.   The barrage continues with “Sugar” jacking Eiffel 65’s hit “Blue” with an equally hypnotizing chorus laid by Wynter. And of course, who can forget his current radio smash, "Right Round".

      The album is really quite solid for commercial rap music.   There are some minor pitfalls, like the Wyclef featured “Rewind” and “Never”, as both songs don’t fit the flow of the album.  The same can be said of the first track “Finally Here”, which merely sets the stage for the headlining acts. Lyrically, Flo Rida is not a genius, as the subject matter is pretty much girls, cars, clubs, and money, however he truly lives up to his name, with a cadence and delivery that can't be denied.

      Overall, R.O.O.T.S. (Route Of Overcoming the Struggle) is much of the same as Mail on Sunday, however this time it seems he honed his craft to chrun out more than just one "Low" style anthem. At the end of the day, Flo Rida is more or less a better than average rapper, rhyming over club friendly instrumentals.  The difference between Flo Rida and others in today’s landscape is that he can actually flow over nearly anything, which should give him the longevity that this critic didn’t think he would ever have. - DG

   Bob Dylan once said, “the times are a changing,’” and for the music business that couldn’t be more true.  With music becoming more accessible, it would only be natural for the expansion of different market bases.  With more people buying different kinds of music from different mediums, purchases will more than likely reflect the listener’s personal tastes.  This is relevant when it comes to Asher Roth.  Hailing from Morrisville, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia, Asher Roth led the life of the average suburban kid, one of a beer drinking, marijuana smoking slacker.  So it would only be fitting that the main focus of his music would be made for that audience.  Such is the case of Asleep in the Bread Aisle, a brilliant, but maybe too well niched manifesto of the All-American slacker.  

    There are many things that make this LP exceptional.  For one, the niche marketing for this project is highly impressive.  With the subject matter and his persona culminated with the marketing of artist primarily over the internet, from the very roots from which he began, was ingenious.  This is clearly seen on the lead single, the frat boy anthem “I Love College.”  On this track, Roth manages to visualize the college experience in the version of a wild night to some, but a normal one for him that involves his favorite past time, partying with friends, exemplified by that infectious hook we've all heard over and over again. Secondly, by primarily enlisting newcomer Oren Yoel with production responsibilities, Asleep in the Bread Aisle truly relates to its audience while blending well with the artist, mainly due to its heavy use of guitar riffs and distortion, something that is not seen that often in hip-hop.  This album also manages to show the diversity of subject matter while displaying Asher Roth’s lyrical skill.  On “La Di Da” a song about the pressures of trying to make it in the music industry and how to deal with it, Roth spits, “Every second is a blessing/Yes, it is precious, suggest you can all instant message/The impression when you’re finding your direction/ Then heading non-stop just to find that the road was blocked/You wanna pop/Flip your lid and stomp/But settle down and work it out is really all you got…” 

    Roth also manages to showcase his story telling ability with “His Story” in which he discusses the life and lost ambitions of a middle aged man and how he sees those dreams in his own children, all the while trying to keep his family and his own life together.  The album’s true highlight comes when Asher deals with an issue that he is surely going to have to deal with, the constant comparisons to Eminem.  He seems to deal with it well with the track “As I Em” featuring Chester French by stating, “And now the masses think that Asher wants to be a Marshall Matthers/They say, ‘Asher is not a rapper, nah, his ass is just an actor’/Cause we have the same complexion and a similar voice inflection/It’s easy to see the pieces and the reach for that connection…” possibly not alleviating the unwanted comparisons, but hopefully to make them less frequent.  But the special gift of the album is the fact that Asher Roth comes off as truly himself, not trying be anything more or less.  By someone who does not come from money or a fast life and is not trying to portray that life for the sake of selling albums, this brings a sense of humility or commonness to the album and a breath of fresh air to the world of hip–hop.

    The only issue with this album is that it might be too niche.  Basically, an album should appear to its base, but have the ability to appeal to those outside of it.  This mainly comes with the production, but maybe if two songs had been incorporated with some more traditional hip-hop elements then it would be just that more complete.  Overall, Asleep in the Bread Aisle is a great experience in suburbia told through the eyes of a slacker, humbly expressed and fundamentally excellent. - RH

   There is a thin line between fantasy and reality.  Where is the difference and in who’s mind and judgment constitute it? But if you believe it, wouldn’t that make it true?  This is the dilemma that seems to revolve around Rick Ross.  With his music depicting one way of life but accused of living another, how can one address this without losing “credibility?”  This seems like a difficult task, but Ross manages to weather it well with superior presence on Deeper Than Rap.

    There is no denying that Rick Ross possesses the presence of a boss, through his bravado and persona.  But what is notable is that he manages to step his game up lyrically.  This could possibly be attributed to his recent “beef” with 50 Cent as exemplified on several tracks, one of those being "Mafia Music".  Beautifully setting the tone for the album over the Inkredibles production and descriptive lyrics, Ross rhymes, “We steppin’ on your crew/’Til them mutha fuckers crushed/And making sweet love to every woman that you lust/I’d love to pay your bills, can’t wait to pay your rent/Curtis Jackson’s baby mama I ain’t asking for a cent/Burn the house down/Gotta buy another/Don’t forget the gas can, jealous, stupid mutha fucker/To another chapter/Paper that I capture/Caught up in the rapture of gun shots and laughter…” 

    But withstanding the battle, Ross makes his presence known whether it’s with the help of R&B artists John Legend and The Dream respectively on “Magnificent” and “All I Really Want”, describing fine living on “Yacht Club” ft. Magazeen and “Rich Off Cocaine”, or holding his own with two of the games top emcees on “Maybach Music II” ft. T-Pain, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne, undoubltably Ross personifies the ambiance of a Mafioso don while showing that he is up for any challenge that is thrown at him.

    The low point of the album comes in two phases, the first being that towards the middle of the LP, five of the songs truly take away from its quality.  The Robin Thicke featured “Lay Back” sounds like a hip-hop version of Usher’s “Love In This Club”, while the Foxy Brown assisted “Murder Mami” is plagued with a awful hook, “Gunplay” is just downright horrible, “Boss Lady” featuring Ne-Yo sounds forced and is somewhat redundant following the other R&B-esque tracks, and “Face” featuring Trina is irrelevant and would probably be better suited for her album.  But the biggest problem with Deeper Than Rap deals with unanswered questions and contradictions.  This is clearly evident with the recent accusations of Rick Ross working as a corrections officer.  He addresses this on “Valley of Death” by saying, “Call your boy a c.o./But if I really was/When all these niggas undercover fuckin’ niggas up/Keep it trill, a nigga never wore a gun and badge/Kept a nice watch, smokin’ on a hundred sack…” but then turns around and says, “Can’t criticize niggas tryin’ to get jobs/Better get smart, young brother live yours/Only live once and I got two kids/And for me to feed them I’ll get two gigs/I’ll shovel shit, I’ll c.o./So we can bow our heads and pray over the meatloaf…” adding to the contradiction at the very least of integrity and while leaving innuendos more ambiguous.  Lying deeper is the fact that has not really been addressed on his previous projects, how did he get to the status that he rhymes about?  It is as if a movie were to begin in the middle with no real explanation of its preceding events.  This would add to “credibility” and answer many questions that can make his music more relatable.

    Overall, Deeper Than Rap is a very solid album with lyrical growth and great production.  In addition, it proves that Rick Ross plans to have a long career in hip-hop, but in order to do that, one has to confront all challenges that come their way and not leave any stone unturned.  At the very least, Rick Ross shows that keep living his reality, but not disproving it as fantasy.  - RH

   By definition the term “Decalogue” refers to The Ten Commandments of the Bible.   Perhaps this is the reason why the highly anticipated Jedi Mind Trick beat smith’s debut album is a mere 10 tracks long. But in today’s hip-hop marketplace an album that is only 10 tracks needs to be considered a classic to be worth the consumer’s hard earned dollar. Does Decalogue make that grade?

   Leading off the album is Special Teamz alum Slaine on “Allison James”, a piano laced gem with some perfectly placed cuts by an unknown turntablist.  Saigon shows up for “When the Sun Goes Down” and continues to show why he is the realest pure emcee in the game, over a chopped vocal sample with snapping snares.  Newcomers Demoz, Des Devious assist former JMT member Jus Allah for “Evil Deeds” and North Carolina’s shining star Supastition does his thing on “The Truth”.   Stoupe shows not every track has to have the symphony dark feel, for “The Truth” he utilizes a sample that would make RZA dig in the crates for.  “That’s Me”, featuring the highly underrated Joell Ortiz, lifts a dope latin horn sample which conjures images of the late great Big Punisher. 

   Stoupe doesn’t disappoint with his signature sound on “The Torch” featuring the always animated King Magnetic alongside Reef The Lost Cauze.   “Speakeasy” is more of Stoupe’s classic boom bap style as is “Transition of Power” featuring M.O.P. (Side note, It’s great to hear M.O.P. over some dope production, maybe Babygrande can lure them over to the independent side of things). While Block McCloud makes a lackluster appearance on “Independence Day”, unknown Lorrie Doriza adds her soulful touch to “Find a Way”. 

      Normally we wouldn’t break down track by track, but at only 10 tracks this gives you an adequate picture of what the EP really is.   Stoupe is a great producer, and shows some growth on this outing.  Unfortunately just as you are being drawn in as a listener, the album is over. Perhaps this is just a preview of things to come, but it’s taken nearly 12 years for this producer to give us something that he can call his own.  We were just hoping for more. - DG

    Starring regularly on HBO's Entourage, being quoted in the Source Magazine without even having an album out, not to mention having two major label record deals with A-List producers like Mark Ronson and Just Blaze, you have to ask what went wrong with Saigon's career? He carries the resume of your average, highly marketable street rapper, with a drug-dealing past and prison time under his belt. With what sounds like a slimy A&R's dream come true, how did this man never release an album and end up a small digital music imprint like Amalgam Digital, after bouncing around from each Elektra, Atlantic, and Violator Records? Simple, he kept it too real. 

     In this day and age, with the music industry being less about album sales and more about disposable digital singles and ringtones, the era of the classic hip-hop album may be over. Saigon represents the last true New York emcee to graduate from the school of Biggie Smalls, and proves himself with his first full-length LP, All In A Days Work, produced by Statik Selektah, recorded in a span of twenty-four hours. 

    Bear in mind though, this is not the Yardfather's official debut – somewhere in the Atlantic Records archives (and on various torrent websites) is an incomplete version of his fittingly titled official debut, The Greatest Story Never Told, which to this day is still unreleased. Statik Selektah takes that into account with the album's first track, “To Be Told”, where Saigon hints that it is still coming over a vintage soul sample that appropriately sings “I've got a long time to go / I've got plenty stories to be told...”. This brand of soul sampled production propels the entire LP, allowing Statik to raid the crates without any regard for clearances. “So Cruel”, which Saigon dubs “I Ain't No Joke '09”, finds him spitting humorous freestyle rhymes over a bouncy, chopped horns and snapping drums. 

     Saigon offers his insights into the rap game on songs like the RJD2-esque “The Rules”, as well “Lady Sings The Blues”, where he spits a brilliantly penned verse about an artificial rapper who followed trends rather than being original. This story doesn't end like Blackalicious' “Deception (Don't Let Money Change Ya)” however; here, a disgruntled Saigon faces facts, the phony repertoire actually worked.  Again on “The Reason”, he offers his thoughts on how emcees of the eighties like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane were lambasted for selling out, but today that's the only way to succeed in the major label rap game. While Saigon's stick-to-ya-gunz mentality earns him props and helped him deliver an incredible LP with All In A Days Work, again this approach has ultimately proved as his undoing in the major market. He laments “They try to say the way the king gonna last / is to come out with a ringtone smash / Tell 'em kiss my ass / I got nothing but hit records in the stash / the game I don't respect it / give it an epitaph.”  

    While we've all heard suburban-bred indie acts spit similar feelings about the rap game, it's loaded with a ton more authenticity when these same sentiments are coming from a Brooklyn-based emcee like Saigon, especially coupled with Statik Selektah's soulful, classically styled production. Not having to worry about crafting any type of ringtone single for this small, indie release, Saigon has finally transcended the mixtape game and delivered what may be one day looked at as the classic that officially launched his career – or sadly, overlooked as just another blip on the radar. - Pizzo

   Although they saw the pinnacle of their success with their later singles “Watch Out Now” and “Off The Books”, most longtime fans of The Beatnuts will argue that the group was at its best during the Intoxicated Demons and Street Level era. During this period, which spanned 1992-1994, the 'Nuts released the aforementioned two classic releases, with one element that was absent from their other LP's – Kool Fashion. Fashion, who would later find Allah and embark on a solo career as Al' Tariq, left the group, while Psycho Les and Juju released consecutive LP's such as Stone Crazy and Musical Massacre. Hip-Hop changed drastically during that time period, but despite all of this, LP's from The Beatnuts (or Fashion himself, for that matter) lacked the classic sound of their first two releases. 

   Emerging almost twenty years after these recordings were released is the “new” Intoxicated Demos EP (read: “Demos”, not “Demons”), a vinyl only release (!) with a press run of 200 copies, sold online at exorbitant prices per unit (around $90 a copy), from mysterious label One Leg Up Records. Whether or not the artist is cut in here is unknown, but judging from the exclusivity of the material and high quality of the recordings, it's highly likely. This EP collects previously unreleased material from the Beatnuts archives, capturing those moments of their respective careers which is long gone. 

    The EP opens with “Snatch My Crops”, build around a Cypress Hill sample, over a typical sinister Beatnuts bassline, as each Fash, Juju, and Les spit their usual brand “bullet in the cunt” (actual quote) style of rhymes. Sample clearance may have killed this song back in 1992, and the same could be suspected for other tracks included here as well. While reportedly “Fashion Goes Off” was recorded before Black Sheep's “The Choice Is Yours”, it utilizes the same Sweet Linda Divine “I'll Say It Again” sample. The same could be hypothesized on “You Got My Back”, which uses the break from Ultramagnetic MC's mega-hit, “Poppa Large”, however Psycho Les quotes the actual song here, proving it was recorded later. Notably, he also flips Run DMC's “Sucker MC's” opening lines in their usual dirtbag style, bragging “two years ago, a hoe of mine, asked me do her in her hine...”. You can guess where it goes from here....

    Also included on this EP are a series of radio recordings, such as “DJ Red Alert Promo”, which is a short, glorified commercial for the legendary DJ's radio show, as well as the “Reign Of The Tec” single. Even though it was just a radio promo, it flawlessly captures that distinct sound that was only present on the group's first two releases. Meanwhile, “Catch A Little Wreck” is a freestyle session featuring the Nuts over a familiar, jazzy break (crate diggers, feel free to ID this), featuring Rob Swift on the cuts (here called DJ Swift) and the Lost Boyz looming in the background. Thankfully, no ad-libs from Freaky Tah, rest his soul. 

    Finally, we get a collection of original demo versions of songs that were released in other forms. “In My Room” is a demo version of the Chi Ali song of the same name, with Fashion ghost-spitting lyrics from the perspective of the then 14-year old, Native Tounge affiliate and future-murderer. “Do That” is another version of a Chi Ali song, however here it is intended as a Beatnuts song, with the group's usual brand of silliness and no ghost-written rhymes for Chi. Finally, we get a bonus alternate version of the group's famous single, “Props Over Here”, with different lyrics than the original version. 

    Is it worth spending almost a bill on? For the esteemed hip-hop archivist and vinyl enthusiast – yes; for the rest of the world – no. It may not hold the classic status that the group's two EP releases have had, but it definitely allows longtime fans an exclusive look into The Beatnuts creative process, and is in fact a lot better than much of the group's post Street Level material. - D.T. Swinga

   Let's get one thing straight: Jadakiss is not retiring.

   Yes, his new joint is called The Last Kiss. but it's not because he's thinking about leaving the rap game. Instead, he sees it as the final part of a trilogy (with 2001's Kiss Tha Game Goodbye and 2004's Kiss of Death), even if a label switch and delays have pushed it further away from the first two chapters.

    As part threes go, this one starts out in promising fashion. Jada comes out of the gate grimy on "Pain and Torture," then switches gears with a more radio-friendly cut called "Can't Stop Me" (produced by Neo Da Matrix).

    Since one of Jadakiss' strengths is his versatility, it's only right to hear him keep switching things up. Whether it's vowing to support a woman caught in a bad situation ("Smoking Gun"), explaining what he did to come up ("I Tried"), or calling out phonies and fakes ("Who's Real"), his flow works on just about any subject.

   Jada can do conscious too, as evidenced by his biggest hit ever, "Why?" This time it's "What If" that aims to make listeners think, but it doesn't quite soar to the same heights, even with a guest verse from Nas.

    Better things happen when Kiss teams up with other like-minded lyricists. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon are in classic form on "Cartel Gathering," helping paint ghetto mafia pictures like it was still the 90s. And "One More Step" is four-plus minutes of goodness with Jadakiss and Styles P trading verses and finishing each other's lines: "This is audio crack, guess who's cheffin' it?/Jadakiss and SP do this effortless./Gunplay make you do whatever son say./If the Lord send you a flight, ticket is one way."

    The good times don't run the whole way though all 18 tracks though, and it's in large part because the production is such a mixed bag. Getting signed to Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam gives you access to a lot of talented beatmakers, but using them all on one album isn't necessarily a good thing.

    That's the case here, as all the different sounds make The Last Kiss seem like a big collection of uneven singles instead of one tight project. Even big names like The Neptunes, who do "Rockin' With the Best" and "Stress Ya" (a song about girls wanting to be seen on blogs - what, no Twitter song?), don't really knock it out of the park.

    Fans have been waiting a long time for Jadakiss to live up to the anticipation that grew before he first started releasing solo material at the beginning of the decade. Even with this third record, he's still showing only tantalizing glimpses. But don't give up on him. He's not going anywhere, remember? - Nick Tylwalk

   The legendary D.I.T.C. crew is back and making moves like never before with their new release, The Movement. Lord Finesse, Party Arty, A.G., O.C. and Showbiz himself, are back in the basement and still diggin’ in the crates. With guest appearances by Brooklyn phenom, Joel Ortiz, Boss Money, and D-Flow, new flavor is added to an old favorite.
 
   Lyrically, the album is a reflection on past experiences and hard living. The ending track, “Experience,” is about going all out and living life to its fullest – kind of like James Cagney yelling, “Top of the world ma’” at the end of the movie, White Heat.
We all make decisions and mistakes, but it’s all in the experience and what we take from them.
 
    “Time Travel,” is a time-line [no pun intended] of D.IT.C. coming up from holding down corners and dodging incarcerations, to lining up some of the best emcees to be birthed by hip-hop and gaining hip-hop stardom. On, “Boys Doing it,” Boss Money carries his rhymes with a rough and experienced swagger. With an M.O.B., hard grinding, paper chase mentality, nothing else matters. Whether he’s hustling on the street, or rocking a show, the kid’s on point.

  On, “Air Yall,” Joel Ortiz raises interest, snapping in rhyme and spitting a frenzy of boastful, money-hungry battle raps. His style is refreshing and energetic, compared to the others lethargically-hazed execution and punch lines on previous tracks. 
 
  Lord Finesse laid back to focus on overseeing the production of the album, with beat making all-stars, E. Blaze and Drawzilla. The trio orchestrated a collage of smooth, rolling baselines, with choice samples like Boot Camp Clicks, “Headz Ain’t Ready,” and Nas’, “I Can,” cutting in the back ground. Feeling adventurous, they incorporated the use of manually played synthesizer lines to complement the 1-2-3, boom bap thunder claps of the MPC.
 
   Critiques fall on the production however, due to its simplicity and sole focus on traditional production development. It’s a given that Lord Finesse’s production and turntable skills are top notch, but after being in the game as long as he has, it’s expected for him to bring the fire. The stripped-down sounds come off as a disappointment in their lack of climax, variation, and overall predictability.
 
    Beats like these worked in the early and mid 90’s, but with all of the current production technology and experimentation currently wayfaring throughout music –not just in hip-hop –it’s a wonder why keyboard work on tracks like, “Shine My Way,” are comparable to a three year old banging on a toy piano. With in all intents and purposes, it’s contradictory to the flamboyant, NYC’s finest presence that the crew once oozed.
 
  Perhaps the D.I.T.C. members have reached a point in their respective careers where lyrics that bounce off of sound booth walls seem juvenile, but that’s the very element that made the crew so sensational. Bottom line, it feels like something is missing. Maybe it’s the fact that Big L., Party Arty, and Big Pun are no longer with us. Maybe it’s the fact that Fat Joe hardly appears on albums, but after being in the game as long as D.I.T.C., high standards need to be met. After all, they’re the ones that set them.  
  
    D.I.T.C. should be showing the new generation of emcees and producers what real hip-hop sounds like, by fusing the early 90’s style of emceeing, production, and turntablism with a new school twist, not pigeonholing themselves in the past. Call it hip-hop for the eclectic, The Movement, should be coped for the, “93’ til...” fans, and studied for the essence of lyricism, but unique it is not. Where’s Flow Joe when you need him? - Jarrod Miller-Dean

       Always a man of mystery, M.F. Doom has a long history of rhyming under different names and aliases, and subsequently releasing different albums with many different record labels. Having worked with many of the top indie imprints in the biz, including Fondle 'Em, Stones Throw, and Rhymesayers, this time Doom is found back at Lex Records, where he recorded his Danger Doom collaborative record with a mouse named Brian Burton. But there's no “Danger” this time around, or even an “M.F.”, he's simply just Doom, with Born Like This.    

    Changing the blueprint from album to album, Born Like This once again scraps any pre-concieved notions of what to expect from the record, by this time enlisting several different producers to help animate his unique rhyme style. While many of his other records have either been entirely produced by him, or collaborations with one producer (Danger Mouse, Madlib), this time the production palate is varied. He starts things off with a loose-knit Dilla tribute on “Gazzillion Ear”, a track that digs up three lost beats from the late producer, as Doom recites his lyrics as if Dilla is still here, catching himself mid-verse. Later, another Dilla “Donut” is employed, as “Lightworks” finally gets a fitting rhyme tribute, while Stones Throw frontman Madlib gets dark and jazzy on “Absolutely”, evoking early his Alkaholiks / Lootpack style. 

   While these collabos are to be expected, Doom breaks the mold a bit bringing some new artists into his world. The ties to Wu-Tang Clan get even tighter, as both Raekwon and Ghostface make appearances in separate places on the record with vivid tales of criminology on “Yessir” and “Angelz”. Underrated Seattle based producer Jake One also helps out with his brand of raw boom bap, as Doom weaves his usual style of cadence driven rhymes on each “Ballskin”, “Microwave Mayo”, “Rap Ambush” and “More Rhymin'. 

     The brooding “Cellz” is built around the album's title, which is derived from 60's era poet Charles Bukowski, as the poet himself reads pieces of his composition, setting up Doom's rhyme that builds upon the topic. On the lighter side of things, “Batty Boys” finds the Super-villain lambasting his homosexual superhero enemies, painting all-too-vivid pictures of the dynamic duo hand-cuffed to each other naked. While homophobia in hip-hop is nothing new, it was a bit surprising to find something like this on a 2009 release. 

     Other negatives on the album are instead owed to his collaborators. While Slug absolutely murders his verse on “Supervillainz”, Kurious does little to inspire any excitement for his forthcoming Doom-produced sophomore LP. Meanwhile, the random “Still Dope”, featuring a solo performance from Empress Starhh Tha Femcee, seems a bit out of place.

     There's no real method to Doom's  madness here, he is a natural at his craft. One can't really categorize the songs on this record, as this is the forgotten art of hip-hop in it's rawest form, and it's also good. One thing is for sure, this is what Doom was born to do. - D.T. Swinga

    If you’re from the Midwest, it’s not enough to have talent.  Your work won’t get seen, your work won’t get heard.  Not unless you’re willing to out-work, out-hustle and just make music so good it can’t be denied.  Not to say that everything coming out of the Heartland is A+, but once it makes it past the cornfields, chances are you’re not going to be hearing any second rate cousins and weed carriers of better MCs. Never Better is P.O.S.’s third album.  He was firmly entrenched as a quality MC with quality production by the time Audition came out in 2006, and has had 3 years to work on a follow up. In addition to working with his Doomtree crew, P.O.S. has kept the quality consistent with his latest entry.

      The first thing you’ll notice if you’re new to P.O.S. is the lack of DJ Premier copying or DJ Toomp biting beats.  P.O.S. grew up on punk and hip-hop, and influxes his beats with hard hitting drums, live band recordings and fuzzed out riffs.  What’s great about this all is that he manages to do it while avoiding comparisons to anything resembling the rap-rock mess that arrived in the late 90's.  The first two tracks, "Let it Rattle" and "Drum Roll" are appropriately titled and start the album hurtling into live, rapid motion.

      While the album has its louder tendencies it can hit on the soft spot as well.  "Purexed", "Optimist (We Are Not for Them)" and "Never Better" allow P.O.S. voice to shine over what is almost surprisingly melodic beats.  It makes for a good change of pace to the hardened fury of both his rhymes and the production on some of the rest of the album. 

      "Purexed", along with "Goodbye" are two of the album's sure-fire standouts.  Both songs are assertions of individuality and ideals, as P.O.S. puts it, "Yeah we do our own damn thing, we dont blink at what tomorrow might bring.” "Goodbye" has P.O.S. expressing his many frustrations wanting to live life one way, but fighting the limitations as lays down, “So many lives in so many lines waitin’, theres only so much time so many die patient.”

      "Been Afraid" is a solid track that conjures up a fog soaked dock at midnight, with heavy production for a dark story of domestic abuse. Meanwhile, "Low Light Low Life" is a solid piece of boom bap that would be home to any MC and is almost begging for a NYC team-up.  He showcases his rhymes on "Get Smokes", a beat that is almost absent, yet not necessary.

       Yet again, a Minnesota MC shows he’s capable of rhyming on the same stage with anyone from NYC, Atlanta or LA.  P.O.S has shown three years is too long of an absence for someone of his talents.  It will be interesting to see after taking a more rock oriented approach on this album than his last, how he will follow up Never Better. - Dane Johnson

    The female voice behind Timbaland's mega-hit, “The Way I Are” was a virtual unknown for the longest time, even in spite of the song's massive success. Starting out as a songwriter for artists like Ciara, Britney Spears, and Usher, Ms. Keri has been doing her thing behind the scenes for a minute now, even making cameos in Usher's “Love In This Club” and Ne-Yo's “Miss Independent” videos. But still, Keri's had a rocky start, with both of this LP's singles failing to chart, the first being “Energy”, followed by a “Promiscuous Girl”-esque deut with Timbaland called “Return The Favor”. Things were looking bleak, but just recently her collabo with Lil' Wayne and Pollow Da Don, “Turnin' Me On” finally broke through, paving the way for her solo LP, In A Perfect World.... 

    Backed by an all-star team of producers – including Timbaland, Pollow, and Danja – one might expect this LP to be an instant R&B classic, and at times, it certainly does deliver. From the hollow-bass and infectious hook of “Turnin' Me On” (not to mention a show stealing Lil' Wayne verse), to the aggressive no-scrubs-in-this-club anthem “Get Your Money Up” (feat. Keyshia Cole & Trina), things definitely start off on the right foot. Even the failed Timbaland single “Return The Favor” knocks to some degree, and the perfect ingredients of Kanye, Keri, and Ne-Yo on album's first ballad, “Knock You Down” doesn't hurt either.

    Sadly, all of the album's star-power is pushed up front, perhaps so folks wouldn't notice how quickly the rest of it falls off. A handful of similarly sounding slow-jams – including “Make Love”, “Slow Dance”, and “Tell Him The Truth” - plagues the middle of the record, with each track bleeding into the next, with Keri seemingly unaware as the listener slowly nods off. The requisite Akon collaboration, “Change Me”, along with the Timbaland produced “How Does It Feel” both attempt to reinvigorate the latter half of the record with some energy, but fail to do so. Speaking of “Energy”, that failed single towards the album's end takes on new life as a painful, symbolic reminder of why this album had such a hard time getting off the ground in the first place. Closing out with “Where Did He Go”, Keri's final statement leaves the listener bewildered wondering what happened here. None of this stuff is particularly bad, it's just so damn average. 

   The worst part of all of this is that since the album's release, Keri has already leaked out a few new tracks, which are certain to make the inevitable re-release of this album six months from now. Her latest remix of “Turnin' Me On” featuring T-Pain obliterates the original – something subsequent versions featuring T.I., Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, and others failed to do. The white-hot leak “Hey Girl” with T-Pain and Lil' Jon is an even bigger anomaly, as it sounds like it has the potential to be one of the biggest club songs of the year, but again missed the boat for the album's release.

   Keri Hilson is talented – there is no doubt about that – and she shines brightly with the right production and right collaborators – as was proven on “The Way I Are”, as well as In A Perfect World's first half. But with the current state of the music industry, it sounds as if the label wanted to strike while the iron was hot, shitting out this release as quickly as possible, to make sure they could capitalize of the success of “Turnin' Me On”. Hey, that's the name of the game, we understand – but unfortunately, perfection doesn't seem like it was part of the equation. - Pizzo

    A lot of rappers these days talk about “swagger”, as it seems to be the current buzz word in hip-hop, but how many of them really have it? Brother Ali rarely utters the word – in fact it probably hasn't even come out of his mouth – however he exudes it. His confidence comes out in both his stage show and his studio performances, despite having the physical abnormalities and handicaps of being a a legally blind albino. That being said, Brother Ali is “swagger” defined.

   With his new EP, The Truth Is Here, that level of confidence seeps through the music, even in this tightly knit appetizer to his forthcoming full-length LP due at the end of this year. It opens up with the aptly-titled “Real As Can Be”, driven by a slithery flute-loop, as Brother Ali explains what he has been up to over the last year. This song is the perfect re-introduction for Ali, as he vividly paints a portrait of his life on tour, remembering moments of meeting Rakim and Busy Bee. Every line is delivered in his trademark cool-as-a-cucumber style, matching the track perfectly. We also find him in this element later on the album on “Talkin' My Shit”, as he describes himself as “backpack rap's answer to Sam Kinison” and “Butterbean on crack”. Even in self-parody, he doesn't miss a beat.

   But Brother Ali doesn't spend all of his time waxing poetically about himself, most of his content is on the serious tip. Songs like “Philistine David” and “Palm The Joker” examine political injustices, while “Little Rodney” examines the youth's fascination with prison. Here, Ali comes off like a 90's Ice Cube, speaking from the perspective of the man in the song's title, explaining that it's actually not all that cool to go to jail just for bragging rights. As the album closes with “Begin Here”, we get a stripped down version of Ali, as he opens his soul to the fans examining his place and responsibility as an artist.

  While he may clown around a bit on something like “The Believers” with Slug, even when spitting brutally real game to a female (“Baby Don't Go”) we find Brother Ali is pretty much an open book. His Koran-thumping will annoy listeners that aren't members of his religion, however this is testament to his (hate-to-say-this-word) realness. Even in a post September 11^th America, Ali sticks to his guns despite his views being unpopular in the mainstream. But regardless of whatever political, religious background one might have, many will agree that Ali is crafting a brand of quality, honest hip-hop music that is seldom seen these days. The Truth Is Here couldn't be a more accurate declaration. - Pizzo

  Backed by the outstanding production of Peanut Butter Wolf and braggadocios rhymes to boot, since his 1998 debut Time Waits For No Man, Rasco has been emcee to watch.  Not only does he have a voice, flow and cadence unlike any other emcee, he has that uncompromising attitude that is so lacking in today’s hip-hop landscape.  Time Waits for No Man helped launch the beginning of the Stones Throw era that still reigns supreme in hip-hop today. Though he has never matched the raw, soulful vibe of Time Waits..., he still has put out  reletively solid LPs over the years. However, in this writer’s humble opinion Global Threat is the best album so far this year...and you can quote that.

    The version of the album reviewed here is the Japanese release, while the US retail version is still unreleased.  At review time, we did not have production credits, but frankly it doesn’t matter.  The album's production is so strong that the producer's names are irrelevant. It starts with the title track, “Global Threat”, where Rasco picks up right where Time Waits left off over an eerie violin sample and simple handclaps.  Production takes a backseat to Rasco who states quite simply “this here’s a classic”.  Speaking of which, “Classic”, is arguably the best track on the album - a DJ Premier-esque track that pays great homage to the man who made chopping an art form. From the scratched chorus to the ill bass line Rasco flows effortlessly over the track. 

   The album isn't short on quality collaborations either. Underground staple Supastition trades verses with Ras on “Southwest” calling out fake emcees in true battle style.  “Eyes Wide Shut” featuring soulstress Mary Jayne has that Beatnuts feel behind the boards, while Ras goes into storytelling mode and shows a different side. Planet Asia comes through for “That’s That Shit” reminiscent of “Likwidation”, while Royce Da 5’9 blesses “Who’s the Enemy”.  Relatively unknown Concise Kilgore was mistaken for Defari on “No Time” and rounding out the album is an ill rendition of “Classic” jacking the same sample Clark Kent used for “Guess Who’s Back” by Rakim 12 years earlier.

    The album is slightly more keyboarded out on the production side of things, but not enough to turn fans of more sample-based beats off. The only major drawback is the length, 21 tracks including interludes is a bit long to try to hold this A.D.D. generations attention, but if there is one underground album thus far that can do it’s Global Threat.   Rasco doesn’t deviate from his subject matter, but that’s why he continues to remain relevant 11 years after his debut.  Consistency pays off and this album will be one of the best albums most will never hear. - DG

  If there was a dollar floating around for every time a rapper changed his style upon tasting success or simply softened as the years rolled on, we probably wouldn't be hearing daily stories about recessions and bailouts right now. Fortunately for fans of Mobb Deep's Havoc, he's returned to the street-focused mentality of his Infamous days for his second solo album, Hidden Files.

   The word hidden could also apply to Havoc's profile in the current hip hop scene, as the Mobb hasn't had much in the way of official music released over the last five years. Havoc did take a stab at the solo spotlight with The Kush in 2007, but this disc is probably more in line with the original sensibility that the Queens native displayed back in the 90s.

  The production certainly takes listeners back a few years - and that's meant as a compliment. Though there are a few more layers to the sound now, Havoc still starts with a gritty foundation for most of his beats. He has a knack for finding unique drum and percussion sounds to add to the formula too, like the ones heard on "I Clap Em Up" and "That's My Word."

   On the mic, the best word to describe Havoc's style is workmanlike. He's not going to blow your mind with any ridiculous punchlines or leave you dazed by his cleverness, but he's been doing this a long time, and he doesn't make too many lyrical missteps.

   Just reading through the song titles lets you know Havoc isn't out to dazzle anyone with creative subject matter either, but the gunplay and street tales suit his direct approach to rhyming. The very first track, "Can't Get Touched," sets the tone with lines like: "Niggas want me contained, set up, framed/But hell what can I say the hood is rough terrain./But my mind is a Range as I whip through the game/Hail, sleet, snow or rain, it won't phase./So while you're on that corner smoked out getting blazed/I put the drop on them with that infrared ray."

   Since he was always overshadowed a bit lyrically by his partner Prodigy, it helps that Havoc keeps his list of collaborators short. He does get a nice guest verse from Cassidy on "You Treated Me," and longtime running mate Big Noyd lends a hand on "This is Where It's At." Mobb Deep reassembles for "On a Mission," which stands out as one of the album's highlights.

   All told, Hidden Files doesn't have many moments that will have you reaching for the repeat button, but it also won't have you skipping forward too often either. A solo Havoc may only be able to serve up a small portion of what made Mobb Deep so potent during their glory days, but even that little bit still tastes pretty good. - Nick Tylwalk

   Today's music fan believes that if artists truly want us to put down our hard-earned money for their products, they have to stop treating the music as disposable. But perhaps the other side of the argument can be presented instead: why should an artist put forth his or her best work on a project when music sales are rapidly declining each year? Case in point is Kool Keith, a trailblazing artist that has made his mark twice, first with the Ultramagnetic MC's, paving the way in the 80's for off the wall 90's emcees like Redman or Ghostface. Then, he did it again in the 90's as Dr. Octagon, influencing a second generation of weirdo rappers like M.F. Doom or Andre 3000, with his rap aliases and costumes. Entering his third decade of emceeing however, Keith seems worn out, and with his latest release, Tashan Dorrsett, his craft seems more like a job than an artform.  

    Tashan Dorrsett is yet another alias of Kool Keith's, and once again, this reviewer was fooled into listening to the album to see what the new character was all about. Unfortunately, this time around, there is no rhyme or reason to Keith's new identity, it simply just “is”. No back story, no album-long running sketch about the character, no costume, Kool Keith is simply rapping under a different name, but still agrees the industry is wack and that everything should be defecated upon. 

     Produced mainly by collaborator Junkaz Lou, the tracks do little to inspire Keith to break the mold or even to rhyme on beat, for that matter. Much of the album sounds as if Keith is freestyling, matching the experimental quality of the production, which also seems to play on in an aimless manner. Junk's tracks are sticky and sleazy – the type of beats you might expect from post Octagon-era Keith - however absolutely no new ground is broken here, unlike when guys like Dan The Automator and Kut Masta Kurt helped reinvent Keith's sound at the tale end of the 90's. 

    Particularly bad selections on this album include the Latin-flavored “La Cha Cha”, where Keith rhymes and sings over programmed samba drums and off key pianos; as well as the slow sticky funk of “Booty Clap”, complete with R&B hook (yes, really). Notable however is “Magnetic Junkadelic”, which invites Ultramag's Ced Gee back into the mix, but sadly fails to inspire. 

    Sure, Keith is still able to manage to get a few chuckles out of the listener, but the difference now is the passion for rhyming is simply gone. When he tore through “Poppa Large”, you could feel the passion in every line. When he blasted the industry on the Big Willie Smith EP, you could relate to his frustrations. When he did songs about sandwiches made of roaches and mice on Dr. Dooom, you wanted to eat them. Here, Keith simply seems like he is phoning it in, leaving little room for quality control, chalking it up as just another day at the office – and the pay sucks. - D.T. Swinga

     It has been a while since the R&B genre has seen a talent as impressive as The-Dream.  With intricate production and songwriting, Terius Nash comes off as a breath of fresh air in this post R. Kelly era. (Not disrespecting Kells, but he is obviously nowhere close to his zenith of the late 90s/Early 2000s)  Not only has he been successful with his own music, but also as the writer for many other talented artists.  So to follow up his first LP and outside ventures, The-Dream returns with the truly solid, but often predictable and safe Love vs. Money. 

    The album starts off strong out the gate with the first single "Rockin' That Thang" leading the way.  With its catchy lyrics and hypnotizing beat, The-Dream manages to capture one's imagination through great imagery that often strikes a chord with the listener.  He also manages to switch gears with the mid tempo Kanye West assisted "Walkin' on the Moon" and a strong duet that serves as the second single "My Love" featuring Mariah Carey.  But the crowning moment(s) of this album has to be the title track and its sequel.  "Love vs. Money" and "Love vs. Money Pt. 2' both take on the subject of one outweighing the other in a relationship, a brilliant concept that has not been done and is relatable to the point of views from which they are told.  In addition, Love vs. Money has great transition between tracks, not the typical fading in or out that one might be accustomed to hearing.  The production on here is not too bad as the Dream reconnects with his partner in crime Tricky Stewart for the majority of the album, which for the most part is impressive.

    Not that this album has many downsides, because it doesn't, but the ones that it does have are very distinguishable.  For one, the adlibs that are used are not only outdated, but are over used and at times are downright annoying ("Ay!").  In addition, even though the production is great, it does not stray away from the typical sound that we are used to hearing from this artist.  More specifically, even though the tracks "Put It Down" and "Sweat It Out" are decent songs, they essentially have the same chorus proving how the Dream has a hard time stepping out of his element.  In relation, the song "Take You Home to My Mama" just sounds forced and contrived, not fitting the overall feel of the album.

    Basically, Love vs. Money is a decent album, but it truly shows how comfortable The-Dream is with himself and success as an artist.  By not straying away from the same formula that got him to where he is can be viewed as smart to some, but it also can be seen as fear or content.  Every great artist has to take chances every now and then and The-Dream must decide if he just wants to be good or great.  That is what separates the mediocre from the legends, which he has the ability to become if he decides. - Ryan Harrison

    Most hip-hop fans out there, this one included, are too young to know the music of Nat King Cole, other than his most famous hit, "Unforgettable". As one of the most important and influential singers in the history of the United States, Cole was the first African-American to host a television variety show during the 1950's, collaborating with artists of the era, including Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte,  Ertha Kitt and others. Cole died of lung cancer in 1965. 

    So yeah, Cole never collaborated with Rick Ross or Lil' Wayne, so we can be sure that today's younger generation is completely in the dark on this – and to be fair, even the post-backpacker thirty-something's have little to reference either, as there wasn't exactly any SD50 or Showbiz remixes of Cole's music. But "Re:Generations" might just be the next best thing. Similar to other remix albums like Sergio Mendes' "Timeless" or Sly & The Family Stone's "Different Strokes By Different Folks", a handful of today's like-minded artists have reviewed, remixed, and re-imagined the songs of Nat King Cole. 

     So while Nat's daughter had already done justice to "Unforgettable" in 1991, the song is not touched here, nor are many of his other hit singles, such as "Smile", "If I May", or "A Blossom Fell". Instead, this album digs deeper into King's catalog, selecting many of his lesser-known compositions. Many of the usual suspects that are found on these types of albums are here, as well as a few new faces. Will.I.Am teams with Natalie Cole and the ghost of Nat for the sultry jazz sounds of "Straighten Up & Fly Right", while Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green creates a mostly instrumental rendition of  "Lush Life" around a haunting Nat vocal sample - one that would make Danger Mouse proud. Naturally, The Roots are also present, whom remix "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" in sort of a two-part edition, first with Nat's original vocal, followed by a darker interpretation by Black Thought. 

     A welcome surprise this time around is Nas, who teams with underrated producer Salaam Remi on the samba-tinged "Game Of Love", finding Nasir effortlessly riding the beat as if it was the latest club hit. Also perfectly executed is the Cut Chemist remix of "Day In Day Out", which finds the producer in hog-heaven, with probably some of the richest sample material he's ever got to play with. Here, Chemist goes buck wild, with layers of drum loops and breaks, as if he were crafting another "Swing Set" for Jurassic 5. But some of the best remixes here are not even by hip-hop producers, but by Latin artists like Brazilian Girls ("El Choclo") and Bebel Gilberto ("Brazillian Love Song"), both of whom match Cole's spicier selections nicely. 

    Not every remix is executed with such finesse however. Just Blaze's take on "Pick-Up" finds the producer crafting the track like a "Daily Operation" era Gang Starr track – which works on that level – but totally falls apart due to the obnoxious actresses that try to turn the song into a man-out-of-time culture clash skit. While the intent is understood, it almost comes off disrespectful to Nat King Cole, in a way. Also oddly included is the TV On The Radio cover of "Nature Boy". Sure, it's nice to see that Nat's influence has even penetrated the world of rock music, but we're just not sure how Nat sounds over a Trent Reznor-esque track (respectfully produced by David Andrew Sitek). 

    The only other real fault here was in some of the selections of artists. The inclusion of an unestablished new artist like Izza Kizza comes off as cheap record company politricks, considering he doesn't even have an album of his own to justify why he was able to share the mic with a legend like Cole. Furthermore, with such a huge influence that Nat has had on music in general, surely it would have made more sense to employ artists like DJ Premier, Guru, John Legend, Outkast, - people that have at least something close to the notoriety that Nat has in their respective genres / eras. Despite these minor missteps, for the most part, "Re: Generations" achieves success. The goal here was obviously to introduce the legendary sounds of Nat King Cole to today's generations, and with that they have succeeded in insuring that his music remains unforgettable. - Pizzo

   With The Takeover, the group's sixth album, the group has evolved yet again, with a sound that can be only described as their own. Without sounding forced, Zion I infuses their own style to mesh with today's sounds, whether employing 808 bass and screwed samples popular in the south of America (“Takeover”, “Country Baked Yams”), or with baile funk beats popular in South America (“DJ DJ”). Yes, producer Amp Live digs that deep.

   Not missing a beat, listening to the album throughout, most heads won't notice any drastic change-ups when these new styles are implemented, as they mix perfectly with the group's signature sound. Songs like “Antenna” and “Coastin'” are beautifully executed examples of their soulful, laidback style, just before they switch it up to channel Fela Kuti with tribal drums and horns-a-plenty on “Legacy”.

   Best of all, it's not just about the beats either. Zumbi tackles a wide variety of topics on the record, making this one of the most diverse records of the new year. “Peppermint Pattie” bangs with marching band drums as Zumbi tells the tale of an unfortunate drug addict, while “Bring In The Light” describes a possible future that finds an oil driven government running the world as the United States of Europe. Most impressive is the two part “Caged Bird”, where guest Brother Ali and Zumbi search for a better world.

   Once again, Zion I have churned out another rock solid release, going above and beyond the call of duty. In an industry where it's impossible to find a solid album anymore, it's nice to know that a group like Zion can still do so, and still manage to surprise us with their sixth album. - Pizzo

     Before the “Rap-Up” series, and even before touring with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Skillz aka Mad Skillz was a little known rapper From Where??? "where" being Virginia. His debut album in 1996 is one of hip-hop’s most slept on LPs.  Fusing clever word play with raw lyrics and banging boom bap beats has always been Skillz M.O. Fast forward to 1998, Skillz gains further notoriety on the underground classic “B-Boy Document” alongside The High and Mighty and Mos Def and drops one of the most talked about 12”s of the year in “Ghostwriter”.  Never revealing who he wrote for but further solidifying him as the emcee’s emcee.   Label woes and lackluster projects followed until he came up with the “Rap Up” in 2003 and the rest is history.  We look forward to his “Rap-Ups” every year, but where is that dope LP we are have all been waiting for?  

      Since music right now is in a down period during this first quarter, we at HHS decided to catch up on some things we, along with you as a reader might have missed. “Million Dollar Backpack” fits into the category.   Arguably one of the better LPs of 2008, sales were dismal, but who cares because the album wasn’t.  The album starts with “Intro”, stating what is in a backpack and taking subtle jabs as those who lived the backpack culture, but have since abandoned it.   Skillz has always been one to speak his mind about the state of the industry with no regard to what other emcees think.  Enlisting Jake One for “Where I Been”, Skillz lets everyone know exactly that, just where he has been. Nottz shows up for the Common infused, Dillaesqe “So Far So Good”, with great results. “Sick” is arguably the best track on the album, an electro-ish track by Kwame (yeah, that’s right Kwame). Lyrically this is what we want to hear from Skillz, with lines like “I was sick back in the day/when Kane gone Warm/before you had to have a dance to go with your song/I was sick when MC Hammer brought flare to his show/when Questlove was trying to get his hair to grow/I was sick before hip-hop was media’s property/when Lil Wayne used to say wobbity wobbity/and you, you never met a sicker emcee/with a flu there is no way you as sick as me”…wow!! 

    Skillz shows his softer side with the tribal “(For Real) He Don’t Own Me” with Bink on the boards.  “My Phone” is a song in the tradition of “Dreams” by the late great Biggie Smalls, where at the end Skillz has his phone ran over and loses all the chicks numbers, ends up being hilarious.  Black Thought makes and appearance over the live band production of “Hold Tight”, while Skillz reminisces on how it used to be on “Hip Hop Died”.

      Overall the album is a solid listen throughout, with some lulls along with way.  “Crazy World” is pointless in the flow of the album as is the keyboard driven “Yeah Ya Know it”.  With some small pitfalls Million Dollar Backpack further proves Skillz is one of the best to ever do it, despite the lack of props he gets. Whether he is ghostwriting for some of the biggest names in the game or dropping the always comical year-end “Rap-Ups”, he will always be an emcee tofollow. - DG

   Released from Def Jam, Budden is able to re-emerge on the scene independently, thanks to digital music imprint, Amalgam Digital for the release of his second LP, Padded Room. From the jump, Budden reminds us of who we are listening to on “Now I Lay”, regurgitating the hook from “Pump It Up”, letting us know what he's been up to for the last six years. Here, and in many other places on the LP, Budden speaks about three very important people in his life - he, himself, and him. Yes, Budden sees himself in a bit of a different light the the rest of us, as virtually every line on every song on this album features the words “me”, “myself”, or “I” - unless, of course, he's referring to himself in the third person, or talking about Prodigy (more on that in a minute). It's almost laughable the size of ego Budden carries around, considering his almost famous status.

   Budden bounces off the walls of his Padded Room, trying different styles on for size at various points on the album. Naturally we get a few poor attempts at crossover play (requisite for any hip-hop album these days), first with The Game featured “The Future”, laced with R&B hook and chants of “ay!”, which fails to accomplish it's intended goal. Later on “Adrenaline”, Budden attempts to “let it rock”, with live guitars and drums, but again failing to strike a chord. This forced attempt at trying to reach multiple audiences becomes even more transparent when followed by the criminally soft “Happy Holidays”, again aiming for some crossover play, but failing thanks to it's self-centered nature.

   Conceptually, Budden is also hit and miss. “In My Sleep” for instance, is a heavy-handed, confusing narrative about his dreams that seems to go on forever without any sort of meaning or payoff, just like an actual dream. He does redeem himself on “Pray For Me”, however, which finds the rapper having a conversation with God, making it one of the more interesting tracks on the album. But the album's shining moment is actually when Budden steps outside of his own shoes for 16 bars, and raps about someone else. “Blood On The Wall” is a blistering dis to Prodigy, where Budden truly gets in the pint-sized rapper's ass, bringing up a lot of valid points that many ex-fans of Mobb Deep will agree with.

   Too bad this is one of the only moments where Joe isn't rapping in the mirror on the album. Far from being wack, there isn't much on this LP that helps him shake the “average rapper” tag. Split personality disorder or not, Padded Room is an apt title for this LP, as Budden is trapped inside his own ego. - D.T. Swinga

    It all started with an Saturday Night Live sketch called “Lazy Sunday”, a hardcore 90's style gangster rap featuring a then unknown Andy Samberg along with Chris Parnell, who passionately rhymed about going to see The Chronicles Of Narnia in the theater. The trend continued, as Samberg and his Lonely Island comedy crew penned and performed additional parodies, such as the infamous “Dick In A Box” (featuring Justin Timberlake) or “Natalie's Rap”, where little Ms. Portman got hella gangsta with lines like “All the kids that look up to me can suck my dick!”. Three years and millions of viral video views later, the Lonely Island kids' dream has become fully realized, with a full-length album on Universal Records, including all of the classics and some new tracks as well. As an added bonus, the set also includes a DVD with many of the videos. 

    While most of the album's parodies lampoon hip-hop in it's many forms, it's not done in disrespect to the art form. Clearly these thirty-somethings were raised on classic hip-hop, as group's like N.W.A. and The Geto Boys are obviously the influences behind “Lazy Sunday” or “Natalie's Rap”, while songs like “I'm On A Boat” and “Santana DVX” actually tap guys like T-Pain, J-Zone, and E-40 to help out. However, they are also like most twenty-year hip-hop vets, and are jaded and disillusioned with the rapid decline in quality we've seen in the music over the last ten years. Songs like “Like A Boss” is an Office Space inspired thug rap that might make Rick Ross or Slim Thug angry, while “The Old Saloon” (produced by DJ Nu-Mark) hits the nail on the head of what is wrong with today's interpretation of the word “mixtape”.  

    Hip-Hop is not the only target however. As previously seen on SNL, “Jizz In My Pants” clearly mocks 80's synth pop groups like The Pet Shop Boys, or “Ras Trent”, a reggae song sung from the perspective of a Trustafundian rebel, actually produced by genre-leaders Sly & Robbie. The Jack Black featured “Sax Man” is also a hilarious rip on commercial jazz, as the Tenacious D frontman steps back into his element.

     Their sense of humor is completely out of this world – obviously drug inspired – as strange concepts like “Punch You In The Jeans” and “Space Olympics” seem to go off on weird tangents, not to mention their nutty origin story, “Incredibad”. While some of these things might be totally off the deep end – not really having a direct punchline, but just being silly - there's something to be said about Norah Jones  singing about Chex Mix in complete seriousness. (“Dreamgirl”).

    What really makes this package worth the purchase ($9.99 at Amazon) is the added DVD. Not only does it include the classic video shorts from SNL, but they are also uncensored, without the audience laughter. So no more low quality YouTube videos to suffer through, you can now pass the bong comfortably in your living room while rolling on the floor to the “Lazy Sunday” video in glorious 480p (it's not quite Blu-Ray, but hey). There are some curious exclusions on the DVD however. “Natalie's Rap” is not included for whatever reason, while a sample clearance issue killed the Adam Levine featured “Iran (So Far Away)”. The obviously too recent “I'm On A Boat” video is also missed, as is the Ludacris and T-Pain “Blizzard Man” sketch. Google it.

    Good comedy is hard to come by these days, as is good hip-hop. Thankfully this album gets one of those things correct, making the other irrelevant. Incredibad is the perfect title for The Lonely Island's debut – not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning, uh, incredible. - Pizzo

    Just who or what is N.A.S.A? That’s a question bound to be asked by many, once they see lineup included on the group’s debut album, The Spirit Of Apollo. The album boasts guest appearances from: Kanye West, M.I.A., Santogold, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kool Keith, Tom Waits, KRS-One, Jurassic 5, Z-Trip, DJ AM, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Del The Funky Homosapien, The Cool Kids, The Pharcyde, Sizzla, George Clinton, and at least half of the Wu-Tang Clan, among others. Just who are these guys that they can put together such an extensive (and expensive) guest list? 

     N.A.S.A. stands for North American South American, made up of two DJ/producers, one from each continent. Squeek E. Clean, aka Sam Spiegel, is brother to director Spike Jonez, however nepotism is not the reason for his success, as he has earned his stripes producing the Grammy nominated 2006 LP, Show Your Bones for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Meanwhile, DJ Zegon was a professional skater/deejay who by a chance meeting ended up as a member of million selling Brazilian rock-rap group Planet Hemp in the late 90’s. The N.A.S.A. project brings the two artists together, with the idea of crafting hip-hop songs built around Brazilian funk samples. 

    Compilation LP’s are a rare breed these days, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen something of this magnitude, so how does it hold up? On paper, given all of the parties involved, The Spirit Of Apollo should automatically be placed in the “can-do-no-wrong” category. Virtually everyone who appears on the record has a certified classic album (or three) on their resume, so naturally it would seem that this would be a recipe for success. However, the results are hit and miss. 

    When the album is good, it’s good. It starts off on the right note with “The People Tree”, as Chali 2na and Gifts Of Gab effortlessly flow over the funkiest of breaks, complete with hook from Talking Heads’ David Byrne and cuts from Z-Trip. This carries over into “Money”, also featuring Byrne and Z-Trip, as well as Chuck D and Seu Jorge offer their views on the root of all evil, of course over chopped Brazilian jazz. This combination of multi-genre artists works perfectly here, and in other places as well. What N.A.S.A. was going for is perfectly executed on the bluesy “Way Down”, where Barbie Hitch lends her smoky, sultry vocals, followed by RZA whom animates her pain with his own lyrical contribution. The same can be said for the more up-tempo “Strange Enough”, where a posthumous Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Fatlip compete over an otherwise run-of-the-mill track, but one brought to fruition by Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O’s twangy hook. “Gifted” is another natural collaboration, as Kanye West flows over electro-space funk, as twin hipster goddesses Santogold and Lykke Li harmonize the hook. 

    But for as many moments of excellence contained herein, there’s a sub-par selection to match it. For instance, KRS-One and The Pharcyde’s “Hip-Hop” couldn’t be more generic, which is completely ironic for a trio of artists that are rapping about the lost art of classic boom bap. The same can be said for “N.A.S.A. Music”, a commercially tinged collabo featuring a tag team of Method Man and E-40, which doesn’t stand as a good entry into either artist’s respective catalog. Later, Kool Keith teams up with Tom Waits for “Spacious Thoughts”, but little chemistry is felt as both artist’s seem to be off doing their own thing, unaware of the other guy in the booth.

   Much of the rest of the album isn’t bad, but not terribly ground breaking either. For such a groundbreaking record, “Whachadoin’” is hardly a stretch, as the Diplo posse of Santogold, M.I.A., and Spank Rock all collaborate together with predictable results. The same can be said for “Sambo Soul” which does little to reinvigorate the fading career of Del The Funky Homosapien, or the odd pairing of Ghostface, Scarface, The Cool Kids, and DJ AM on “The Mayor”. 

    Creating magic can’t be forced. Like pizza is good, chocolate is good, and so is sushi, but putting all three in a blender and expecting the best drink ever simply doesn’t work, even if Jesus is hitting “puree”. Without naming names, some of these guys’ time has clearly passed, not having a classic (or even good) record in the last five, ten, or twenty years, and unfortunately, that washed out sound of some of these aging artists rears it’s head on The Spirit Of Apollo. Huge dappers are due to the N.A.S.A. crew for creating such an ambitious project with so many of our all time favorite artists attached to it, despite the mixed results. - D.T. Swinga

    Madlib’s Beat Konducta series of instrumental albums began as a series of beat-tapes handed out to artists like De La Soul and Talib Kweli, and then soon ending up in the hands of fans. Given official release through Stones Throw, each volume has been released in pairs, with volumes 1 & 2 aka Movie Scenes built around obscure film score samples, and volumes 3 & 4 aka In India, sampling crate-dug breaks from a different continent entirely. With his latest fifth and sixth entries into the series, Madlib, along with partner J-Rocc, pay homage to the late great J. Dilla – who’s name mysteriously doesn’t appear in the title (perhaps due to legal reasons), A Tribute To….

    Many have paid their respects to J. Dilla since his passing, whether it be Busta Rhymes who released a series of unreleased collaborations via the internet, or The Roots, who closed out their 2006 Game Theory LP with “Can’t Stop This”, posthumously produced by the late great Jay Dee. Madlib has chosen to celebrate Dilla’s legacy with his new Beat Konductor instrumental release, a 42-track magnum opus created in the style of Donuts. 

    The album opens with “For My Mans (Prelude)”, a heartfelt tribute utilizing a classic Don Blackman sample, looping the lyrics “Since You Been Away So Long”, as a sampled narrator thanks Dilla for his contributions to music, perfectly capturing the sound of Jay Dee. Many other moments attempt to do the same, channeling different moments in his career, whether the Ummah era (“Floating Soul”), the Jaylib champion sound (“Dirty Hop”), or the blunted soul of Donuts (“Dillalade Ride”). All of this, is laid beneath the sampled adlibs of J. Dilla from earlier recording sessions, as Madlib does his best to carry the on the sound of James Yancey. 

     Later in the album, another familiar moment comes with “All Love (The Movement)”, last utilized on The Roots’ & Common’s “Act Too”, giving the sample a whole new meaning in light of Dilla’s passing. To the trained ear, there’s many more hidden homages to Dilla within the music, however most average listeners will not pick up on them. While done in the style of Donuts – a truly a fitting tribute – Beat Konducta 5 & 6 lacks the hypnotic rhythm of it’s inspiration. Donuts had a haunting method to it’s madness, which even to this day plays without missing a beat, embedded into the consciousness of hundreds of thousands of fans. While this release attempts to do that, its randomness never achieves the same result. Props are due to Madlib for paying tribute to his friend and collaborator, but ultimately this release proves there is only one J. Dilla. – D.T. Swinga 

    Ryan Leslie has remained behind the scenes for most of his career thus far, producing and writing tracks for numerous artists, including Beyonce, Britney Spears, Danity Kane, and most notably, acting as the brains behind Cassie’s breakthrough single, “Me & U”. He was supposed to drop his debut album, Just Right, in 2005, but the LP did not make it stateside, seeing only a European release. But last year he released a solid string of self-produced singles, including “Diamond Girl”, “Addiction”, and most recently “How It Was Supposed To Be”, making the worldwide release of his official self-titled debut inevitable.

      Each of his singles have been moderate radio hits, breaking the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, but still not crossing over into the pop genre. No matter, unlike most pop artists, Leslie writes and produces all of his music himself, right down to playing the instruments, mixing, and engineering the final product. Because of this, his self-titled debut gets a unified sound – something rare in R&B records these days.

     “Your Fly” is the first of the album’s new tracks, a breezy guitar driven track finding Leslie floating atop his own production with airy vocals, both sang and rapped. “Quicksand” sounds like the type of music N.E.R.D. should have made after “In Search Of…”, percussion packed beat, yet with more mature lyrical content than you might find from Pharrell and company. Also striking a chord here is “Out Of The Blue”, a heartfelt breakup song where Leslie turns the table on his ex. 

     However despite the LP’s strong singles and some solid performances within the album, surprisingly there’s more filler within the album’s short 12 track span than one might expect. Songs like “Valentine”, “Good To You”, and “Just Right” dabble in the realm of cliché, separating themselves from the rest of the LP’s more original sounding content. The album’s closer, “Gibberish”, is met with mixed results – it’s a pretty original idea, as Leslie takes a cue from Black Thought, creating a song where he “Don’t Say Nothin’”, however it’s hardly a poignant final statement from the artist. 

     Ryan Leslie has the potential to follow in the footsteps of say, a John Legend. He’s a highly original artist who creates all of his own music and has a unique sound compared to most everything else in the genre. Fittingly however, this album without a title sums up its main issue, that being a lack of substance. - Pizzo

    In history the fusing of two genres sometimes yields great results, i.e. Run DMC and Aerosmith and Jay-Z with Linkin Park. But to have something monumental come from this type of collaboration, all parties involved have to be fully committed.  There has been many times this just didn't work (anyone remember the Loud Rocks compilation?).  So once again it's on, pop rock superstars Maroon 5 have teamed up with some of hip-hop elites.  Call and Response has a new twist, as they also allow the house music producers to get in on the action.  The results are some classic reworks but also some fall-on-your-face flops.

      The album starts out with Swizz Beatz remixing "If I Never See Your Face Again".  Instead of coming up with something original, Swizz tweaks the "Peter Piper" break to make the song slightly clubbier.  This doesn't do a lot for this writer.  From here though, the album gets very interesting.  Mark Ronson's rendition of "Wake Up Call" features the Queen of R&B Soul, Mary J Blige.  With Ronson's chops and Mary's vocals this song goes from a 3 to 5.  Questlove of the Roots steps in to remix "Sunday Morning" which turns out to be the perfect marriage.  One of this writer's favorite original Maroon 5 tracks is "Make Me Wonder".  They enlist Just Blaze for the remix, but unfortunately he doesn't deliver.  Taking a track that was 115 bpm down to 86 bpm, drags down the energy, forcing you to hit the skip button. Tricky Stewart is next up to the plate with his synthed out version of Maroon's biggest hit "This Love".  This time a bpm change is a welcome change making this a perfect warm-up for any club DJ. 

    A slew of uninspired remixes ensue over the next 25 minutes which makes you almost switch CDs.  Pharrell, DJ Quik, David Banner and the Cool Kids all fail to top the originals.  Unknowns Bloodshy and Avant along with Of Montreal butcher "Little of Your Time", while indie rockers Deerhoof pull off a decent rendition of "Goodnight Goodnight" and while Tiesto makes "Not Falling Part" a great addition to a DJ's House set.  Ali Shaheed and Doc do a nice number on "Better that We Break", but the listener is left waiting and hoping that something classic comes from this album.  

    The wait ends with the DJ Premier Remix of "Secret", taking a mellow ballad to a certified boom bap classic.  This is exactly what any hip-hop fan was hoping for.  Premier's signature chops along with his scratches will have you anticipating the new album from Blaq Poet.  The Sam Ferrar Remix of "Woman" gives you that "Brown Sugar" feel while another "This Love" Remix by Cut Copy is more of just an instrumental house track than a remix.  To finish off the album Paul Oakenfold electrifies "If I Never See Your Face Again", but doesn't really stand out among anything else in that genre. 

      All in all would you say Call and Response a success?  This writer says yes, we saw producers step out of the comfort zone and deliver some really nice reworks.  While others we expected greatness from fell flat. If you aren't a Maroon 5 fan in the first place this album probably has no place in your library, but deejays and all around music fans will eat this up. - DG

    With the passing of J. Dilla, many of his peers, both from Detroit (Black Milk, Illa J, Dwele, Slum Village) and abroad (The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Madlib) have felt the need to carry on the sound of Jay Dee. Whether through the resurrection of unused beats, or by creating music with essentially the same sound, Dilla lives on as we enter the fourth year since his death. One group that shared close ties with the head Yancey boy was the Platinum Pied Pipers, made up of producer Waajeed and instrumentalist Saadiq. One might expect with their new album, Abundance, we’d find a big, Dilla-esque soul record, but once again, the duo has gone above and beyond the call of duty. 

   Comparisons are more likely to fall in the range of Gnarls Barkley, Mark Ronson, or even Outkast, as Abundance redefines PPP as a funk/soul band, creating throwback R&B jams with new vocalists such as Coultrain, Karma, and Jamila Raegan. You can ask “who?” all you want, but looking back at their 2005 debut will show the unveiling of previously unheard artists like Georgia Anne Muldrow and Tiombe Lockhart, among other established peers like Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Steve Spacek, and Dilla himself. 

    Abundance presents a much fuller sound than their previous works, as the duo teams to create tracks with live instrumentation rather than studio produced beats. Leading the pack here is male vocalist Coultrain, who kicks the album off with the rock & soul sounds “Angel”, obviously taking a page from Sly & The Family Stone with skull-snapping drums and sleazy guitar licks. Coultrain explores many different musical territories, with sticky space funk on “Ain’t No Ifs Or Maybes”, channeling Stevie on “Pigeon Hole”, and getting his Rico Suave Bossa Nova on with the Latin tinged “The Ghost Of Aveiro”. He also teams with Jamila Raegan for the exceptional “Sanctuary”, a lovelorn tune built upon a heavy string-section. 

     Jamila also chimes in for the Motown-means-mainstream-soul tune “Go, Go, Go”, but the other real standout talent here is fellow female vocalist Karma Stewart. Karma propels the album’s lead single, “On A Cloud”, a fitting up-tempo retro-soul cut that might make Amy Winehouse bat a fake eyelash. The Sa-Ra inspired “Luv Affair” also puts in her prime form, as she voyages over hard-hitting drums and melodic pianos buried in cosmic slop. Both Karma and Coultrain team up for a pair of songs with the swingy “Dirty Secrets” and the atmospheric “Rocket Science”. 

     PPP’s already flavorful musical palate now contains a wide variety of sounds thanks to the expanded arsenal of instrumentation found on Abundance. It’s not surprising to hear that each Cee-Lo, Estelle, and Mark Ronson protégé Daniel Merriweather have tapped Waajeed to produce tracks for them; that PPP branded Grammy can’t be too far behind.  - Pizzo

   Being a member of a critically acclaimed group, creating a hip-hop masterpiece, and then going on to produce for some of the most notable emcees to ever do it, Large Professor is a staple in the hip-hop community.  It can be argued that many opportunities were missed, Extra P still managed to keep himself relevant with solid projects.  It is unfortunate that it seems as if another missed opportunity has reared its ugly head with Main Source, a well produced album that falls short in the lyrical department. 

   Overall, the lyrics on this album seem outdated and it can be witnessed on predominately on every track.  This mainly comes in the form of delivery reinforced by making it seem as if Large Professor was rhyming in a time capsule.  Even though the lyrics and subject matter are old fashioned, the production is not.  Musically, this album can stand up to anything to date, but that cannot help it to prevail alone.  The best moments on the album comes when Jeru Tha Damaja, Lil Dap, and Big Noyd rhyme on solo tracks.  This only reinforces the idea that Large Professor is a better producer than emcee.

   Depending on how you look at it, this album can be a gift or a curse.  The sad part is that lyrically, it does not live up to what a famed emcee from the golden era of hip hop is capable of, but the production shows that Large Professor can grow well with time.  It is as if there are two Large Professors each moving in a different direction.  If both can get on the same path, maybe the next offering will be different. - RH

   Truly standing out as the late coming member of the acclaimed group Slum Village, Elzhi basically had the difficult task of filling the void left after J Dilla’s departure.  Well, with impressive talent through sharp lyricism, Elzhi lived up to the expectations set by wowing listeners on Slum Village projects, as well as guest appearances.  It was only a matter of time that he would receive the opportunity to display his gift and the time came with the release of his solo debut The Preface, a clinic of lyrical wizardry that at times overreaches for perfection.

   It is evident that Elzhi is a true lyricist as exemplified on the opening track “The Leak” with the artist giving you a “sneak peak” into his life that brilliantly sets up the album, consistent with the majority of the production done by Black Milk.  “Motown 25” is a thumping track that features fellow Detroit Native Royce Da 5’9”.  In fact, what is very interesting is how Elzhi manages to incorporate his fellow Mid West cohorts on songs like “Fire” featuring Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Fatt Father, Danny Brown, and Fat Ray, recruiting fellow Slum Village partner T3 on “Save Ya,” and “Yeah” featuring Phat Kat, all the while managing to hold his own and not drowned out by the solid guest appearances.

   Where the album seems to not live up to its potential is particularly the fault of the artist.  Elzhi has had a tendency to try and prove himself to be a lyricist when he really does not have to, because it is already evident.  This can be seen on “Guessing Game” a song to where the last word of the verse is changed, changing the meaning of the verse itself, leaving the listener trying to keep up and not able to just enjoy the music.  “Talking in My Sleep” is a track that deals with his inner thoughts, but comes off convoluted and at times simple rambling.  In addition, no matter how impressive, there are too many guest appearances for a debut LP.

   Overall, The Preface is a solid debut from a very good artist.  Elzhi proves that he can hold his own when it comes to a solo effort once again living up to expectations.  Minus its imprefections, The Preface just like its featured artist manages to get the job done. - RH

   The times are changing.  With the evolution of internet based music it seems that not only style and substance are enhancing, but just the overall approach to hip-hop in general.  Subject matter is starting to become more diverse while experimentation with production is being heavily explored.  So who are The Knux exactly?  Comprised of brothers Krispy Kream and Rah Al Millio, the Knux hail from New Orleans, whom now reside in Hollywood after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina and landing a deal with Shady Management.  Devoted students of the game, The Knux offer a unique form of expression as exemplified on Remind Me In 3 Days..., a voyage through a typical weekend in the land of stars that is entrenched in stellar production, but with its occasional stumbles, fails to live up to its potential. 

   The album offers a unique blend of rock, alternative, and hip-hop that sets itself apart from its peers.  “Shine Again” is a dark track that discusses love lost and lost paths in life that showcases the band’s ability to observantly rhyme about trials and tribulations or just about life itself.  “Life in a Cage (Electric)” is very reminiscent of mid 80’s rock mixed with precise scratching and electric melodies that make it a stand out on the LP, while “Hush” is an erotic guitar riffed headknodder that has the listener bouncing along with the each verse. Mainly Remind Me In 3 Days… is a splendid compilation of fused music that at times feels like a breath of fresh air.

   While most of the songs are lyrically sound, there are a few moments that hinder the albums achievements.  For example, Krispy Kream has a habit of mentioning his name on every track which after a while becomes annoying.  Not helping are the dated lines that are used with references to Bel Biv Davoe and the movie Face Off.  In addition, the song “Daddy’s Little Girl” is just plain horrible, but most of all, one would think that a group would be more introspective on their debut album and discuss more about their lives and more diverse subject matter, especially being affected by one of the most horrific natural disasters our country has ever seen.  

   Withstanding its shortcomings, Remind Me In 3 Days… is an impressive debut from a group that definitely has talent.  In no way should its mishaps have any impact on how one views their abilities, but with more structure and concise lyrics there is not telling what heights the Knux can achieve. - RH

     Freddie Foxxx (aka Bumpy Knuckles) is already a legend it most hip-hoppers minds. With the classic Industry Shakedown and the solid Konexion under his belt his place in hip-hop was solidified long ago.  Little did some know, Freddie Foxxx was around long before what some consider his debut album in 2000. In 1998 he was featured on the Gangstarr smash “The Militia”, before that he was featured on “M.U.G.” off of OC’s now classic “Jewelz”, but we are going to go even further back.  

    In 1990 Kool G Rap featured him on “Money in the Bank” from Wanted:  Dead or Alive and he was a key ingredient in BDP's Stop The Violence Movement. Though largely aloof, Freddie Foxxx should truly be considered one of the pioneers. While his style has changed slightly over the years, he has remained an emcee’s emcee, never compromising his style to sell records and always remaining true to the streets. The true introduction to the Freddie Foxxx came in 1989 on his debut album Freddie Foxxx is Here through MCA Records.  Rhyming much faster like Rakim circa “Follow The Leader”, this album solidified Foxxx as an up and comer to watch.  After the debut album, Foxxx parted ways with MCA and hooked up with Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit crew.  While anticipation was high for his sophomore effort Crazy Like a Foxxx, it never saw the light of day…until now.

      Fat Beats, in conjunction with Foxxx himself, together have now made the shelved album available to the public for the first time.   Copies were circulated in 1994 for promotional use, but this is the first time the general public is blessed with the album in its entirety.   If that’s not enough, you also get the “D.I.T.C. Version” of the album that the Flavor Unit turned down in 1993, which is entirely produced by the D.I.T.C. crew (Showbiz, Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Diamond D).   Any and all and hip-hop enthusiasts are urged to buy this album as a part of hip-hop history.  Much like KMD “Black Bastards” and J-Live “The Best Part”, this is another album that may have been a considered classic, had it just been given the chance to shine in it's original era.

         Production credits are unknown for the entire album and the sleeve doesn’t provide much information either. This writer has had the album since around 1997, but the quality of the re-release far surpasses any bootleg you may have heard from the past. There is a reason why Freddie Foxxx has been compared to Rakim, 2pac, and other revolutionary emcees. Each track is a vivid description of life in the early 90’s, over classic boom bap production that you simply don’t hear in 2009, and will most likely not hear again, due to the high price of clearing samples.  Two themes ring true through the entire LP, Foxxx is from the streets and knows how to hit them skins, these themes are apparent throughout the early to mid-nineties.  

    Foxxx spits that real street life mentality on songs like “Crazy Like a Foxxx” and “Jail House Rock”.  Nowadays, guest appearances are a must, but back in 1994 you had to have real respect for another emcee to let them get some shine on your album, which is reason only true emcees like Chuck D, Kool G Rap, and 2pac are able to bless a Bumpy Knuckles track.  That’s right 2pac, before all the drama with East vs. West and Death Row, Pac was revered by many New York emcees.  The 'Pac featured “Killa” isn’t some thrown together unused 2pac verse; this was when emcees stepped in the studio and tried to outdo each other.  Its tracks like these that make you truly miss hip-hop in its purest form.

      We need to all thank Fat Beats and Freddie Foxxx for finally letting us hear this would be classic.   Years from now people might look back, and perhaps Freddie Foxxx will get the credit he deserves. Until then, we anticipate Foxxx’s next endeavor Amerikkan Black Man, sometime hopefully in the near future. - DG

    As the story goes, Madlib impatient and wanting Doom to record new tracks for the official sequel to the 2005 classic, Madvillainy, went ahead and “reworked” the original album, with all new beats and skits. First released as an elaborate Stones Throw box set, this $125 package (yes, you read that correctly), included the CD, plus several trinkets and doodads, such as cassette and 7” versions, all packaged nicely in a fresh looking Jeff Jank designed ensemble. The other option was to purchase the not-so-beautiful, invisible version of the album in MP3 format, as currently no stand alone CD or vinyl editions are available. 

    You know the music industry is in bad shape when an ultimatum like this is presented to the listeners, leaving most to say to themselves, “fuck it”, and simply download the album for free, illegally. It’s not like anyone was going to buy a CD or vinyl in this day and age anyway though, right? Certainly the rush to grab the limited edition box set, as well as the “take-it-or-leave-it” digital edition made Stones Throw a comparable sum of money, making up for any losses they might have seen last year with the steady decline of their regular CD and vinyl sales. Despite the condition labels like Stones Throw are finding themselves in these days, if Madvillainy 2 had delivered musically like its predecessor, this wouldn’t look like such a (gorgeously packaged) money-grab. Hey, we don’t fault them for it, it is what it is.  

      As far as Madvillainy 2 is concerned, musically the biggest challenge it faces, is being compared to its predecessor, Madvillainy. An underground classic in it’s own right, this was a collaboration between super-producer Madlib and super-villain MF Doom, hence the name. The chemistry between the two was perfect, sewn together with obscure samples from Fantastic Four records of the 1970’s, carrying the album’s theme on perfectly. Based on it’s sound, it’s evident Doom picked his favorite beats from Madlib’s masters, and magic was made. 

     Madvillany 2 however, is a bit of a misleading title, as a more appropriate title may have been Madvillany 1.5, as this isn’t exactly a “part two”, but instead a remix album. Secondly, while Doom’s vocals are present, this is not exactly collaboration between two artists, but one artist remixing another’s vocals, so even the Madvillain part of the title is a little nervous. It’s unclear what kind of creative input Doom may have had here, if any, but the production here sounds much more like a Quasimoto LP than a Madvillain sequel. Gone are the appropriate Marvel Comics read-a-long record samples, instead replaced with a random assortment of Redd Foxx bits and vintage British cult films, having little to do with Doom’s subject matter. Clearly Madlib has taken the front seat here, allowing skits and instrumentals to ramble on for minutes at a time, leaving the listeners wondering where Doom’s at. 

     Further misleading is that all of the song titles have been changed, or altered in some way. For example, “Curls” is now “Pearls”, “Figaro” is now “No Brain”, etc. We suppose this can be justified in the interest of artistic vision, since the song structure and track order of the original LP has been completely reworked. But again, we feel bad for the kid who leapt and spent $125 on Madvillainy 2 without reading the fine print (“this is the remix”). Well shit, if he has that kind of money to burn, we don’t feel that bad for him.

     The biggest issue with all of this though is in the production itself. Madlib has a few fresh remixes here, “Bolder Holder” (aka “Money Folder”), for instance, maintains it’s original integrity as Madlib flips an(other) old jazz standard. But the difference in quality is evident when fish-out-of-water Madlib remix of “Space Hos” (from Danger Doom) presents a much fuller sound and style more akin to Doom’s liking than anything else on the album. Reason being, this song was remixed two years ago and previously released. When compared to much of the album’s other newer lo-fi, experimental renditions, it sticks out like a (really dope) sore thumb. Meanwhile, a couple of leftover collabos not included on the original Madvillainy, such as “Monkey Suite” and “One Beer” (now “Cold One”) also resurface here, which sort of help make this sound like an official sequel, but not enough. 

    It’s clear that with the passing of J. Dilla that Madlib has felt the need to help carry the torch for the sound Dilla established with Donuts, and that off-kilter style is manifesting itself in the production on Madvillainy 2. Unfortunately, this style of production doesn’t fit Doom quite as well as it does, say, Quasimoto, and coupled with these old verses, the result is a disappointing sequel. We totally get the science behind Madvillainy 2’s release, all of it speaks loud and clear to the listeners, many whom have stopped supporting Stones Throw all together by not purchasing music legally. While this release sort of forced the hand of people who hadn’t paid for music in over a year, ultimately it’s bittersweet. Everything about Madvillainy 2 – the price, the availability, and the quality of the music itself – is unfortunately a result of the music industry’s current battle. – D.T. Swinga

   With all the fanfare about Notorious - the film documenting the life of the late great Notorious B.I.G - this soundtrack had a lot to live up to.   Unfortunately they took the easy route and just put all the classic Biggie tracks together (again) with a few additions, and packaged it, ready to sell. This isn’t a bad thing by any means, but as a hip-hop head, when paying homage to someone like Biggie, it might have been nice to see something more monumental.  

      By not seeing the movie yet, some of the choices of songs this writer doesn’t necessarily agree with, especially with the omission of “Going Back Cali”.   The other discrepancy is that the soundtrack doesn’t go in chronological order, instead starts with “Notorious Thugs”, which wasn’t a single and we can’t say it was that big of a hit in the mainstream. The soundtrack continues with “Hypnotize”, “Notorious B.I.G.”, “Juicy” and then finally coming to what brought B.I.G. on to the scene the now classic “Party and Bullshit”.   Sprinkled in are the Santogold sampled “Brooklyn Go Hard” by Jay-Z and the poignant “Letter to B.I.G.” from Jadakiss.  Jada reminisces about better times in hip-hop and what the crew has been doing since B.I.G.’s passing.   He also touches on where the industry has gone and how commercial rap music has become.   The soundtrack then switches gears back to classic Biggie, this time grabbing this listener with the Premier classic “Kick in the Door” followed by “What’s Beef” and “The World is Filled”.   They also put a slightly new twist on “One More Chance (Remix) by allowing Biggie’s son CJ Wallace along with Faith to bless the mic alongside his father.  Paying homage much like Natalie Cole did with “Unforgettable” some years ago.

      Among the real gems on the album are the Danny Elfman produced “The Notorious Theme” and three unreleased demos that we are guessing are from Mister Cee’s vault of unreleased Biggie classics.  Though the quality of the demo’s are not the best, it doesn’t matter if you are a true fan.  To see how easily B.I.G. flows over classic breaks at such a young age, it was inevitable the man would become a legend.

      Soundtracks are not like they used to be when “Juice”, “Menace to Society”, and “Murder was the Case” dropped, but this one will stand the test of time.   If you are a fan of B.I.G., this will further enhance the argument that he was one of the best whoever did it and if this is first time you have heard him it’s a nice introduction.  Young and old alike can agree all the classics wrapped up in one collection alongside the unreleased demos, this is a must for any hip-hoppers collection. - DG

  It’s funny how things go in cycles. Fifteen years ago, RZA was sampling classic kung fu flicks (The Five Deadly Venoms) and Asian cult cinema (The Killer), and churning out classic records for everyone in the Wu-Tang Clan. Today, RZA is creating the music for an anime series called Afro Samurai, and in turn, releasing soundtracks from the series, which incorporate audio samples from the show. The second season of Spike TV’s Afro Samurai is again accompanied by a RZA produced soundtrack, delivered via his own Wu Music Group imprint. 

    Unfortunately, while RZA has reached a new level in his career, jumping from “producer” to “composer”, the latest entry in the Afro Samurai soundtrack series unfortunately does not do him or his reputation any justice. After last year’s cult hit, The 8 Diagrams, from the Wu-Tang Clan as a whole, one might expect this level of quality to manifest itself in the form of everything else RZA touches with his pointy-ass rings. Not so. Instead, we get a series of tracks with throwaway beats and lackluster emcees. 

    RZA’s never been one to create party rocking instrumentals – and we knew that going in – however, with his style of murky drums, moody synths, and atmospheric samples, he really needs strong emcees to bring out the best in his beats. Much of this album is dominated by second and third gen Wu-members, like Sunz of Man (“Dead Birds”) and Black Knights (“Bloody Samurai”), as well as several unknowns like Ace (“Arch Nemesis”), Boy Jones (“Nappy Afro”), each of whom fumble the coveted Iron Flag. Strangely, even some of the more weathered emcees have a hard time finding their groove, such as Rah Digga (a questionable inclusion in itself) who turns in two lackluster songs (“Girl Samurai Lullaby”, “Bitch Gonna Get Ya”). 

    The difference in quality is noticeable when the original Wu-members take the stage however. “You Already Know” finds Inspectah Deck trading rhymes with QB vet Kool G. Rap, with better-than-average results. The sleepy “Take The Sword Pt. III” will find most listeners nodding off in their headphones, that is until RZA comes in on the last verse, showing the previous seven emcees how to do this, son. Despite being filled to the brim with delete-worthy tracks, there is one track on this album that at least justifies a 99-cent download. “Whar” features each Ghostface Killah, Kool G. Rap, and RZA, rhyming over a classic break from Enter The 36 Chambers, previously used on an album sketch. Despite being a bit of rehash, it works tremendously, and proves with great emcees, RZA can still make banging tracks.

    All in all, RZA has proven elsewhere that he can still make classic songs (maybe not full albums) when he wants to, but time and again he has given us no reason to check for albums outside of the core members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Afro Samurai Resurrection is further evidence of that fact, and sadly the legacy of the nine-diagram phoenix is once again tarnished. - Pizzo 

    Since Jedi Mind Tricks came on the scene in the late 90’s, they’ve put out darker music then just about anyone on the east coast, without actually getting into horror rap territory.  They seem to lie on the fringes, too violent and brooding for most, yet still solid enough to capture the ears of any East Coast hip-hop fan.  Their production is what has constantly kept them in the game.  Stoupe manages to evoke the darkest of the dark, but still keep the beat going hard enough that you can nod your head.  Vinnie Paz is hit or miss, with a voice that sounds like war, it makes sense that war be one of his favorite subjects. 

     Jedi Mind Tricks have a solid niche, with a unique voice and impeccable production that may have been what allowed them to fall into predictable territory by the time Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell came around.  On A History of Violence however, Stoupe moves away from some of his more classical based production and seems to let a little light in on the group.  You wouldn’t call this upbeat, and they still remain polar opposites of Jurassic 5, but tracks like "Deathbed Doctrine", "Trail of Lies" and "Godflesh" all sound like Stoupe's letting a little sunlight into his sound.

      That being said, with song titles like those, in addition to "Heavy Artillery", "Deadly Melody", and "Death Messiah", you can be sure Vinnie Paz still is as angry as ever and Jus Allah is right there with him.  However Paz seems to be channeling it better.  Instead of letting loose blind rage as he was prone to do in past albums, he seems to focus it better on particulary subjects.  He focuses "Trail of Lies" on his anger of the popular media and unleashes an especially apt verse “turn the television off cousin, it's a tool for them to clog the mind, conservitism, liberalism, they divide the line.”

      While Paz is on his game, Jus Allah doesn’t seem quite up to the task.  Allah isn’t on all the songs, and even when he is, like on "Deathbed Doctrine", he still only gets 16 bars to Paz’s 32.  What is most disappointing, is Paz holds his own, but in a smaller roll, Allah can’t back up his own fire.  That said, the unique production by Stoupe utilizing a little harmonica and some other pieces in addition to his hard hitting drums makes it a solid innovation.  Jus Allah does put in a decent verse on "Monolith", and with Stoupe’s utilization of an east Asian Sample it feels a lot like the mysticism of early Jedi Mind Tricks. 

      Jedi Mind Tricks have unleashed their fury once again and previous fans won’t be disappointed.  They also seem to have opened themselves up some so that those who weren’t initially pulled in by darkness incarnate might be able to get with Stoupe's production and Paz newfound energy.  That being said the guest spots on the album were disappointing and Jus Allah isn’t in the game like he needs to be.  But now that he’s back on the regular things only looking up for Jedi Mind Tricks, hopefully Vinnie Paz allows himself to enjoy it. - Dane Johnson

     Ugly Duckling stepped onto the scene in 2001 with their 2001 debut, Journey To Anywhere. Here, this LP found a trio of classic hip-hop enthusiasts recreating their favorite era with sample and breakbeat rich tracks that one might find on De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising. With their second LP, 2003’s Taste The Secret, the crew took it a step further, crafting a Prince Paul-like concept album, built around a mythical fast food restaurant called “Meat Shake”, and a series of hilarious sketches that strung the album together. 2006’s Bang For The Buck took things back to basics, with a more bare bones approach to the hip-hop LP, after the heavy-but-humorous meal that was Taste The Secret. Now with Audacity, the crew embarks on their fourth LP, featuring a mysterious album cover showcasing a skeleton looking at himself in the mirror. What could this mean?

   Concept album or straightforward hip-hop LP? The cover suggests otherwise, but this is pretty much as straightforward as it gets. Or so it seems. Strangely, the Ducks seem to beat around the bush when it comes to topical songs, adapting an “if the shoe fits” type of mantra, never really being too blunt about what they are talking about. Case in point is the opening track, “I Won’t Let It Die”, which we can assume is a response to all of the “hip-hop is dead” talk – but again, they lack the, ahem, audacity to come right out and say it. The same can be said for “I Want To Believe”, a sort of ambiguous jam that again leaves things open to interpretation, but as known church goers, we can assume they are talking about God. Further vaguely themed tracks include “It Never Mattered” and “It’s Gone”, again, leaving out the definition of exactly what “it” refers to. 

     Not that there is anything wrong with Yudee’s approach to making hip-hop music; of course there are plenty of artists out there who have never chosen to reveal the meanings behind their songs. By no means is this stuff Sage Francis deep, as Dizzy Dustin and Andy Cooper travel over Einstien’s sample rich grooves with humorous, simplistic rhymes about everyday life. The concept of “Audacity” itself is probably the most down-to-earth idea here, as on the title track, they speak on the concept of confidence and how it’s helped shape the world.  

     After the brilliant Taste The Secret, it’s almost hard to accept Ugly Duckling doing just normal, old school hip-hop stuff. Sure, they are one of the last group’s left still sampling funk drums and rare grooves, not to mention making songs without swearing, however the brilliance of that concept album may always haunt them, at least until they decide to do another one. With their fourth LP, Ugly Duckling doesn’t progress or break new ground, you pretty much know what to expect here, so fans of the crew will be more or less pleased. But with an album title like Audacity, one might expect them to be a little bit bolder. – D.T. Swinga

   For about 15 years now E-40 has been doing his thing.  He has been around to see a lot and also to live through it.  This covers every aspect, from an emerging Bay Area scene, when he was a lone representer of it, all the way to its resurgence with the Hyphy Movement, by being its ambassador and taking it to a national presence.  Now 40 returns with his 11th solo album, The Ball Street Journal, a highly impressive LP through its sound and rhymes, but also very lengthy and repetitive all at the same time.

   What stands out about this LP for starters is the production.  Pretty much every beat on this album is at least decent, but of course some are better than others.  Most notably, the two producers who stand out are Rick Rock and Lil' Jon.  With the former, Rick Rock sets the tone for the album with two tracks that seem to fuse hip-hop with the whole hyphy movement, “The Ambassador” and “I’m The One.”  But it is when these two team up again for “Tell It Like It Is” where the magic happens as E-40 spits straight gospel while taking folks to church with the truth, or at least how he sees it.  As for Lil' Jon, his production helps 40 to stay true to his Bay Area roots while branching out to a different coast, mainly to those listeners who reside below the Mason-Dixon Line.  This is evident on the track “Got Rich Twice” featuring Turf Talk.  Another impressive thing is how 40 Water manages to stay relevant.  This is mainly due to the perspective from which he rhymes, mainly as someone looking back and being reflective and not trying to keep up with the hip-hop “Joneses.”  An example of this can be found on another Lil Jon produced track “40 Water.” 

   Unfortunately, the album begins to fall off after track 12.  This is not due to production, which surprisingly remains strong throughout the album, but due to the length of the LP along with the repetitive subject matter.  These two ideas go hand and hand by that 18 tracks is too long for an LP (at least this day and age) which makes the subject matter after a while seem very redundant with the references to drug dealing and constant ballin’, which really gets old about half way into the LP.  For someone who has been in the game as long as he has it is a wonder how he could not have managed to add some diversity to what he was discussing, but maybe on his next outing that will change.  Who knows, maybe with a more concise and diverse album E-40 and the Yay Area could have been sitting on a classic, or at least damn close to it. - RH

     Based on his career as a two time Oscar winner (and subsequently, star of Booty Call), it’s sometimes hard to accept when someone like Jamie Foxx comes along and decides they want to make a contemporary / pop R&B album. Does he get a pass just because he’s famous? Well, truth be told, Mr. Foxx is a very talented actor, comedian, and yes, singer (his Ray Charles impression is spot on, in both mannerism and vocalism), so here is one of those rare cases where it’s acceptable for someone like Foxx to venture into the music biz. After all, he’s the rare example of an artist that is actually talented and also has a record deal. Imagine that. 

    He’s no stranger to the game, Intuition is Foxx’s third LP, and after the double-platinum success of 2005’s Unpredictable, he has no problem tapping top tier talent to collaborate with on this album. Surprisingly, it begins with a string of several club-friendly potential radio hits, each backed by a fellow multi-platinum artist. The opening track, “Just Like Me” finds Jamie teaming with T.I. for a rhythmic radio jam, as the two lament about challenging females whom share their carefree, flirtatious swagger. This theme continues on into “She Got Her Own” – actually a remix to “Miss Independent” – with both Fabolous and Ne-Yo in tow. This takes the original song’s concept to an even smoother level, with chipmunk soul and emotionally delivered verses. Timbaland chimes in for the strange “I Don’t Need It”, which is sort of a mash of classic soul and today’s modern sound. Here, Tim’s “Sexy Back”-esque drum programming propels Jamie’s comical Al Green-like cadence. 

    In the way of club hits, there’s quite a few that will fit into any commercial hip-hop DJ’s set. The Just Blaze produced “Number One” borrows a sample from The Beastie Boys, plus verses from Lil’ Wayne, as Foxx delivers his take on the “A Milli” formula. Kanye and The Dream collaborate on the ultra smooth “Digital Girl”, as Foxx and crew cry “ayo technology” over thumping bass and dreamy pianos, with requisite humorous verses from Mr. West. But the song that hits this record out of the park – and will probably keep it on the charts for a while – is “Blame It”. Here, this take-no-responsibility-for-my-actions-I-was-drunk-song celebrates the after-effects of each Patron, Grey Goose, Hennessey, and other flavors of drink, just begs for club play. With non-album remixes featuring Yung Joc, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, and Kardinal Offishall already floating around, expect this to be the coldest winter anthem. 

    After selling you with the album’s first half, the second half of the album takes a drastic turn, for better or for worse, depending on your tastes. After kicking the door down with a series of well made crossover cuts during act one, act two focuses on “the grown and sexy” (lord, we hate that term). Here, we find the last six or seven tracks focusing in between the sheets, not on the dancefloor. With a series of ballads produced by Tricky Stewart, Salaam Remi and others, it’s hard to see what he was going for crafting the album in this fashion. Clearly after opening the audience up during the album’s first half with hood approved club cuts, taking the second half of the album in this steamy, seductive direction is a strange move, because it totally loses the opening crowd.  While the latter part of Intuition shows off his true talent -  ballads - it completely disrupts the flow built in the former. In other words, it’s hard to go from R. Kelly to John Legend in the flip of a light switch.

      All in all, audiences will be split down the middle with Intuition, except perhaps for the super-fans out there that worship Jamie Foxx, even if he didn’t go full retard in The Soloist. – Pizzo

      In a recent conference call Erick Sermon put it better than any writer could.  “EPMD makes music for people that like EPMD”.  If more artists had the EPMD mentality hip-hop might not be in such a state of crisis.   It’s been nearly 10 years since we last heard from the duo of Erick “The Green-Eyed Bandit” and PMD aka Parrish Smith.  Though we thought we may see an album earlier when Nervous came back and released “Dangerzone" b/w "The Truth” in 2004 and then another limited 12” popped up in 2006, but still no full length.  

      Here it is December of 2008 and once again EPMD blesses us with a full length.  Abandoning the major labels, “We Mean Business” is an independent venture on EP Records with distribution through Fontana.  You don’t have to have a major label marketing the hell out of you when you put out a quality product.  Enough of the rant, let’s get to the album.

      The album starts off with a bang, “Puttin’ in Work” show why PMD is still one of the most respected lyricists in the game.  Ty Fyffe brings the grimy NY sound back while Raekwon makes us continue to fiend for Cuban Linx 2.  Although “Blow” and “Run It” featuring The Teacher, Krs-One where previously released they fit perfectly in the mix of “We Mean Business”.  “Roc-Da-Spot” is Sermon’s patented funky production with snapping snares and classic synth.  Def Squad veterans Redman and Keith Murray show up on “Yo” and “They Tell Me” respectfully.   Teddy Riley uses the now played out auto-tune to perfection reminiscent of Roger Troutman for “Listen Up” while Erick and Parrish speak volumes to the youth over the funky Green Eyed Bandit track.   DJs stand up and play this one in the club.  Parish shows off his production prowess along side Sermon on the O’Jays inspired “Bac Stabbers” and what would be an EPMD album be without “Jane”.  DJ 4our 5ive flexes on the turntables while Erick and Parrish trade verses about the girl we all know.   Always surprising us, EPMD hooks up with the always impressive Skyzoo over a banging 9th Wonder beat.  9th has that signature sound and EPMD sounds so nice rhyming about our fallen soldiers in hip-hop and how hip-hop itself has been “Left 4 Dead”

      Neither Erick nor Parrish will rewrite the book of rap, but they don’t have to.  They have proven themselves over and over again to make commercially viable music as well as music you can bump in your jeeps.  The wait is over and the boys are definitely back for 2008-2009 and if We Mean Business is any indication of what’s to come, the legacy will most certainly continue. - DG

    Having a famous, universally loved sibling probably isn’t easy. Ask guys like Charlie Murphey or Jermaine Jackson how flourishing their respective careers have been over the years. In Illa J’s case, he is the younger brother to J. Dilla, an artist who’s light was extinguished too soon, and is widely recognized as one of the greatest producers in hip-hop music ever known. With Dilla passed, Illa J looks to carry on his legacy, by unearthing some of those lost Jay Dee beats, and crafting an album where he takes center stage as emcee. 

     After the release of Dilla’s final few releases, like Donuts or The Shining, we saw a tremendous shift in sound and style from his early years as a Delicious Vinyl remixer and ghost-producer for A Tribe Called Quest. It’s safe to say that his early style paved the way for his later experimental progression, however it's in his final works that we found his most brilliant compositions. That being said, those expecting to hear outtakes from Donuts to take form on Yancey Boys will be sorely disappointed, as this collection instead revitalizes some studio floor beats from his earliest era as a producer. 

    Not to say that this stuff doesn’t knock, however. The opening track, “Timeless”, finds Illa J reflecting on his brother’s death, realizing that it’s time for him to take up the mantle and carry on the Yancey family name. Here, snapping drums and mellow pianos provide a smooth backdrop, as Illa J breathes breezily over a track that lives up to it’s name, no matter how old. “We Here” also works pretty well, as Illa J spits a catchy hook involving rocking iced down medallions, yet over smoothed, vibed out production, in the usual contradictory Dilla style. Meanwhile, songs like “R U Listening” and “Swagger” sound as if they were pulled directly out of the late 90’s Ummah archives (and probably were), as Illa J trades his airy vocals for freestyle rhymes. But like his brother, rhyming is not his strong point. 

    But Illa J knows this, and at the end of the day, it’s more about the musical vibes that come through on Yancey Boys, and they come through strong. Dilla’s sound remains timeless, and while this LP will not reinvent how we look at either Yancey Boy, Illa J does a decent job of carrying on tradition. At this point, it’s not blasphemy by any means, however the danger of a project like this lies in if we end up seeing another ten Yancey Boys volumes over the next few years. The fate of the rest of Dilla’s unreleased productions should be released as star-studded J. Dilla albums – after all, how would you feel if Frank Stallone stepped in and decided to cast himself in three new Rocky movies?  All of that being said, however you feel about having Illa J as your host in this latest journey on Dilla’s big booty express really doesn’t matter, because we all know we can count on Delicious Vinyl to release an instrumental version. - Pizzo

    Underrated is a word that gets tossed around much too casually in modern society, particularly when it pertains to music and entertainment.  Still, it seems to fit Termanology, the Massachusetts-by-way-of-New York MC who finally gets a chance to have some of the spotlight for himself on his first official solo album, Politics As Usual.

    Term isn't exactly an unknown quantity, with numerous street records and a series of guest appearances under his belt. Last time we heard from him, he gathered a high-powered list of collaborators (including Styles P, Q-Tip and Talib Kweli among many others) for his Da Cameo King mixtape, but this time around he gets the mic mostly to himself.

    That's not a bad thing, as he comes out firing on the very first track, "Watch How It Go Down", delivering rapid fire rhymes over the first of three DJ Premier beats. His flow is very much classic NYC, showing off the ability to switch tempos while sprinkling in more than a few clever punchlines. The late Big Pun seems like a big influence, and Term gives him multiple shout outs.

    He's also versatile, so when he boasts on "Respect My Walk" that "I'll do the R&B shit or the killa shit," he's not lying. Just because he can do different styles doesn't mean he should though, as songs like "Please Don't Go" that have a little more radio-friendly vibe are among the album's weaker moments.

    Fortunately, those moments are few, as Premier and Nottz give Termanology mostly rugged sounding beats to work with. Large Professor, Pete Rock and Buckwild also contribute one track each, creating something of a late 90s East Coast all-star team on the boards.

    On the album's strongest cut, "How We Rock," Termanology sums up his formula by stating, "My pain is reality, gripping this mic/After me, other rappers don't sound that tight." That may be pushing it a bit, as to borrow another cliché, Politics As Usual is no game changer. It is a solid dose of straightforward hip hop, and lord knows the rap game can never have too much of that. - Nick Tylwalk

        Common, dear sweet Common.  What are we going to do with you?  You give us two near classics with Be and Finding Forever and then you handed us something completely different with Universal Mind Control. Could this be another Electric Circus?   In a nutshell, no it’s not, but it's no Ressurrection either.  So how does Universal Mind Control hold up against Com's stellar catalog?

      There must be something in the water out there in Chicago, first Kanye goes off into left field and makes a good - not great - album with 808’s and Heartbreak and now this writer's favorite emcee, Common heads over to la-la land and goes the abstract route as well. The album starts appropriately with title track "Universal Mind Control”, the track was originally released in early summer - and flopped - but now thanks to the help of Zune and Afrika Bambatta, MTV opened their ears and made this one a hit.  A good song, but a far cry from Common’s hip-hop fan base.  

   The album is produced solely by The Neptunes and Mr. DJ.  Having an album like this is a gift and a curse, on one hand you have The Neptunes who are known as being innovative with N.E.R.D., and Mr. DJ, a renowned producer for Outkast, but on the other hand The Neptunes and Mr. DJ have went off the deep end on more than one occasion.  An album with one sound tends to get boring sooner than later, which is the issue with Universal Mind Control. After the energy is raised with the title track, it drops lyrically and by tempo with the Kanye assisted “Punch Drunk Love”.  “Sex 4 Suga” is a sad attempt at club music and more Common driffle ensues.  The Neptunes' production becomes repetitive and boring, but thankfully those are the worst of the bad. 

      There are some tracks that truly stand out, and Common redeems himself on the mic.  “Announcement” is an outstanding track using a Neptunes replayed version of the sample Biggie used for “Dreams” and Common speaking on his love of hip-hop. “Gladiator” shows that Pharrell and company can make a banging straight hip-hop classic, and “Inhale” is also impressive.  Mr. DJ contributes only 2 percent of the album, but both tracks are synth drenched soul. Usually this critic doesn’t use synth and soul in the same sentence, but Mr. DJ knows how to keep soul in his production while making it sound like it was made this decade.  “Changes” featuring Muhsinah has the southern bounce of Outkast with the Chicago flavor of Common.  On the flip side “Everywhere” featuring Martina Topley-Bird sounds like nothing Common has ever rhymed on, spaced out and up tempo for the club.

      Common rarely disappoints, and one big issue with this album is that it is only 10 tracks.  With an album this experimental, it almost would have been nicer if it was a more meaty release, like Electric Circus, rather than a sparse ten tracks shipped on a disc. Universal Mind Control bounces back and forth in tempos and in content, making it hard to absorb Common’s new found style.   The hardcore Common fans may be a bit disappointed, but if Common is trying to find that pop audience, he may be well be on his way. - DG

     Last year, Royce Da 5'9 released perhaps the strongest mixtape of the year, teaming with DJ Premier and Statik Selektah for The Bar Exam. Here, Royce righted all wrongs, once again reinventing himself after a short jail stint and the disappointing response to his third LP, Independence Day. Reunited with DJ Premier, who helped craft his classic break-out single “Boom”, The Bar Exam was armed with a series of new classics such as “Ding” and “Hit 'Em”, as well as freestyling over classic Preemo tracks from Nas and Jay-Z.

    This holiday season we get a double dose from Royce in the form of The Bar Exam 2, which has been released in two versions – the mixtape and the album. The mixtape version was released as a free downloadable mix earlier this year, with DJ Green Lantern taking over for Statik Selektah, while The Album version was released to retail, unmixed and Ipod friendly. But upon closer examination, while these two projects share the same cover – minus a few different font arrangements – these are two different albums entirely. 

    The Bar Exam 2: The Mixtape, is easily the better of the two, and not just because it is free. First off, the addition of DJ Green Lantern mixing the project , which in his usual fashion, adds a momentum to it that the album does not carry. This is in part owed to the fact that the project is loaded with exclusive freestyles over familiar beats, many of which outshine their original counterparts. On “It's The New”, Royce absolutely murder's T.I.'s “Swing Your Rag” beat, with added help from a Beastie Boys vocal sample, crowning himself the “new best rapper alive”, and with these ferocious lyrics, you can't help but believe him. Same can be said for “I'm Nice” (a flip of Game's “My Life”) or “Let The Beat Build” (borrowed from Lil' Wayne), both of which find Royce outshining the original beats' owners. Meanwhile, Green Lantern's new take on Akon's “Gangsta”, shows Royce could easily fit in the major label mindset, sliding in perfectly next to Akon. 

    The album version may not have these remixes and freestyles that the mixtape does, but it also pleases with several original selections, holding up just as strong. The opening track, “Promise Land” sets the album up perfectly, as Royce delivers thought-provoking lyrics over a moody Nottz track, much different than the humorous gun-raps that propel the mixtape. Also exclusive here is the star-studded collaboration, “Give Up Your Guns”, featuring Talib Kweli & Raekwon over a ridiculous DJ Wich beat. “Rewind” is another exclusive track, a conceptual sample where Royce recounts the tragic deaths of three unnamed emcees – including Big L and Soulja Slim - over a track last ripped by Rugged Intellect and Buckwild (“Gonna Move”). Royce is also treated to exclusive tracks by Black Milk (“Let's Talk), 9th Wonder (“On The Low”) and longtime collaborator Carlos “Six July” Broady (“Angel”). 

    Shared among both the mixtape and the album are the more thugged-out selections, with or without added gunshot sound effects, depending on which version you are listening to. The best of these is “Been Shot Down”, a bullet-ridden DJ Green Lantern track, as Royce switches his flow-up speaking on the mysterious assassinations of several strong Black voices – from Malcolm X to 2Pac, questioning if Obama or Nas could be next. Green Lantern also produces the marching “Gun Music”, which borrows the same Enter The Dragon sample found on Dilated Peoples' “Work the Angles”, but flipped entirely different, as well as “Bad Guy”, which draws inspiration from Eazy-E and Jay-Z, as Royce slithers over Green's sleazy beat. The auto-tuned “We Deep” shouldn't work, but it does, as Royce teams with local Detroit thug Trick Trick, and murders him in one verse. 

    Normally, this type of idle gun-chatter doesn't impress us, however Royce is so lyrically physically fit that he's firing punch-rhymes with a MAC-11. It's a perfect combination of backpack cleverness and thug-braggadocio that makes him one of the nicest emcees in the game. The album features more of Royce's conceptual, thought-provoking lyrical content, while the mixtape focuses on his blistering freestyle verses, that push the limits of politeness, most likely to incite more beef with other rappers. He's got a handle on this thing like an early Eminem, making you wonder what's going to come out of his mouth next. Both projects offer complete satisfaction, and the scary part is, he's just getting warmed up for his 2009 DJ Premier helmed LP, Street Hop. - Pizzo

   The term “helter skelter” is used to describe something that is in complete chaos or disarray, made infamous in the 1960's by Charles Manson, who suggested his murder spree was in preparation of an apocalyptic race war by the same name. But Ruck and Rock boiled it down to simply “Heltah Skeltah means war”, with a number of mantras that ran concurrent through their 1996 debut, Nocturnal. Among these were also “let the madness begin” and “who want beef, well here's war”; slogans that were repeated throughout the album's entirety, lending their own interpretation of how the term applied to them. 

    The Duck Down duo did not have a successful follow-up with 1998's Magnum Force, an album that tried to establish it's namesake as a mini-crew within the Boot Camp Clik, overrun with numerous guest artists from the crew, but instead led to a break-up of Heltah Skeltah. While many of the other BCC albums released under the Priority banner at the time also received negative responses, the Duck Down posse found reinvention during the early millennial indie hip-hop movement. Ruck and Rock traveled in opposite directions, as Ruck stayed releasing 12inch singles on the indie scene, while Rock signed with DJ Lethal's Lethal Records banner under Interscope, only to see his solo debut Planet Rock shelved as the label folded. Ruck reinvented himself as Sean Price, releasing a string of successful solo albums to a new generation of fans that weren't even aware of the history of Heltah Skeltah. 

     With Sean Price being so successful in the underground, it was only a matter of time before things came full circle, leading to a Heltah Skeltah reunion LP. From the album's title, D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team), you can see things are back to the group's trademark sense of humor, as the album poses them as Pen & Pixel styled superheroes. The album opens with “Everything Is Heltah Skeltah”, which borrows it's melody from a classical music selection, as Ruck and Rock tag team with a barrage of humorous battle raps, the likes of which we haven't heard in hip-hop in a long time. The lyrical onslaught continues on “The Art of Disrespekinazation” as the duo trade verses over a looming beat by Khrysis, then on the apocalyptic “Da Beginning Of Da End”, with plenty of laugh-out-loud, rewind moments. This formula of rap song is what propelled the group's debut, Nocturnal, into an underground classic (save “Therapy”), and it continues throughout the duration of the record.  

    This works for and against the group, however. HS aren't trying to make conceptual songs about anything in particular; instead they are like two boxers constantly hitting you with left-jabs and right-hooks. That being said, what separates each track from one another isn't subject matter, but instead selection of beats, as you can count on strong lyrics in just about every song. Both “D.I.R.T.” (produced by Khrysis) and “So Damn Tuff” (prod. Ill Mind) incorporate classic hip-hop vocal samples with newer styles of production, keeping the spirit of Brooklyn alive in these more modern styles of beats. Marco Polo lends perhaps the album's best track with “Insane”, with dark pianos and a creepy female vocal sample that haunts the track. 

    However, with this new team of producers, it is hard to compete with the classic style of The Beatminerz that helped make Nocturnal a classic. It evident that in this market, underground rappers like Heltah Skeltah are not going to spend any money on expensive production, and during the album's latter half, it shows. The last few tracks produced by up-&-comers like M-Phazes, Stu Bangas, and Sic Beats, really lowers the bar set by the first half of the album's production, which even that is not up to par with beats from the BCC's catalog. 

     With an oddball sense of humor, mixed with bullet ridden gun-talk, these two are an 80's action film come to life on the mic. The album is a return to form for the crew after the disappointment that was Magnum Force, as the two are back to doing what they do best, trading hilarious rhymes. Despite sometimes weak production on D.I.R.T., Heltah Skeltah live up to the album's name, and are two incredible emcees whom are wildly entertaining to listen to. - D.T. Swinga

      People Under the Stairs have been representing the laid back sun and hazy smoke aloft in California hip-hop for over 10 years now.  While their consistency or at least longevity is commendable, it’s also what makes this release a relative non-essential.  You can only cruise on the same gimmick for so long and while they ultimately have made another listenable album, they haven’t gone much further.

      The production is always solid.  No one really creates the kind of sun soaked soul they're capable of.  The lyrics on their albums frequently is about being laidback, going to barbeques and taking it easy, and the music works as good accompaniment for all these activities.  Opener "Swan Fever" opens with a nice soul sample and a callback to Run DMC to hit the album title home get everything started on the good foot.  "Step Bacc", "The Fun", and "Anotha (BBQ)" are all prominent showcases for the sound of the album.   All sound like fuzzed out G-Funk and its hard not to imagine powerful West Coast voices like Dre or Snoop on tracks like these.

      What’s hard to swallow about this album is not so much the positivity but the insulin sweet sugar coating.  Killer Mike’s Pledge Allegiance to the Grind 2 was one of the most empowering, positive records released this year, but you never felt a sense of passivity.  Perhaps the abundance of beautiful women, herb and sun available to Californian’s doesn’t inspire the fury it used to.

      They do make their low gravity approach work on some songs however.   "The Wiz" is a standout.  It sounds like the perfect soundtrack to driving through LA mid-summer with no particular place to go.  They manage to inflect more of the Cali subculture co-opting the "West Coast Poplock" sample used in "California Love" and turn it into a Mexicali tribute.  On "A Baby", they manage to bring some intensity and what even sounds like some anger.  Unfortunately it turns out to be one of the shortest tracks on the album.

      Sometimes it’s hard writing a critical review of an album that has done a good job at what it ultimately set out to do.  But while they make polished music and ride some great grooves they just don’t seem to have made anything other than another BBQ record.  The talent is there and they have the ability but it might help to lay off the weed and get angry every once in awhile. - Dane Johnson

   Beyonce has become a sort of force of nature.  She's not only a musician and actress, she's an icon of the celebrity culture.  She's Jay-Z's wife, for God's sake, and she's never overshadowed.  But for as many roles as she's taken on and as popular as she is, it's just as much her attitude that makes the alias Sasha Fierce seem appropriate.
 
   The "hottest chick in the game" is hot, no doubt, but she exudes her sexuality with such power that it often feels more like a stiletto to the head than a soft caress.  Even her DirectTV commercials are in your face.  
 
    Oddly enough, her latest album, I am...Sasha Fierce, isn't very sexy.  The first half is a series of ballads that sound almost more like they could be part of a Broadway musical than an R&B/pop record.  Songs like "Ave Maria" and "Satellites" have a very onstage quality to them.  You can almost see the backdrop dimming as the spotlight shines on Beyonce while she sings, "Saturn lighhhhhhhhts/flashing byyyyyyy..." 
 
    She's a strong singer and she's more than capable of bringing down a house or two, but there's a theatrical quality to the first six songs on I am...  She has a habit of singing phrases at first softly and THEN VERY LOUDLY.  It seems to be her way of building the drama.  She does this on the first track, "If I Were a Boy."

   "Cause I know that she'd be faithful, waiting for me to come home/to come home/IF I WERE A BOY!  I THINK I COULD UNDERSTAND!...I'D LISTEN TO HER!  CAUSE I KNOW HOW IT HURTS!" 
 
   One thing can be sure with Beyonce, you won't miss her point.  Subtlety is not in her vocabulary, and this album takes an almost unnerving shift halfway through when it goes from over-the-top ballads to stomp-your-way-through-the-club pop bangers. 
 
   "If you like it/than you shoulda put a ring on it," she scolds on "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)", which is as frenetic and pulse-pounding as it is ironic--this from the woman who's wearing a planet-size rock on her finger.

   On "Diva" she proclaims, "Diva is the female version of a hustler."  Then she starts doing something she shouldn't do:  she kinda raps.  I won't bother getting into the specific lyrics but they're variations on, "git money."  I thought divas were drama queens who wanted lots of attention, but here Beyonce makes them out to be something more like pimps or angry drug dealers. Her version of "A Milli", if you will.

   The album closes out on an extremely odd note with "Video Phone," a song that seems to be suggesting the production of a sex tape, but it comes off as more of a demand than an idea--"If you want me, you can tape me on your video phone."  The content of the song is sexual, but the feel and tone are not at all sensual.  What a strange feeling to walk away from an album with--that of being instructed to make a cell phone sex video with all the romance and eroticism of being told to take out the garbage or put the toilet seat down. 

    Beyonce leaves nothing to chance.  Everything with her is black and white.  If she were a boy, she'd be a much better man.  If she's in love, her man is an angel who wears a halo ("Halo").  If she's not, she'll make you regret it. - Stefan Schumacher

    New from Decon is the Fresh Rhymes and Videotape CD/DVD double-disc package, which chronicles the recent tour featuring Dilated Peoples, Aceyalone, The Alchemist, and 88 Keys. Coincidentally, the new set includes brand-new songs from each artist, whom team up with one another for a series of dope collaborations. Was there a mini-studio on that tour bus?  

     Short and sweet, the six-track audio disc is the highlight of the collection. DJ Babu sets the stage with the usual scratch intro, leading directly to the masterful posse cut title track. Here, each member of the crew delivers a hot eight bar verse, over a mellow head-knocker by longtime post-Native Tongue collaborator, 88 Keys. “Legendary Status” is an incredibly dope flip on Jackson 5’s “ABC”, broken down by DJ Babu, as Rakaa and Aceyalone tear up the perfectly executed, minimalist track. Dilated Peoples prove that they haven’t missed a beat with the Alchemist produced “The Last Is First”, leaving mouths watering for their next full-length release. More inter-artist collaboration is seen on “I’m Like”, where 88 Keys delivers humorous verses over a sparse Evidence track, as well as on the closing cut “Left Out In The Cold”. The latter finds Aceyalone trading rhymes with producers-on-the-mic Alchemist and 88 Keys, over another classically produced track from our boy Al. The musical portion of this project is worth the price of admission alone. 

     Meanwhile, the DVD half of the album gives us a behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-the-stage look at the Fresh Rhymes and Videotape tour. Much of this is spent on the live performances themselves, which unlike many hip-hop performances is filmed in HD (but delivered on standard DVD format). 88 Keys opens the show to an open, but inexperienced group of listeners, many of whom seem to be listening to his music for the first time. His performance is a loose-knit, sketch driven set of tracks, which includes a hilarious moment for all of the Kanye fans, as he performs his West collabo “Stay Up (Viagra)” without him, but makes up for it in his own special way. Watch as the fans in the cheap seats chant for the doppelganger. 

    Aceyalone’s set follows, a short and sweet montage of tracks from various albums, which unfortunately does not include any classic solo or Freestyle Fellowship material (possibly due to publishing rights for the release of the DVD). Despite performing for a hometown House of Blues crowd right there in Los Angeles, the reception from the young demographic is lukewarm. This all changes when headlining act Dilated Peoples take the stage, whom light up the room with “Back Again”, as all hands are thrown in the air. The show includes a handful of classics and new joints, as well as a creepy moment when Evidence comes face to face with his biggest fan.

     All in all, while it’s hard to justify spending money on music these days, Decon breaks the mold with this unique CD/DVD package, which is equal parts dope on both formats. Coupled with the fact that the album carries a budget price of under $10, this makes a perfect stocking stuffer or reason to skip lunch tomorrow at In & Out Burger. – Pizzo

     Little Brother’s Phonte Coleman and Netherlands based producer Nicolay reunite as The Foreign Exchange, following up their critically acclaimed 2004 debut, Connected, with Leave It All Behind. As legend has it, the duo had met on OkayPlayer.Com, and began recording music, sending it back and forth via instant messenger, completing and releasing the album without ever meeting face to face. The album featured a series of vibed-out, mellow beats from Nicolay, with rhymes about everyday life from Phonte. With Leave It All Behind however, the concept is the same, but this time Phonte has traded in his raps for sung vocals. 

     Leave It All Behind is essentially an album one (or two) should listen to in bed, rather than in traffic. It never leaves the from under the covers, with sleepy, melodic grooves, as Phonte takes center stage with breezy vocals, teaming with other vocalists of the same mind set. It opens with “Daykeeper”, with Nicolay providing a track that sounds a bit like an outtake from Radiohead’s Kid A, yet with a bit more soul. “Take Off The Blues” lends the mic to Darien Brockington, offering the same brand of late night soul found on Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “Lots of Lovin”, sans raps.
    Hypnotic grooves like “House of Cards” (Feat. Muhsinah) and “If She Breaks Your Heart” (feat. Yahzarah) – both duets with female vocalists – are helped out by their respective guests, which breaks the monotony of the two main artists that dominate the record. “If This Is Love” is also a nice change up, with a track that evokes sounds of late 90’s acid jazz, as Yahzarah again takes center stage. 

    Musically this LP is strong, but is a heavy plate to digest. Those fans looking for a sequel done in the same formula as Connected will be sorely disappointed. Last time around, Nic’s lush production custom fit Phonte’s personalized lyrics, crafting a sound rarely heard in hip-hop these days. However with this album, the production is still there, but Phonte’s choice to sing rather than spit, is debatable. He’s definitely got the vocal chops to pull it off, however his style is an acquired taste, which to this critic is better off in small doses, coupled with his stronger suit - rhyming. Ultimately, whom this album won’t disappoint are the lovers; the people who prefer the upstairs lounge to the downstairs dancefloor, or those who weren’t looking for a hip-hop album in the first place. Others may find themselves leaving it behind altogether.  – D.T. Swinga

    In most music circles, Raphael Saadiq is not an unfamiliar name.  The Oakland singer, songwriter, and producer first found success with his brother and cousin in Tony, Toni, Tone, which garnered commercial and critical acclaim all throughout the 1990s.  He later went on to form the R&B/Soul super group Lucy Pearl with other heavyweights Dawn Robinson from En Vogue and Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest.  Saadiq later released three solo LPs, produced for many artists, and wrote songs that gained much deserved accolades, remaining a very influential artist across many genres.  Now returning after 4 years with his fourth album, The Way I See It, Saadiq is offering a tribute to the music of the 1960s, a tremendous influence on the very music that he creates.

   Musically, this album is very profound.  Saadiq manages to capture the vibe of that era, from the production and the mixing to the overall sound of the album, making it reminiscent of a sound that captivated audiences for generations.  This is seen from the outset with the tracks “Sure Hope You Mean It” and “100 Yard Dash.”  The album then takes a turn down south with “Big Easy,” having one feel like they were in a speakeasy enjoying the beautiful music.  The crowning moment is found in the duet “Just One Kiss” featuring Joss Stone, mainly due to the chemistry between these two artists, which is quite great.  Serving as a tribute to the greats of the 60s, The Way I See It definitely gets the job done.  You can imagine some of the greats of that time sitting in on a session contributing to the music and taking it to greater heights, mainly due to just their presence alone.

    And that is the issue with the album.  Yes, the music is great and Saadiq manages to catch lightening in a bottle with the production, but ironically, the album lacks soul.  At times, it seems like this album is a mere imitation of the music that he was influenced by being way to generic and not descriptive, having the listener feel the music, but not really relating to it.  All in all, this is a good album, but it is a wonder with a little bit of fine-tuning what this album could have been. - RH

    The name Kevin Rudolf might have not been that familiar three months ago, and even with a chart topping radio smash single on his hands right now (“Let It Rock”, featuring Lil’ Wayne), a lot of people still don’t know who he is. But fact of the matter is, young Kevin – a guitar-wielding rock vocalist from New York City – has been around the block, lending his strings to many a Timbaland beat, including Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right”. This partially explains why Rudolf’s sound is eerily similar to Danja Handz, despite the fact that much of his debut is self-produced. 

     Signed to Ca$h Money Records, it’s almost a fluke that a primarily Dirty South hip-hop label has seen such massive success with rock/pop artist like Rudolf. Much of this is obviously owed to Lil’ Wayne, who adds the perfect edge to Kev’s lead single, “Let It Rock”, helping it instantly catch a following in radio. These types of collaborations are few and far in between on his album, however, but when they do happen, they are executed flawlessly. Nas appears on the similar sounding “NYC”, an ode to the city that both call home, as Kevin recounts memories in the third person. Also ridiculously catchy and a sure shot next single is “Welcome To The World”, featuring an uncharacteristically blistering verse from Rick Ross. “Life’s a tour / I’m so sure / the x is pure / before you exit Europe” and later, “two stars / hold all applause / I hold it down / he holds all guitars.” 

     This formula is executed perfectly on these three songs, which are enough to secure hundreds of thousands of paid downloads and ringtone sales, not to mention radio spins for Rudolf. The rest of the album is more of a traditional rock record, which may let down listeners looking for a full LP of rock/rap fusion (that is, not done in a bad Limp Bizkit sort of way). The Neptunes produced “She Can Get It” definitely carries the N.E.R.D. influence, however songs like the bluesy “No Way Out”, the acoustics driven “I Song”, or the swingy “Give Me A Sign” merely plod along, lacking the extra “oomph” of the rap collabos. 

      Sounding like a young Jon Bon Jovi, there’s definitely talent in Kevin Rudolf, but In The City is not the perfect pop album that the singles suggest that it could be. Despite this fact, Kevin shows lots of potential, and he’s on track to be a household name, it just make take a few albums to do so. - Pizzo

   There's no question that Akon pretty much has the R&B/hip hop game on lock. Between his production efforts and frequent guest appearances, it's hard to go half an hour on any radio station playing an urban or Top 40 format and not hear something he's touched. He's been successful with his own songs too, going platinum both of his first two times out. With lead single "Right Now (Na Na Na)" pretty much inescapable, there's every reason to expect that his new album, Freedom, would continue his winning streak.

   Alas, a good chunk of Akon's third album seems to ignore Eminem's old warning that "nobody listens to techno." While they're not electronica, many of the 13 tracks - co-produced by the artist himself - share a similar sound that conjures images of a strobe-lit dance floor a lot more easily than it does the corner. For an artist who's found success balancing the club and the street, jettisoning half of the formula doesn't seem to work.

   Even some hot guest stars don't do much to break up the monotony. Colby O'Donis and Kardinal Offishall can't lift "Beautiful" to the level of the songs that Akon did for each of them, and Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne seem a little out of place on the breezy "I'm So Paid."

   Where Akon goes, T-Pain is sure to follow, and mentor and protégé team up on both vocals and production on "Holla Holla."  The result sounds good thanks to its mellow guitar loop, but the girl-chasing lyrics border on inane. It’s a shame that a duet with Michael Jackson titled “Hold My Hand” got scratched from the final track list, as that would have at least given the music world something to talk about.

   Just when everything appears lost, Akon switches gears toward the end of Freedom and gives listeners something with a little more depth. On “Birthmark,” the singer paints a picture of regret over a lost relationship that is easily relatable. And the uplifting title track provides some autobiographical details - which Akon has previously left intentionally vague - to close out the album on a high note.

   The big disappointment of Freedom isn’t that it isn’t listenable, because it is. It’s just that most of it is easily forgettable as well, with songs that disappear from your head as soon as they’re done. Fortunately for Akon, he can rest secure that more songs he’s worked on are probably coming along in a few minutes to take their place.
Nick Tylwalk

    According to Kanye, after his debut, The College Dropout, he would follow with Late Registration, then Graduation, and his fourth album, A Good Ass Job. The titles of each album were meant to mirror most students' real life aspirations, "because after college you are supposed to get a good ass job", as he put it. But, the last year or so has been tough for Kanye, with the tragic loss of his mother Donda West, due to a botched plastic surgery operation, and the breaking off of his engagement with fashion designer Alexis Phifer. The result, is 808's and Heartbreak, a conceptual album that scrambles Kanye's original career blueprint, featuring eleven tracks of him singing sad songs... with a vocoder. 

    It seemed to start on Young Jeezy's “I Put On”, where we first saw the first appearance of the autotuned Kanye, stating “I lost the only girl in the world that know me best” - which could have either referred to his mother or his fiancée. The trend continued on a few more songs, T.I.'s “Swagger Like Us” and DJ Khaled's “Go Hard”, but once his official single for this album leaked, “Love Lockdown”, fans became curious if Kanye would record a whole album in this format. The answer is 808's and Heartbreak.

     USA Today gives it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars, stating: “West deftly uses the 808 drum machine and Auto-Tune vocal effect to channel his feelings of hurt, anger and doubt through his well-crafted lyrics." The Washington Post concurs calling it "the best album released this year", while other mainstream press outlets like Billboard and The Times also gave it glow-in-the-dark ratings, as if Kanye could do no wrong.   

    We love Kanye and all, and admit, he does sound extra fresh when rapping with the vocoder - each “Swagger Like Us” and “I Put On” find him executing the style perfectly – but a whole album singing in this style is up for debate. Sure, the vocoder/autotuner has a generally negative history in hip-hop, after it was beaten to death by countless west-coast jams of the 90's, not to mention it's recent resurrection with love-him-or-hate-him hit machine, T-Pain. But Kanye's take on it is a little different than what we've seen in the past. He isn't creating syrupy pop jams like Pain; the dark lead single, “Love Lockdown” is evident of that. Instead combines it with the bass-heavy 808 drum to evoke emotion and pour his soul out in a risky, experimental LP. 

    The relationship with is ex is the primary subject of the album, as it is discussed at length throughout the entirety of the project. “Say You Will” beats like a life-support machine, meshed with gloomy pianos in a style that's more Radiohead than Roger Troutman. “Welcome To Heartbreak” is perhaps the album's most revealing moment, as lonely Kanye sing-raps about balancing the wild life of a superstar and that of a more grounded family man, with poignant lyrical content. He is also found in self-examination on “Amazing”, while Young Jeezy lends a rapped version of Kanye's ego-driven lament. 

    “Love Lockdown” seems to have been written right after the breakup itself, as he states, “I'm in love with you, but the vibe is wrong / and that haunted me, all the way home”.  But Kanye delves into his reasoning for the breakup, which doesn't just fall on his own complex personality. “Paranoid” has a dancey, upbeat 1980's style track, as he implies his ex's sense of worry ruined the limited times they share together. “Robocop” expands on this, as he really digs into her, with blistering Trent Reznor-style drums, but soft symphonic strings, as he compares her to Misery's Annie Wilkes. Asshole or victim? There's two sides to every story.

    We all go through breakups and hardships in our lives, so on some level, there will be moments we can all relate to on this LP. However, only an ego as big as Kanye's would believe that we would be interested in hearing this type of vanity project which basically explores one topic in one style. Because he is such a huge star, of course he knew we would all be listening, however the universal praise the album has received begs the question as to whether people love the album, or just love Kanye in general. We suppose it's nice to hear something from Mr. West during the off season (as we didn't expect another LP from him for another year or so), but we prefer drum loops and chipmunk soul, over 808's and Heartbreak. - Pizzo

   Just about anything we’ve seen on Black Milk seems to mention either Dr. Dre or J Dilla.  Sometimes both in the same review, interview, or what have you. The disservice this does to Black Milk however is that he’s setting out in his own direction.  His records don’t sound like anyone else’s.  His name is quickly becoming like that of Kanye West, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre or RJD2 in that it usually makes you at least stop for a second and check it out on his name alone.  In the past two years he’s put out his own solo records, worked extensively with both Elzhi and Bishop Lamont and has further plans for more material early next year.

  He still took the time however to drop one of the better hip hop albums this year with Tronic.  Tronic features some solid samples both also includes live instrumentation, guest spots going the other direction with Dwele on trumpet and scratches from Premier. He gets Detroit names like Elzhi and Fat Ray and reaches to New York for appearances from Sean P and Pharaohe Monch all while holding down his own on the mic.

   If Kanye is the Jay-Z of producers on the Mic, then Black Milk is Guru.  While Kanye prefers to try to reach the stars with varying results, Black Milk is more consistent.  He might have less hooks, but Milk doesn’t crossover into corny terrirory like West can.  Right out of the gates he gets one of the best songs in with "Long Story Short", starting with a Sergio Leone-esque piano lick, dropping drums, and some way out strings, carrying the rhythm. Towards the end, an ice cold trumpet comes in and Black Milk carries it through with his own personal short form biography.

   "Bounce" sounds like something Michael Jackson would have killed in 1986, only it’s a little too hard for an R&B hook, but perfect for Milk to flip his rhymes. "Without U" is the guilty pleasure of the album.  It’s the softer side of the album and it works, although it doesn’t always tend to fit in with the rest of the sound.  But it sounds like a perfect summer jam.  Despite the fact that much of the album is made without samples, the Royce Da 5’9” guested "Losing Now" uses a good sample to good effect.

   "Hell Yeah", "Overdose" and "The Matrix" are also album standouts.  No one except Black Milk could create the soundscapes on these songs.  Each "The Matrix", "Hell Yeah", and "Try" all evoke certain elements of J Dilla, and Black Milk as much cites the man as an influence, but they keep their own distinct vibe.  "The Matrix" is a great posse cut featuring Pharaohe Monch, Sean Price and cuts by Premier, it’s like the photo negative version of something Mantronix might have made back in the day.

   "Tronic Summer", "Bond 4 Life" and "Elec Outro" close out the album on a slightly warmer note than the album begins on.  It’s like Winter going into Summer.  What’s most exciting about this album is to see what Black Milk is capable of.  He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, he’s still trying new things, and unlike Kanye, he’s making them work. - Dane Johnson

   Chris Bridges could be forgiven for coasting at this point in his career. It would be perfectly understandable if he put it on cruise control, content to cash checks from his blossoming acting career and occasionally dropping a hot 16 on someone else's song.

   It's to Ludacris' credit, then, that he sounds as committed to his craft as ever on his latest full length release, Theater of the Mind. As the title implies, it's heavily influenced in theme and execution by his current Hollywood reality, but without the pandering that one might expect to come with it.

   To be sure, there are some fluffy, radio and club-friendly cuts. The lead single, the Chris Brown-aided "What Them Girls Like," is one, as is "One More Drink," a salute to beer goggles that features a T-Pain chorus and an undeniably catchy backdrop cooked up by The Trackmasters.

   But Luda's biggest strength is his versatility, whether it's the speed, tone or content of his rhymes, so he sounds equally at home on Theater's grimier numbers - like when he's joined by Rick Ross and Playaz Circle to compare street bona fides on "Southern Gangsta." Does he really "keep some heat and a couple of rounds" like he suggests on "Call Up the Homies?" Maybe, maybe not, but he sounds credible when he says it.

   It helps that previous successes allow him to assemble one of the finest collections of major label talent around to serve as guest stars, including T.I., Common, The Game and the man of the hour, Lil Wayne. The beatmakers are no slouches either, with Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz and Darkchild all among the producers contributing tracks.

   While he doesn't quite come through on the original concept of establishing a unique mood on every song, Ludacris definitely comes thundering down the stretch run of the album with plenty of pure lyricism. He boasts of being “the first Southern rapper on a Primo beat” (Editor's note: Devin The Dude "Doobie Ashtray". Checkmate, Luda.) on “MVP,” talks motivation with New York kings Nas and Jay-Z on “I Do It for Hip Hop” and revisits the cautionary ground of “Runaway Love” on “Do the Right Thing.”

   If it’s possible to sound hungry after going platinum 10-plus times, Luda pulls it off as he’s trading urgent rhymes with Weezy on “Last of a Dying Breed.” And in case you think he forgot the target he’s occasionally had on his back, his final verse includes these lines: “They say O’Reilly don’t like him/Oprah won’t invite him/the President denounced him/no one will announce him./Controversial lyrics like I’m crying for help/very talented, but I should be ashamed of myself.”

   Truth is, Ludacris shouldn’t be feeling any shame. Theater of the Mind may not reinvent the rap game, but if every artist who tasted a little fame and fortune kept putting as much effort into it as he does here, there wouldn’t need to be a discussion about reinventing it at all. - Nick Tylwalk

        The weatherman needs no introduction. There are certain groups and individuals in hip-hop that are always consistent and constantly deliver.  The man they call Evidence is one of those individuals.  Whether it with his group Dilated Peoples alongside Rakka Iriscience and DJ Babu or on the solo tip, Evidence has never disappointed.   After a year and half hiatus he is back with The Layover EP on Decon Media.  This is just a warm up to the Cats and Dogs LP coming soon.  Is Evidence winning streak intact with his latest release or does it fall flat? 

      If you are a fan of Evidence or the Dilated camp, you know the answer to the above question.  Once again Evidence delivers a solid outing.   He will never rewrite the book on rapping, but he is still better than 85% of the emcees in the game today.   The EP starts with the title track.  After hearing “The Layover” this writer was fearful for the remainder of the EP.  Khrysis lays an extra busy keyboard sounding dud on us to start the album.  Revolution on the cut is the tracks only saving grace.  Never fear Khrysis comes back with an absolute banger on “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.  Phonte, Will.I.Am, and the continually impressive Blu lend their assistance to possibly the best track on the EP.  Alchemist lends his soulful hand to “So Fresh (Step Brothers)" with Evidence and himself going back and forth over a funky loop that will have heads nodding.  Alchemist also rocks the mic and the boards on “The Far Left” feat newcomer Fashawn who holds his own among the veterans. 

    Evidence shows he hasn’t lost it on the boards with “Don’t Hate” with a revitalized Defari.   Both emcees trade verses like they did on the now classic “Major League”.  Babu lends production prowess to “Rain or Shine”, why Babu hasn’t place more beats is beyond this critic.  His choice in samples is uncanny.  The album ends with “The Cold Weather”, a self produced warm up to the forthcoming LP Cats and Dogs, using an eerie piano loop and Revolution cuts to close out the album. As an added bonus the CD also is coupled with a DVD that has videos for 4 of the album cuts and 2 joints from “The Weatherman”.  Definitely worth the pocket change to pick this one up.

    If there is one thing to be said for Evidence it is that he is reliable.  He constantly puts out good music for people that like good music.  With one minor misstep this EP further solidifies that Evidence is definitely one of the hardest working and well-traveled emcees in the game. -DG

   Another year has passed, and in the wake of “eleven number ones” as he casually mentions on “Lorraine Interlude”, T-Pain delivers another LP of millennial computer love, with Thr33 Ringz. Comparing the rap game to a circus, Pain crowns himself the ringleader, as he essentially is the main ingredient to every other artists' respective hit singles released in the last year (“Good Life”, “Low”, “Kiss Kiss”, “I'm So Hood”; take your pick). So, with Thr33 Ringz, we get a massive 17 track LP (not including bonus tracks you might find at various different retailers), but unfortunately Pain once again proves that syrup isn't good all by itself.

    On one hand, credit must be given to T-Pain for coming up with original concepts, despite the fact that many of his songs sound alike – catchy or otherwise. His perspective on things takes normal, overdone themes and re-envisions them with a unique vantage point that could only be seen through T-Pain's sunglasses. For instance, “Chopped and Screwed” - perhaps the album's best track – finds Pain and Ludacris speaking on female players, all by doing so over a chopped and screwed track, doubling the meaning of the song's title. Later, we find the stripper-obsessed T-Pain lamenting that champagne room entertainment is short-lived, so he crafts his own “Long Lapdance” song, only begging the question as to why this song wasn't a half-hour. In perhaps his best moment, the album closer, “Karaoke” finds an angry Pain dissing all of the biters of the autotune style he reintroduced – rapping with no vocoder. He pardons Weezy and Yeezy, however. 

     On the same token, his creative conceptual mind works against him, oft times with corny results. The god-awful lead single and duet with Lil Wayne, “Can't Believe It” force-rhymes words like “cabin” and “Aspen” or “beach house” and “Costa Rica”, over the sleepiest of beats. Meanwhile, “Superstar Lady” is a lame solo joint where Pain describes his perfect woman, who is made up of different parts of.... wait for it.... female R&B singers. “Reality Show” is another awful concept where T-Pain compares a relationship to a...um, do I really even have to finish this sentence?  Also particularly bad is “Change”, a blasphemous posse cut that borrows from Eric Clapton, as each Diddy, Akon, and Mary J. Blige try to inspire – and fail. Here, Akon suggests “Race crimes, hate crimes would never exists / I'd turn every bullet to a Hershey's Kiss / And we could eat away our fears!” Huh?

    However, for the most part, Pain's guest artists help him, rather than hinder him. While this is an average collection of songs at best, the addition of numerous guest artists balances things out a bit. The aforementioned “Chopped and Screwed” owes a lot to Ludacris, while Kanye's hilarious verse on “Therapy” makes it worth the download. Both Chris Brown and Ciara commandeer their selections (“Freeze” and “Blowing Up”), lending their own styles to each, and both will probably end up as hit singles.

    While T-Pain may be the flavor of the month, it's hard to imagine how he will reinvent himself once the talkbox sound has played itself out (read: 2007). Thr33 Ringz is a better LP than his previous two, but reaffirms what we've always known about T-Pain; this ringleader can't have a circus without several different acts to perform with him. - D.T. Swinga

    Not many artists have had the chance of being a member of one of the most influential hip-hop groups ever, and find success as a solo artist. Q-Tip has been a beneficiary as the front man for A Tribe Called Quest and with his debut solo album Amplified. The later found commercial success, but many fans viewed this album as the solicitation of one’s creative soul. Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to redeem himself when the critically acclaimed Kamaal the Abstract was shelved leaving a six year hiatus from any new projects, but some shining moments came out of that time, mainly with reuniting with his former group members and releasing his follow up solo album, the stellar The Renaissance.

   With all but one song produced by the artist, Q-Tip manages to come with an eclectic vibe that is hard at times, but subtle at others, which blends the tracks together well, assisted by creative transitions in between songs. Lyrically, Q-Tip has not lost a step with his abstract flow and smooth delivery. Some examples are, the mellow "Getting’ Up," the jazzy "Shaka," the neo soulish Rafael Saadiq assisted "We Fight/Love," and the cool Amada D featured "ManWomanBoogie." One thing that can definitely be said is that the Abstract takes every opportunity to prove why his type of emceeing is needed, predominately because of the way that he puts words together through his unique style bringing a quality of originality to his music.

    The downside of this album, although being musically superior, it still lacks variety, production wise. Probably because it is pretty much exclusively self-produced it comes off that way, but as far as being experimental or just differing in technique or instrumentation, this album is sorely deficient. But nonetheless, The Renaissance is a superb LP that offers a true artistic interpretation of life, all the while solidifying why Q-Tip is still relevant. - RH

    Six months following, Blu teamed up with Ta’raach to form C.R.A.C. (pronounced “crass”), who together collaborated on The Piece Talks LP for Tres Records. An experimental record, the album found the duo at their blunted best, showing range, but also alienating the more traditional underground fanbase that preferred the more conventional style of Below The Heavens. This time around, Blu is front and center again, now joining producer Mainframe for “Johnson and Jonson”. But is this a worthy follow-up to Below The Heavens, or another mish-mash of sounds and styles like The Piece Talks? The answer: a little bit of both.

   Johnson and Jonson is more of an album than the C.R.A.C. project, as it follows a more down-to-earth formula of beats and lyrics, rather than the hodge-podge of instrumentals and skits that The Piece Talks was. This makes it more of an unofficial sequel to Below The Heavens, however Mainframe’s production has a style all it’s own, and differs from what we heard from Exile. Mainframe takes a cue from producers like Danger Mouse or J. Dilla, with more of a lo-fi approach, letting dusty, sampled vocals run wild, rather than just simply chopping and looping them in standard arrangements.

   This style of beat might fit someone like Ghostface perfectly, but Blu does a great job of latching on to these off-kilter selections and doing what he does best. The album begins with the title track, “J&J”, a messy mash of sixties psychdelica, leading one to believe this would be another ultra experimental project. And it is, in places, but it’s not so weird that there is nothing to grab on to. “Go For The Gusto Room”, for instance, might have one of the meatiest beats on the album, but Blu sticks to the script recounting tales of a bad trip to Vegas, while comedian BoBo Lamb delivers a hilarious narrative about the ills of gambling.

    Things are taken more down to earth on “Up All Night”, where a drunken Blu fills the smoke filled room with freestyle rhymes over a slow burning groove. The flip to this is “Half A Knot”, which finds Blu delivering his unique rhyme cadence over up-tempo over neck-snapping guitar licks and horns, impressing with his breathless flow. “Mama Always Told Me” finds Blu if perfect form, recounting tales of his childhood over a lifted funk 45 groove, as Mainframe lets the track breathe, employing various sections of the original sample.

    Speaking of which, Mainframe and Blu compliment each other wonderfully on several of the tracks, showing a true collaborative spirit between emcee and producer. On “WOW”, Mainstream finds the perfect 8-bar loop employing the title of the track, as Blu weaves his words around the sampled vocals. Even more creative (and was probably more challenging for Blu) is “The Only Way”, a vintage funk song as Blu duets with the unnamed female vocalist, filling in her empty bars with his own words, completing her thoughts. While this sounds incredible nerdy on paper - not to mention a recipe for disaster if given to the wrong backpack emcee – Blu kills it with ease. The album closes with the, ahem, “fab four” sampled “Hold On John”, as Blu pours his heart out over mellow vocals of “an angel singing Lennon to (him)”.

    16 tracks in length, there are a few unmentionable filler tracks, but for the most part, Blu once again proves his worth as a dynamic emcee with tons of creativity, a great voice, ridiculous rhyme structure, solid delivery, and style for days. Mainframe also proves he has enough talent to share the stage with Blu, despite not being quite as rock solid as Exile on the beats. Still, Frame’s production compliments Blu just as well, and the two have carved out another solid entry for Blu’s catalog, and a first for Mainframe’s. Don’t miss this one. – Pizzo

    I can remember the day I received my copy of the Justus League mix tape “N.C. State Of Mind” from this very site back in '03. I excitedly read the inlay card and one name jumped out at me – Edgar Allen Floe. Not only did I think it was a cool name but I had never heard of him before. Much to my uneducated surprise, he came with one of the strongest songs on the tape; the classic “The Righteous Way To Go”. Further reading of the card said: Edgar Allen Floe – Streetwise - Coming Soon. Who would have thought that “soon” would actually be 5 years later, in 2008.

   So was it worth the wait? Once you press play, Floe brings you down memory lane and up to speed at the same time with “What It Is” featuring Median. The warm yet chilling vocal wails exemplify the classic Justus League sound that we all fell in love with in the first place. Further on, Floe offers his unique brand of social commentary on “I See It All”. One line rings especially true when he spits “the fifth grader with a second grade reading skill/with each test failed they know another prison's filled”. Along with tracks like “Exposure” [which offers details insight into his native North Carolina music scene], it is this unbridled honesty that proves to be Floe's key strength throughout this 16 track journey. However, the most impressive lyrical display is displayed on the Tragedy Khadafi remake of “Arrest The President”. Floe tears through a stripped down drum break like a man possessed and beats the instrumental into submission for four minutes straight. It truly is an exhilarating listen.

   On an album that features production from 9th Wonder and Khrysis, it is upcoming producer Blunt who provides the lushest sound on the closer “Won't Change”. Floe flows with introspective smoothness over the soulful yet funky sound scape reaffirming his unyielding stance to keep it real and stay true to himself.

   All in all, Floe has created a very solid piece of work that bodes well for his future endeavours. While Floe has not made an album that that critics or fans may label an instant classic – he has created a great album that can be listened to from top to bottom. This only proves that Floe is not just “streetwise” but “wise” - period. -K.I.N.E.T.I.K.

   Whether Murs For President is your first, fifth, or thirteenth exposure to the man will depend on how you enjoy the LP. This is Murs first major label solo entry, so the pressure to create a record that will sell is high. That being said, Murs has a budget at his disposal, allowing him to tap some of his favorite creators and collaborators, so guests on the album range from 9^th Wonder to Snoop Dogg, resulting in a multitude of different styles and sounds.

    The album opens with “I'm Innocent”, which sticks to tradition, re-teaming Murs and 9^th Wonder, as Murs breaks down his frustrations with the industry, defining his position on the key issues: “I'm anti-thug and anti-drugs / brought peace to the party and got anti-love”. This song is a perfect introduction to the honest, real dude that Murs is.

   Murs is at his best when rhyming on subjects he feels passionately about, and it comes through in his lyrics. “Can It Be” packs a well-timed Michael Jackson sample, as Murs battles with his audience for acceptance, despite the industry politics that effect his art. “The Science” is also notable, over a knocking track from Scoop Deville, where Murs takes the podium to speak on how the government has their hands in the drug game, or how poverty led to the birth of hip-hop music.

   The Nottz produced “Think You Know Me” might seem like post-2001 west coast braggadocio at surface value, but deeper introspection of the lyrics reveals more. In each verse, Murs speaks from the perspectives of various Los Angeles stereotypes, and how prejudices effect their lives. The album's best track is “Road Is My Religion”, where Murs gives a first hand account of how life as a touring hip-hop artist isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

   Despite a handful of solid selections during it's first half, Murs For President goes off in different tangents during it's second half. Murs taps into his west coast roots more than ever on this release, starting with the sticky-icky funk of “Soo Comfotable”, followed by the piano driven “Time Is Now”, produced by Niggarachi, featuring Snoop Dogg and LeToya Williams. The aformentioned “Think You Know Me” is also in this set, as is the other Nottz beat “Me & This Jawn” that once again employs the Isley Brothers “For The Love Of You” sample for the umpteenth time.

   Meanwhile, the last act of the album goes in entirely another direction, with a trio of relationship songs, suggesting Murs might have just come out of a bad breakup. 9^th chimes in again on “Love & Appreciate II”, where Murs breaks down his views on the word “Love”. Following this is the rock-fueled “A Part Of Me”, which unfortunately doesn't fit with the rest of the tracks on the album. By the time “Break Up (The OJ Song)” hits, the subject matter of relationships has already been beaten to death by the two songs preceding it.

    Ultimately, the issue of trying to “keep all of the glasses of water full”, as he puts it, is the main problem with Murs For President. Sure, the longtime fans of Murs will enjoy the first half of the album, and he seems to be in his element making the type of music that comes most naturally to him. But this won't really strike a chord with the local G's that keeps songs 8 through 11 on repeat, nor the groupie girls that stay within range of the last half of the album. Despite having a large dose of concentrated quality, Murs For President shows that you can't please all of the people, all of the time. - DT Swinga

   We Global is the third annual “mixtape-album” from the man, showing a brand of commercial consistency we haven’t seen from virtually any of his peers as of late. Each of his albums have been led by huge posse cuts such as “We Taking Over”, “I’m So Hood”, and “Holla At Me”, featuring the usual suspects Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Akon, Trick Daddy, etc. This recipe for success hasn’t failed him yet, as each of his albums have debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, and this time is no different. We Global is his new catchphrase and album, and it’s led by yet another huge club smash, “Out Here Grindin”, a blistering Runners produced knocker featuring Akon, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Lil’ Boosie, Ace Hood, and Plies. See a pattern yet?

   Despite the formulaic approach, The Runners have come into their own as producers, and “Out Here Grindin” captures them in the prime of their career, as each of the hood-star generals drop their sixteen bars. Kanye West also is treated to a Runners beat on We Global, with the album opener “Go Hard”, as he joins T-Pain in a celebration of the vocoder. Like or not, it’s a different style of song for Kanye – even from what is heard on Heartbreaks and 808’s – as The Runners produce the perfect Southern beats, giving a glimpse of what Kanye would sound like as a “gangster rapper”. These two opening selections will sell the album alone.

    Next up, “Go Ahead”, features Rick Ross, Fabolous, Flo Rida, Fat Joe, and Lloyd. Each of the emcees delivers rhymes about women they’ve got their eyes on, over an up-tempo Runners club-track, however Lloyd’s choice of hook lacks the hit-making madness of previous Khaled entries from T-Pain or Akon. “She Fine” is another potential club hit, as Sean Paul leads a Danja produced track, as Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes donate verses to Khaled’s repertoire. On the solo tip, both Nas (“I’m On”) and Game (“Game (Red Light)”) have cuts on We Global, but both are substandard fare, neither of which outshine anything on their respective albums.

    The album takes a turn for the worse in the second half, as much of the rest of it spotlights local talent from the state of Florida. “Final Warning” is an absolute mess, as the team of Rock City, Ace Hood, Blood Raw, Bali, Lil Scrappy, Shawty Lo, Brisco & Bun B define why you’ve never heard of most of them before. “Fuck The Other Side” also falls flat, as Trick Daddy and The Dunk Ryders perform over the most derivative of Southern beats. The same can be said for the repetitive “Blood Money”, featuring Rick Ross, Brisco, Birdman, and Ace Hood, and the unfortunate Johnny Osbourne sampled “Bullet”, also featuring Ross. If only local hero Pitbull could have saved the latter half of this album with a club banger of his own, but sadly “Defend Dade” is anything but.

    Perhaps the biggest fault on this album is the overuse of Khaled’s new artist Ace Hood, who appears on four of the album’s thirteen tracks, never really justifying his presence on any of them. Or, it could be that the star power was spread too thin. Or, perhaps it’s the abundance of Florida based up-and-comers that dominate the second half of the record, which pales in comparison to the first. At this point in the game, we all know better than to purchase a mixtape-album, but Khaled knows some 300,000 will do it anyway – he’s global. - Pizzo

   A title like Evolver is a scary thing, especially if you are an artist like John Legend, whom has delivered two arguably classic albums, relying mostly on his own strengths to do so. The album's lead single, "Green Light", is a great pop jam, teaming John Legend with Andre 3000, as the unsure duo asks their respective ladies for a go-signal. It's an excellent collaboration, but sounds much more like something one might find on The Love Below, rather than Get Lifted. Meanwhile, the album's second single, "It's Over", is another superb collaboration, as Legend joins a heartless Kanye West over a banging Neptunes beat, built around classic Freedom "Get Up and Dance" sample (as heard on BDP's "U Must Learn" or SWV's "Anything"). At the surface we have two incredible debut tracks from Evolver, but both breaking the typical Legend formula. So how does the rest of the album hold up?

    Conceptually, Legend is still on track. His lyrical content always has a little bit of a twist to it, rather than the standard love-song drivel. Case in point is the album's soft-rock entry, "Everybody Knows" – a breakup song – clearly not the best we've heard from Legend – but still armed with a zinger of a punchline at the end of each verse (no spoilers). Meanwhile, "Quickly", another sub-standard entry thanks to the inclusion of an unneeded Brandy, finds the duo suggesting with all of the current problems in the world, they better mate, and fast. Again, Legend in top lyrical form with trademark wink-and-a-nod innuendo, despite the unnecessarily trading of his usual piano skills for studio produced beats. Hence, Evolver.

   The album takes a turn for the better during it's second half. The seducer in Legend comes out in full regalia, as a well-paced second act slowly works on his target's emotions (that would be you, ladies). "This Time" is a beautifully written piano ballad, as the more flawed-but-forgivable aspects of his character rear their head as he begs for forgiveness. The will.i.am produced "Satisfaction" follows, as John takes it back upbeat, again finding John back in true form. The bossa-nova flavored, Fender-Rhodes driven "Take Me Away" sets the mood, as he winds down the evening for his lover, suddenly finding himself next to her in the A.M. on "Good Morning". Here, Legend strikes it right out of the park, as he extends requisite pillow-talk into a four-minute before-breakfast ballad. Wow, some guys don't even manage foreplay.

   The proverbial cherry on top is "I Love, You Love", a perfectly executed slow-burner, as will.i.am captures some of the same collaborative magic found on 1nce Again. The album closes out with the inspirational "If You're Out There", another powerful piano driven track, where Legend delivers a cryptic message about "change", without saying it directly (that being, "vote Obama").

   Sure, Evolver might have been a scary title at first, but in the end, John Legend is still John Legend; he thankfully did not just decide on a whim to record an album of Gregorian Chant Rap or something. What is great about his music – just as on his other albums – he does not claim to be the perfect man, he confesses his faults openly (alcoholism, infidelity), but ends up being forgivable for doing so. He's a gifted, clever songwriter and talented musician, and those strengths still shine through, despite the fact he's moving further away from his piano playing roots. While not as strong as his first two records, and despite a somewhat rocky opening, the album ultimately delivers in the end. It will be interesting to see what John Legend evolves into next. - Pizzo

   When Canadian MC Kardinal Offishall dropped Fire and Glory in 2005, he was primed for success.  You couldn’t find an album without a Offishall guest spot.  He was like Lil’ Wayne minus give or take 30 mixtapes.  Despite appearing seemingly everywhere, Offishall couldn’t maintain his own solo success.  Even if he doesn’t break through much of the American mainstream, this album seems to have set Offishall off for artistic success at the very least.

   If anything this album is incredibly varied.  "Burnt" starts off as a modern dancehall and hip-hop mash, which is then followed by "Set It Off" featuring Clipse, which could have fit in perfectly on Hell Hath No Fury.  The lead single, "Dangerous", follows with a hook by Akon, if one didn’t know better, it could be assumed this was a Timberland produced R&B song.  Offishall rides the beat perfect sounding like a more relaxed version of Ludacris.  "Digital Motown" follows, as the album is on a solid run of 4 of 4. 

   "Gimme Some" is up next, trying to ride the successful R&B wave of "Dangerous". Offishall makes the beat his, but ultimately it just comes off as a little slow and a little off. This track prooves that whether you love or hate Akon, the man can sing a hook. "Numba 1" continues the R&B guest vocals with a guest spot from Rihanna.  She makes a pretty hard beat work for her, but when Offishall comes in it sounds like a different song.

   "Ill Eagle Alien" brings some very familiar sounding production from Nottz.  Like a moonwalking Dr. Dre, the keys combined with unusual samples make it sound like a vintage Busta Rhymes track.  On "Nina", Offishall switches to singing instead of rhyming and the results over a classic reggae sample turns into perfect summer in the sun music.

   The last two tracks sound like where TI was going on Paper Trail, increased synth based electronics.  "Due Me a Favor" features Offishall talking about making it out of his problems dropping “Minds on my money but my money ain’t there, but I will not resort to welfare, I can’t stop, won’t stop, couldn’t even do it if I tried.”  "Lighter" makes for the perfect closer as Offishall sings the hook and alternates his own verses back and forth over the beat.  If Not 4 Sale doesn’t make Offishall a full fledged star in the states, it’ll be an essential in his back catalogue after he gets huge off album number three. - Dane Johnson

    DJ Babu's Duck Season 3 is bittersweet. If you haven't been paying attention to what is happening in the world of subterranean hip-hop as of late, Duck Season 3 offers the perfect snapshot of what's currently hot in backpack land, and also, exactly what is currently wrong with the scene. More than just a mixtape, Duck Season 3 is a thinly veiled way for the Dilated Junkie to present his own LP to the world, spotlighting his production. Babs produces most of the album himself, allowing him to showoff his vastly underrated beat skills, and as an added bonus, is mixed together by him as well.

   Needless to say, Babs shows his natural knack as a DJ and paces this album perfectly. It opens with a freestyle from his Dilated brethren, as Rakaa and Evidence introduce the album over a set of raucous horns, leading perfectly into his next selection, "Dearly Departed" by M.O.P. As a longtime fan of the crew, Babs lends another banging horn driven track to Brownsville's finest, who kill it with ease. The HOJ crew steps up for "Fan Mail", as Little Brother are joined by D-Brock and Joe Scudda, as Babs sews it together with "Dearly Departed" by cutting up a classic M.O.P. sample over chopped up funk and blues samples. The album kicks into high gear on easily its best track, "The Unexpected", where MF Doom and Sean Price deliver numerous body blows over an original beat (thankfully no recycled Special Herbs or Donuts for the umpteenth time).

   Speaking of Donuts, Guilty Simpson holds Detroit on his back on "Frozen", proving he doesn't need a Dilla beat to do so. A.G. also shows he hasn't missed a beat on "East West Connection", as he effortlessly slides into character, Showbiz beat or not. Newcomer Bishop Lamont justifies his Aftermath record deal on "My Opinion", while Kardinal Offishall shows that despite his newfound pop status he can still hang with the best of them, as he and Rakka-Iriscience freestyle over minimalist drums.

   But, as mentioned before, the album is bittersweet, and is paced perfectly. Reason being is that Babu grabs your attention with album's first set of high-powered selections and top tier talent. Like a good DJ, once he has you hooked in, he takes a few liberties and slides in some B and C list tracks. At this point, the album declines in quality track by track, as it begins to become overrun by favors, homies, and local Cali artists – which are inevitable on any mixtape by any high-profile DJ.

   Many Stones Throw alum / dropouts deliver their selections, as Duck Season 3's latter half becomes a place where half-baked rappers go to die. Thankfully, the Cali Agents (Rasco and Planet Asia) sound reinvigorated on Babu's "Graveyardshiftin'" track, but M.E.D. ("It's A New Day") and the pair of Oh No & Roc C ("Meant To Be") prove why their albums didn't sell on their respective selections. The derivative "SBX2LAX2OX" (featuring Wildchild & Percee P) begs the question as to why collaborating rappers from different cities always title their songs with this formula, then answers the query with it's bland, unoriginal content. Meanwhile, the "always-show-up-to-the-party" crews Strong Arm Steady ("O.G."), Psycho Realm, and Self Scientific ("Black & Brown Army") overstay their welcome, as usual. Sadly, the album ends with a selection by kid-rapper Niko on "Ahead of My Time", which only confuses the audience.

    Harsh criticisms aside, there are several can't miss selections on Duck Season 3. Again, the album provides a play-by-play analysis of what is great about the underground scene and what is wrong with it. The pros of Duck Season 3 include the fact that this is a true mixtape, mixed to perfection by a true DJ, spotlighting a handful of some of the scenes brightest stars doing what they do best over Babu's strong production. The cons of the album show the scene's problem with nepotism and politics, as lackluster artists that have friendships with Babs force their way on to the record. Regardless, in today's day and age of digital music, after listening through it once, many fans will keep the songs they like, delete the ones they don't. If only Babu could have done the same. – D.T. Swinga

   For years now, Devin has been delighting us with his southern syrupy tales of his way of life, one that consists of lots of weed, drinks, and women.  But this is mainly due to the fact that we all know a “Devin”, some of them are in our families, friends, or if you don’t know, maybe you are that “Devin” that is being referred to, basically someone who is living life on their own terms.  So with his departure from his long time home Rap-A-Lot, The Dude releases Smoke Sessions Vol. 1, a mixtape that bring nothing to the table but the usual “tricks” and treats that our “favorite” emcees usually gives us. 

    "The Intro" sets the tone as Devin rhymes, ”Walk kinda lympish/Smell kinda hempish/Player type style/With the pen I’m kinda pimpish…” letting the average fan know that right out the gate you are getting what you are looking for, no more no less.  Devin continues only the way he can on tracks like “Getting High,” “She Want Me To Get Closer,” and “Makin’ It Hard.”  But what is most interesting on this album is Devin’s attempt at something different with “Searching” an eerie track of what you experience from a bad trip or prolonged usage of drugs of all types while making you laugh for a strange reason all at the same time.

   The only flaw on this mixtape is when some of Devin’s crew try to hold their own on their own song, and being that their subject matter and delivery is so different from the featured artist, their attempts come off uneven and out of place.  But most importantly, aside from new artists and similar to greatest hits compilations, a mixtape cannot be fairly judged since it’s soul purpose is to give their fans material that they would not ordinary be able to retrieve while giving them the gift of more music from their favorite artist, or serving as a liaison to their next project.  And Smoke Sessions Vol. 1 is an example for that the average fan will not be disappointed and waiting or getting his next featured LP. - RH

     Despite Todd Smith's missteps over the last couple of years, you have look at the man as a legend.  He is a pioneer in hip-hop, and still an emcee at heart.  Since Phenomenon this writer hasn’t checked for Ladies Love in the slightest, but the new singles “Baby” (for radio) and “Rocking with the G.O.A.T” (for street) produced by DJ Scratch of EPMD fame, changed all of that. What would Exit 13 hold beneath it's album cover? LL has always been able to weave in and out of commercial success, especially earlier in his illustrious career, the question everyone needs answered is, can he do it again?

   The answer is…somewhat.  That sounds vague, but “Exit 13” teeters between "great album" and "good album".  Starting with “It’s Time for War” LL challenges anybody who denies his legacy; a bold statement needed in a time of lackluster emcees.  “Old School New School” has a bouncy Ryan Leslie track, where LL is once again compares the new class with the veterans. As always, LL puts himself on the highest pedestal. Having confidence is one thing, but sometimes L seems to take a little far.  50 Cent shows up on “Feel My Heart Beat” using a familiar baseline from the 90’s, but LL fails to deliver lyrically over solid production from the Dream Team.  Other notable tracks are “Ringtone Murder” featuring Grandmaster Caz, and the aforementioned “Baby” (feat. The Dream). Maybe the best track on the album is “Dear Hip-Hop” where DJ Scratch shows he doesn’t miss a step on the turntables.   

    Unfortunately, that’s where it stops; the rest of Exit 13 is full sub-par production, boring lyrics, and unnecessary guest appearances.  “Get Over Here” feat Nicolette Jiz and some other yah-hoos maybe the worst LL song this critic has ever heard.  LL tries to rhyme double time on more than one occasion including “Get Over Here”, “American Goal” and the completely pointless “Mr. President”.  LL continues to show why nobody is checking for him anymore on “Come and Party With Me” featuring Fat Joe and Sheek Louch. It would be nice if all these guys would just go back to making some music with soul, instead of the party nonsense.  

    All in all, the album is what every LL Cool J album has been since 1996, just ok.   There are flashes of the LL we all know and love, and then he seems to reverberate back to making records that brainless record execs think will sell.   We miss you LL, we don’t want you to stop, but we do hope you read our reviews and take note. - Darin Gloe

    It’s been 8 years since we heard a compilation album from the one and only DJ Revolution.  Touted as maybe the best scratch DJ in the game, the anticipation was high for King of the Decks.  Before we get into the album itself, let’s talk about the demise of the DJ over the last 8 years.  Hip-Hop and the Hip-Hop DJ have slowly been on the decline since around 1999.  In the 80's and 90’s the DJ was the focal point of any hip-hop group and sometimes the superstar, i.e.:  DJ Premier, Pete Rock, DJ Jazzy Jeff.   Some may argue that the art of DJing itself is dead along with the culture we all know and love called hip-hop.  Here to resurrect both, comes DJ Revolution with quite possibly the best compilation this year, King of the Decks.      

      The album starts with the Magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff breaking down what it takes to be the King of the Decks, then Revolution shows us all why he is the that title belongs to him.  Not only does Revolution do all the scratches, but the entire LP is his production.  Next up is the oddly paired Sean Price and Tash (from The Liks) aptly titled “King of the Decks”.  Tash hasn’t lost a step and Sean Price is always solid, as Rev kills the chorus with the perfectly placed Dr. Dre sample.  One of the songs we have to touch on is “The DJ” featuring the teacher KRS-One.   Not only does KRS diss wack, no talent DJs but he also breaks down the rules of what not do to be a respected DJ.  Every DJ should listen to this song and take it to heart.   “Funky Piano” uses the familiar sample while the savior of the west coast, Bishop Lamont, along with Crooked I, ride the mic like a low-rider through South Central.    

    “The Big Top” starts off with a hilarious skit about the circus compared to watching rap videos today, which had this writer rolling on the ground.  Special Teamz comes through and murders the track as Rev once again cuts up the Audio Two sample from “Top Billin”.  DJ Revolution is so humble for a man that is at the top of the game.  On “Scratch Nerds” another hilarious skit he pokes fun at those that take DJing and scratching too seriously, as well as taking subtle jabs at DJ Khaled, Whoo Kid, and others who Rev does not consider real DJs. Other stand outs include the Blaq Poet and Bumpy Knuckles collaboration “Damage”, “Casualties of Tour” which has Revolution grabbing the mic alongside Rakka Iriscience of Dilated Peoples relating to what it is like to be on tour.  The battles between Q-Bert and the Re-Match of Rev vs. Spinbad are both classic hip-hop at its best without boring the listener.

      There are really no drawbacks to the album; the emcees, the DJs, and the production are outstanding throughout.  Taking page from Prince Paul the use of skits are executed to perfection utilizing the guests to the fullest as well as showcasing the vast talent that DJ Revolution possesses behind the turntables.  If you are looking for an album that will give a renewed faith in hip-hop, pick this one up. - Darin Gloe

   It is clearly evident that the economy is in dire straights.  With record breaking home foreclosures, unemployment rising, and not to mention fluctuating gas prices, it is obvious that things are bleak.  So this seems to have trickled into the hip-hop world by that now your favorite baller is even feeling the pinch.  This is reflected in the new release of Young Jeezy’s latest LP, The Recession, an album that addresses these points but unfortunately not straying far from materialism, which makes the album come off uneven with varying viewpoints.

   The Recession begins beautifully with “The Recession (the Intro).”  Over a magnificent DJ Toomp beat, you hear testimonials from the average person trying to make it followed by Jeezy reinforcing the point with clever witty word play.  Later on the album, Mr. 17.5 speaks again on the downside of society on the Kanye West assisted “Put On” that serves not only as a public service announcement, but also as an anthem for the down and out.  But interestingly, Jeezy manages to touch on some topics that he normally wouldn’t as he talks to his critics of his lyrical ability on “Word Play”. He is also found getting quasi political on the Nas featured “My President,” proving that Jeezy is much more than a drug dealing thug, but someone with keen observations with a sound opinion.

   But it is the middle of the album where things become disappointing.  If you were already a fan, one would be satisfied for that it is not out the ordinary of what you are used to hearing from Jeezy, but he manages to miss a real opportunity to expand on what he sees to be a tough times, but mixes it poorly with fast living and the same old topics on tracks like “Hustlaz Ambition,” “Amazing,” and “Welcome Back.”  But overall, Jeezy is on the right track proving that the dope boyz finally get it... - RH

     Kool Keith has always been one for reinvention, but also one to revisit the same concepts over and over again. On one hand, we've seen Keith perform under various identities and member to numerous groups, each of his respective projects coming with a different sound or style. However, the most successful of these offshoots was Dr. Octagon, and as many times as he has “killed” the character, the project just won't die. 

      While his Dr. Dooom project, First Come First Served, attempted to slay the Octagon character some ten years ago, a directionless Keith had to win some fans back after a handful of disappointing solo releases, namely Black Elvis, Matthew and Spankmaster. A series of new Dr. Octagon projects manifested themselves – all produced by outside parties that had nothing to do with the original release – each of which ultimately led to failure. The most consistent of these was perhaps Mr. Nagatco' Nagatco Rd., while the bootleg Dr. Octagon 2 and The Return of Dr. Octagon projects soiled the legacy of the original release. So, here we are, back at square one, with Dr. Dooom 2, which is led by - wait for it - “R.I.P. Dr. Octagon”. 

      The difference this time around, is that Kut Masta Kurt is back in the fold, who produced both the original Dooom LP, as well as shared production duties on the classic Dr. Octagon. Keith is back on his weird shit – rapping about things like gorillas, moose, and rats, however in all of it's experimentation, Keith's rhyme cadence is stranger than ever, with a rushed, off-beat style that doesn't necessarily compliment Kurt's production. While Kurt is usually no slouch on the boards, here we find some of his oddest production yet, with darker beats that evoke images of horror movie scenes. It's a new style for Kurt – different than the disturbing slow burn found on Octagon or the more tradition boom-bap found on his Dilated records – but it fits the off-kilter style of the project. Had Keith not seemed so careless in his rhyming duties, perhaps these beats might have had a better chance to shine. 

     Sadly, Keith tries to beat the critics to the punch by suggesting that they/we will compare this record to the first one, and fuck us for doing so. But it's a sequel - so the comparison is inevitable – but he's right, it's not as good as First Come First Served, plain and simple. The problems with the album lie in an obvious lack of quality control that Keith has been showing at this stage in his career. Even listening to the recently released Sex Style Unreleased Archives shows us that these two had plenty of more brilliance left up their collective sleeve, but Dr. Dooom 2 suggests it's either all used up or just not being harnessed correctly. - D.T. Swinga

   Back in the mid 90’s it was undeniable that Mobb Deep was one of the premier hip-hop groups emerging on the scene.  Albums like The Infamous, Hell on Earth, and Murda Muzik were stellar with great beats mixed with phenomenal lyrics.  Prodigy later went on to release H.N.I.C. in 2000 that was received very well and had everyone anticipating Mobb Deep’s next project.  But with Infamy, things took another direction, as the group was perceived as selling out to garner commercial success later to be followed by label changes eventually joining the G-Unit imprint.  Their first release from the label Blood Money did not fare well and just added to the string of disappointments.  

    In 2007 Prodigy released Return of the Mac and with top-notch production from the Alchemist, things were on the up and up for Prodigy and the Infamous name.  But once again, things become sour with H.N.I.C. Pt. 2, a disappointing mediocre offering from a talented emcee who sounds out dated and uninspired.

   Honestly, the only bright spots on the album can be seen in the beginning with tracks like “Real Power is People,” “The Life,” and “Young Veterans.”  It is here that Prodigy is able to merge grimy, gritty lyrics with social commentary.  This has been a strong suit for him in the past, in addition, the production for the most part coincides by being dark, fitting well with P’s vocal tone.

   What makes this album disappointing is the uninspired delivery by the emcee on most tracks.  After the first H.N.I.C., Prodigy seemed to come down with a severe case of writer’s block, and even though he managed to squeeze out a couple of decent tracks, this album overall lacks substance, basically being pointless constituting a string on thug ramblings and idle threats, often coming in the forms of interludes and skits.  So it is sad to see an artist of Prodigy’s caliber come out with another subpar project, but maybe it will serve as motivation for his next go ‘round. - RH

     After the release of King, one could say that T.I. hit a high point, perhaps even the apex of his career. The 2006 LP was his fourth release in five years, which saw the Atlanta rapper coming into his own, rather than just being the Southern flavor of the month. With a strong set of singles including “What U Know”, “Why U Wanna”, “Top Back”, “Front Back” (yes, all very similarly titled and confusing), the album was set up incredibly well, and delivered on the promise made by its singles. The record would go own to be a classic, establishing T.I. as the official “king of the south” – a self-appointed title some were laughing at just two years earlier (including Yours Truly). 

     With T.I. Vs. T.I.P. following just a year later, folks expected the same results, but were quickly let down. This time around, the album was preceded by a handful of lackluster singles – “Big Things Poppin”,  “You Know What It Is”, and “Hurt”, none of which had the staying power of anything that preceded King. Despite still going platinum, T.I.’s fans felt a let down with an album that was equally as dissatisfying as its singles. 

      Shortly after the album’s release, T.I. was put on house arrest for weapons charges, as a looming trial waits. With plenty of time to craft a new LP, T.I. has delivered Paper Trail, the first LP since I’m Serious to feature T.I. writing his lyrics down, rather than memorizing them. With a potential prison bid on the table, the stakes are higher than ever for T.I., who hopes to create another classic with his latest set. 

     By now, you’ve heard several of the tracks that make up the strongest material on Paper Trail. Intentionally leaking the whole LP little by little, T.I. made sure his fans were getting a stronger LP this time around. The first peek at the release was the slow southern drawl of “No Matter What”, finding an introspective T.I. eyeing his uncertain future. More of a strong album cut than a single, the club heaters slowly started to be released into the wild. First was the Swizz Beatz fueled “Swing Your Rag”. Different from the raucous marching band sound of their last single together – “Bring Em Out”, instead propelled by Swizzy’s abrasive drums, ceremonial horns, and infectious hook. The buzz was starting, but what really kicked the door in was “Whatever You Like”, a super-smooth player’s anthem in the tradition of King’s “What U Know”, that preaches the motto-of-the-moment, “it ain’t trickin’ if you got it”. Another home run was hit shortly thereafter with the Rihanna featured “Live Your Life” – again, done in the tradition of King’s “Why U Wanna”, again sampling a classic house song, that meets at the crossroads with Kanye West’s “Good Life”. With a set of high-powered instant classics like these, it seems like T.I. could do no wrong on his latest LP. 

      And for the most part, this is true. T.I. doesn’t shy from collaborating with several other artists that share his star-power, and the results knock it out the park every time. Perhaps the biggest moment on the LP is “Swagger Like Us”, an ego-fest featuring each T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil’ Wayne rapping over an M.I.A. sample. If that didn’t surprise you, “On Top Of The World” surely would, as former sparring partner Ludacris buries the hatchet with T.I., and the two go for broke on the same track with a catchy, celebratory hook. Even the crossover artists shine on Paper Trail, as John Legend helps lends some emotion to the piano driven “Slide Show” as T.I. digs deeper into his soul. The same can be said for the excellent album closer “Dead & Gone”, where T.I. reunites with Justin Timberlake on this bittersweet dedication to the dead homies. 

      Unlike many of today’s rappers, while T.I. packs many high profile guest artists into his latest LP, they only enhance his performances, rather than taking the spotlight off of him. T.I. is a star in his own right, proving many times on the LP that he can hold his own just fine – such as on the braggadocios opener “56 Bars” as well as it’s follow-up “I’m Illy” – both of which allow T.I. to show off his swagger all by himself. 

      At sixteen tracks in length, Paper Trail doesn’t come off quite as strong as “King”, but nevertheless is still a slamming LP. One of the album’s weakest links is producer Drumma Boy, who relies on the “I Put On” (Young Jeezy) patented “wind-up” sound effect on three of his four selections “Ready For Whatever”, “My Life Your Entertainment”, making each of his contributions bleed into one another.  Furthermore, strangely enough, one of the album’s strongest recordings – “Let My Beat Pound” – did not make the final cut – despite the love given to it by club and radio deejays all over the nation. Chalk it up as an unlikely casualty of the cutting room floor. 

      Despite these minor gripes, T.I.’s got anothersolid LP on his hands with Paper Trail – one likely to win back some fans after the disappointment that was T.I. Vs. T.I.P. - Pizzo

    Detroit’s current resident soul singer, Dwele, is no stranger to the scene, having released three albums over the past eight years, prior to the release of his latest opus, Sketches Of A Man.  Sharing a long history within his local scene, Dwele collaborated numerous times with J. Dilla, on projects like Welcome To Detroit, as well as on his own albums. Virtually everyone in the post-Native Tongue scene has tapped Dwele at one point or another, from J-Live to Common, Slum Village to Kanye. 

    And it would be Mr. West’s chart-topping single from last year, “Flashing Lights”, that would help Dwele break from the mold of indie artist to household name. The question is, with a Grammy nomination now under his belt and blessing of Kanye, many are hearing Dwele for the first time – will Sketches Of A Man set the stage for a booming solo career?

     Dwele may not be as polished as say, John Legend, but he does have some standout moments on his latest LP. Unapologetic neo-soul, Dwele’s style comes from the place where he dwells, embracing the sound of Detroit pioneered by Dilla – that being, breezy vocals over bass heavy vibes and snapping snares. Largely self-produced, the album maintains a core sound, with little care or attempt at making a hit record, but instead just focusing on carrying on tradition. 

     This couldn’t be more evident than on a section of the LP that pays homage to J. Dilla, in three parts. The first of these is “Open Your Eyes”, a cover of the Bobby Caldwell classic, sampled by Dilla for Common’s “The Light”. This leads directly into “Workin’ On It”, another cover, but this time of more unconventional source material. Here, Dwele brilliantly takes pieces from Dilla’s “Donuts” LP, and pieces them together into one song, cleverly building the lyrics around each “donut”. Finally, Slum Village joins in for “Brandi” – not a Dilla tribute by any means, but a nightcap to the set. This classy homage doesn’t beat you over the head with “rest in peace” shout-outs or dedications, but instead subtly pays tribute to the fallen producer. 

    Unfortunately, this section of the LP represents some of the album’s strongest moments – despite it being built around covers or collaborators. Dwele’s more original material suffers from monotony, such as the redundant “I’m Cheatin’”, a thinly veiled ode to role-playing in the bedroom. Or, the strangely penned love song, “A Few Reasons”, where he promises “If we had computer love, I would let you have my MySpace / If your love was a dance / you could YouTube me.” Huh? 

    Despite his obvious talented vocal chops, Dwele’s self-produced style tends to drag on a bit. Those looking for another “Flashing Lights” might be disappointed, as Dwele sticks to doing what he knows best. A shame, considering Kanye’s production offered us a glimpse of what Dwele might sound like over high-priced beats – none of which you’ll find here. – D.T. Swinga

    "Inspired by The Wire...the Brick City New Jeru Avon Barksdale..."
 
    First off, we have to give credit to any MC who references HBO's The Wire.  There's no reason for the hip-hop world not to be obsessed with the show (except maybe for it's porous fifth season and difficult to get through second, but that's another matter).  Tame One is not shy when it comes to comparisons, and it doesn't end with Avon.  In the first couple of songs he's putting himself up there with Tupac and Christopher Wallace.  And, of course, the title is a direct reference to Ol' Dirty Bastard. 
 
    Formerly a member of the group Artifacts, Tame attempts to follow in a New Jersey tradition of, and I say this with affection, dirtbag MC's like ODB and Redman.  However, the humor, skill and likability of the aforementioned artists are not displayed on Da Ol' Jersey Bastard: Live & Uncut.
 
   Tame starts losing the listener on "Move," an oddly lazy dance track, that ends with an extended interlude of a drunk driving arrest.  Tame's flow, as it is, sounds somewhat like he's drunk all the time.  Certainly the same could have been said for ODB, but in this case it doesn't work for this critic.  It just grows tiresome. 

   "Milk of Magnesia," though, is an energetic, horn-filled track, that has Tame going "spur of the moment like Tim Duncan."  A playful, off-the-cuff flow is infectious here with Tame boasting, "I'm mentally slowa/than Rocky Balboa."
 
   The production work on Da Ol' Jersey Bastard by Parallel Thought also deserves some credit.  It's got that old Curtis Mayfield-style, 1970s, soulful type of feel.  Granted, that sound is getting very close to being overdone in hip-hop, but it's still probably better than a generic club sound. "Catch Me" featuring Del the Funky Homosapien is a highlight in this regard.
 
   "For You" is another very soulful track, but it's spoiled by some just plain bad dirty talk rhymes from Tame:  "Hittin' the tit/as much dick as she git/it's never enough for a bitch...I bust a niggy-nut out on the cheek..."
 
    "The Night Cap," again, will have heads swaying side to side, wanting to wear a big-collared shirt, a hat with a feather in it and a long leather coat.  But unless you're really into this old soulful sound, you may not want to stick around for Tame One's rambling. - Stefan Schumacher   

    Any time you talk about AZ, you have to start by bringing up his unforgettable verse on Nas' Illimatic some 14 years ago.  While that indelible verse is a classic hip hop moment, the mere fact that you have to reference it every time says something about what AZ has been up to since then.  
 
    Along with DJ Absolute, AZ's smooth flow is back again on the mixtape N4L in another attempt to make a splash that separates him from "Life's a Bitch."
 
    Some of the themes behind N4L seem to be socially/spiritually based, with interludes about slavery and songs like "Knowledge Freedom," and "12 Jewels."  What, exactly, AZ is talking about, though, is unclear.
 
   On "12 Jewels" he talks about being a "young mogul," meeting with "execs," considering wedding invitations ("who's marrying next?"), and telling us you can't master the game unless your vernacular is "Islamic-like."  This is all just from one verse followed by a hook about "the 12 views of Islam," "hieroglyphs" and "what time it is when the 12th comet hit." He goes on, in the same song to talk about being a "favorite of the fortune five."
 
   Um, come again?

   At some point, this becomes gibberish. Why is he attempting to mesh this image of a corporate player (which is not believable, by the way) with pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo?
 
    There's also some filler on here with your typical thug posturing on songs like "The Teks on Deck" and "Never Gonna Stop." On "Conspiracy," AZ strings together a series of paranoid scenarios, but ends the track with obligatory shout-outs to Brooklyn, Chi-town, etc.
 
    Things get interesting on the next track when AZ inhabits the character of a "Runaway Slave." 
 
"I know I'm a n*gga, but now I'm a n*gga that made it to the river...I'm just a runaway slave/I stay runnin' till they run me in my grave/either that or they lock me in a cage/throw away the key/will I ever be free?"   
 
   "N*gga Games" and "I'm That N*gga" continue the theme with some provocative commentary on race.  Unfortunately, just when AZ draws you in, he has you skipping the next track, "The Originals," a dreaded southern bounce-style knockoff. The album closes out clumsily with the money-making, bong-smoking "I Just Wanna" and the somewhat more reflective "Self-Savior."

    Listening to N4L, it's hard to tell what AZ is all about.  It's hard to tell if he's still reaching for some type of commercial success, or if he really has something to say?  Granted, this is only a mixtape and he's got the right to throw some things at the wall, but its not clear what he's getting at. - Stefan Schumacher

      Brought to prominence in the hands of a young James Brown more than four decades ago, funk has remained a dynamic force in music by allowing itself to change and blend with the times. Whether through P-Funk under George Clinton, G-Funk under Dr. Dre, or even through the oftentimes indescribable sounds of Prince, funk has never been one to stay rigid for too long. So, it should come as no surprise that arguably the best current representation of the spirit of funk music is coming from the streets of Munich, Germany, in the hands of a group of instrumentalists going under the name of Karl Hector and the Malcouns.

      Considered a super-group of sorts by those more versed in the retro-modernist-funk-movement, Karl Hector and the Malcouns are made up of Karl Hector, a man who has only appeared on one 7-inch record in his whole career, and members of the Poets of Rhythm, a group who helped re-energize funk in the early 1990's.

      Sahara Swing as a whole sounds like the illegitimate and impossible offspring of James Brown and Fela Kuti. Never straying too far from the initial formula, the album is essentially a bare-bones look back to the roots of funk music in West Africa. The tracks on the record, backed by 10-musicians, work best as a continuous form on a single listen, where the tracks first form a foundation in the beginning vibes, then complement and build upon that through the later songs.

      The strength of the music sounds straight out of the early 1970's, with an unrefined quality that gives it a certain retro tinge. However, the album doesn't stick to the past as an homage, but works to stretch the genre through both the somewhat trippy, organic interludes, and tracks like Psycles and Mystical Brotherhood. Even though the musicians are German, this music is definitely soulful and genuine.

      Regardless of your taste in music, and even if you have a general disdain for the "world music" genre, this is an album that should definitely be added to your collection. With undeniable finesse and classy grooves, this is a record that will keep you moving from the moment you press play. - Michael Rodriguez

   Undeniably, The Game is one of the premier hip-hop artists out right now.  Besides Lil’ Wayne and Kanye, who else has captivated fans, both positively and negatively, while putting out stellar albums that can arguably be called classics?  But with L.A.X., it seems as if the sophomore jinx waited one album late to rear its ugly head, by that it no way compares to his previous LPs.

   There are several factors that make this album disappointing.  For one, it is too long.  With 19 tracks (including interludes), it seems as if this album never ends.  This could also be attributed to the mediocre production or repetitive subject matter that we heard on his earlier albums The Documentary and The Doctor’s Advocate.  Another dilemma is the many guest appearances.  All but 3 tracks have a featured artist one way or another.  What makes this sad, is that an artist of his calibur can hold his own, as he proved on his last album.  With all the features, L.A.X. comes off more as a compilation rather than a solo project, put out by an emcee that is at the top of his game and holding down a whole coast.

   This album definitely has its finer moments and it seems to come at certain points.  For instance, Game shines when he is emotional on tracks like the second single “My Life” featuring Lil’ Wayne and “Letter to the King” featuring Nas.  Additionally, it is when he lets himself go tracks like the lead single “Game’s Pain” featuring Keisha Cole and “Angel” featuring Chi Town’s own Common.  But one of the highlights of this album has to be when he gets creative and rhymes in the perspective of 3 legends on “Never Can Say Goodbye” featuring Latoya Williams.

   But basically its seems as if Game was trying to prove too much on L.A.X. with all the guest features and its length. But it cannot be said enough; someone who has already proven that he can hold his own, especially with all the drama that came with its preceding LP, he doesn’t have anything to prove.  Maybe next time Game will rely on his own talents or at least believe in himself enough to share himself and just let it all hang out on his next go round, but that has to be seen at a later date. - Ryan Harrison

   Reks is yet another MC from Boston that has yet to blow up NYC big, despite having the talent and sound to do so.  With Grey Hairs he comes with interesting production helmed by the incredibly solid Statik Selektah, along with Large Professor and DJ Premier, making this is one of the top underground albums to come out this year.

     The album opens up with the album namesake “Grey Hairs”.  Produced by Blaze P it sounds like it could have been a top notch cut from the Roc-A-Fella catalog.  It sets up the album well, with quick strings, a soul sample, and some keys for Reks to introduce himself and his life.  “Say Goodnight” brings the DJ Premier production, on one of his dirtiest beats in recent memory. Apparently with Gang Starr on hiatus, he’s not saving his best beats.  Reks unleashes almost on the state of the game, there’s so many good lines but, “Rockabye, pop rapper to sleep, heavenly conscious melodies monstrous, R’s one hell of an artist” blew us away.

    Statik Selektah steps up the production big time with “How Can it Be”.  Using some chipmunk soul and a variety of samples, Reks unleashes over this beat.  The track is upbeat, but Reks projects his anger and it’s a great contrast for the song.  Noticeably throughout the album he manages much better on his own, rather than with R&B vocals or guest rappers.  When left on his own, he lets all his energy out, but when rained in and forced to share tracks. the songs suffer.

   Another problem is that while the sound is very reminiscent of the 90’s, it also has an extra long track list that spans 20 deep.  While this can feel like an artist is being generous, if you’re pressing the skip button every other song, it’s just more work for the listener.  Once the guest spots stop, the album gets back on track with “Cry Baby”.  While it might be the complete opposite of hope you can hear the devastation in Reks voice. 

   The last three tracks on Grey Hairs are all album standouts.  A song to his friends, family and those who know him, “Long While” is one of the more thoroughly positive songs that helps to balance out some of the troubled emotions that manifest earlier in the album. “Big Dreamers” is another track that anyone can relate to, as Reks talks about his dreams, hopes, growing up, and what he’s done and accomplished.  “Isiah” might be the best beat on the album and is a great closer that sums up the albums sound perfectly.  With Grey Hairs, Reks proves that he is definitely one of the few MC’s who knows how to make a coherent album, and not just a collection of singles. - Dane Johnson

     Think back 8 long years ago. Like Masta Ace says on “Seasons”, “the bottom fell out in 2000”. To this writer, it was nearing the end of the underground era of hip-hop and ushering in the only made for the club era.  The plethora of underground releases was ungodly and to find something that stuck out was rare. Enter DJ Fakts One alongside Mr. Lif and Akrobatik.  Both Lif and Akrobatik had been making a name for themselves for a couple of years, but coupled with this talented DJ/Producer they were about to shoot to the height of underground fame.  First appearing on “Cro-Magnon” and then again on the Akrobatik EPs “U Got It”, the Perceptionists crew was born.  Fast forward 2 years, this up and coming producer puts out his official first 12”, “The Show Starter” and the buzz begins for the forthcoming album.  Then the superb “Grown Folks” featuring a then unknown Little Brother drops, and the anticipation builds, but still no album.  Perceptionists album is released; Akrobatik drops a couple of LPs, as does Lif, but still no Fakts One solo project.  Then, Mr Fakts One disappears from the face of hip-hop, along with his debut opus Long Range.

      Just when you are about to give up hope on something, i.e. J-Live's The Best Part, Large Professor's The LP, KMD's Black Bastards, someone from out of nowhere finally releases that lost LP into the wild. This is the exact case with Long Range. Though it’s been finished nearly 4 years, the album never would have seen the light of day without somebody somewhere saying “this is so good, it needs to be heard”.  From the opening track, “Ridin Dirty”, with its booming 808’s and Fakts showing off his skills on the turntable, hardcore hip-hop fans will be hooked.  The aforementioned “Grown Folks”, “Show Starter” and accompanying “Show Starter (Remix)" also make the album, due to the fact this is the exact album Fakts One was going to release prior to his disappearance from the game. No track cuts, not additional production or remixing, this is the original album, as it was intended to be heard. 

    “Life Music” introduces promising up-and-coming emcee, Rocklyn and songstress Maya Azucena.  Meanwhile, the snapping snares and piano loop on "OK" has you fully involved before Outerspace and King Syze even start their verses.  Chan murders “Born For This”, Boot Camp Click shows up for “Don’t Stop” over Fakts rolling drums and soulful sampling. Another standout track is “Audiovisual” with J-Live.  J-Live breaks down each sense, you can see him but he hopes you hear him.  “Some see with their eyes/some see with their hands/I’m hoping you see with your ears/if you understand/the type of music you can frame up on your wall/this is the audiovisual for all of y’all”.  Finally, “Selfish” with Akrobatik and Lyadonna finds the two going back and forth about relationships, as Fakts flips up the beat to coincide with the emcee’s mood. The result is just outstanding.   

    There isn’t much bad to say about the LP, as each track shares plenty of stand-out moments. Even emcee’s that this writer wouldn’t usually like to hear smash tracks, as in the case of the Greyskul featured “Set the Mood”.  If this album would have come out when it was supposed to, it may have been seen as a certified classic in the underground realm. But, because this is more or less a compilation and not a culmination of one man, it cannot be heralded with the 5 @ mark. With the current climate of the industry, it's likely that we may never see another full-length LP from Fakts again, but Long Range will serve as a legacy that could have been. - Darin Gloe

    With an album cover that is scarily reminiscent of LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out (that is, Nelly: buff, shirtless, oiled, and in black & white), it's obvious Nelly has taken influence from James Todd Smith. Like a modern day Cool J, Nelly is less concerned with making classic records, and more focused on churning out enough “hot” club records to get him through the year, and he proves this once again on Brass Knuckles. 

     Case in point is “Party People”, which largely draws it's strength from Pollow The Don's robust track and an infectious hook shared by Nelly and Fergie, who bring out their best for the album's lead single. The flipside of this is the more unassuming, less abrasive daytime radio drivel that takes the form of “Body On Me”, as Akon and Nelly casually sing about – wait for it – a fine girl. Third of the trio of singles is the Jermaine Dupri helmed “Stepped On My J'z”, which, like “Party People”, borrows the “Grillz” formula, carrying on Nelly's new signature sound, as Nelly and crew lament about getting their Air Jordan's scuffed, working as one of the LP's better selections. 

     As far as Nelly's album is concerned, the tracklist itself speaks volumes about the content contained within, as virtually every song on the album includes one or more guest artists, suggesting Nelly can't hold an album on his own. That being said, Nelly attempts to play to each collaborator's respective audience, such as on The Neptunes produced “Let It Go”, which could have easily fit in on a Pharrell album, or the Snoop Dogg / Nate Dogg featured “L.A.”, a lazy attempt at getting some West Coast love, playing off the already dated minimalist piano beat sound Dr. Dre beat to death on Kingdom Come (here produced by Neff-U). Or even worse, Nelly's attempt at a conscious hip-hop song, “Self Esteem” (featuring Chuck D), which attempts to channel Curtis Mayfield, but instead comes off more like the Flight of The Concords Marvin Gaye parody “Think About It”.  

    That's not to say that all of Nelly's collabo's don't work however, the strange pairing of Nelly, T.I., and Uncle L himself on “Hold Up” is a battle of egos that actually comes off quite well, as each rapper ups the ante over a dark track by the Free Agentz. The same can be said for the album opener “U Ain't Him”, a boastful, braggadocios bating of studio gangsters, ironically featuring Rick Ross, despite being a romp in rapper fantasyland.  

    Much of the rest of the album is forgettable, especially when Nelly is the bigger star than his collaborators. “Chill” featuring the less-than-stellar St. Lunatics is laughable, as one of them, at one point, claims “the Flavor Flav of the game cause I hype shit up” (actually, Flavor Flav is the Flavor Flav of the game, dummy.) The same can be said for the group's other collaboration “Lie”, which finds Nelly and St. Lunatics dealing with rape accusations and trying to be funny about it. Yawn.

    All in all, Nelly proves again that he knows the formula for making hit records, and has the clout and relationships to make them happen, but simply lets the chips fall where they may when it comes time to complete the rest of the album. Listening to this LP, one can tell that Nelly truly believes in his mind that he is creating a classic LP, but truth be told, these Brass Knuckles don't hit. - Pizzo

   J*DaVeY is a Los Angeles based collective made up of vocalist Jack Davey and songwriter/producer Brook D'Leau – Jack is the girl, Brook is the guy – who first got mainstream exposure via The Roots' “Atonement” from the Game Theory LP. From there they released their mixtape-albums, Land Of The Lost and Beauty In Distortion, through various channels such as The Fader Magazine, digital downloads, and promo CD's.

      The sound of J*DaVeY is hard to explain. Broken down to it's very last compound, it could be described as “neo-soul”, for lack of a better term, but it's much more than that. Listening to the group's double album, the influences creep out left and right, most obviously being Prince, but other times channeling more recent acts like Erykah Badu and Outkast (also whom share Prince as an influence), not to mention J. Dilla, Radiohead, Funkadelic, and the list goes on. 

    Of the two releases, Beauty In Distortion is the stronger of the two, assumingly recorded second, as it has more dynamic material. Or, perhaps it's the manifestation of years of pent up brilliance, taking form as the group's debut. Whatever the case may be, it seems to outshine it's predecessor (or is that “sequel”?), Land Of The Lost, also included here.

    Beauty.. begins with the cleverly tilted “Division Of Joy” - hardly a tribute to Joy Division, but regardless a swingy nod to “a real warm place” as Davey teases “don't you want to come and lay in the division of my joy”. The Kid A influenced drum programming of “Mr. Mister” (also not a tribute to an 80's band) helps propel perhaps the group's catchiest number (and accompanying YouTube video), with it's infectious hook and Davey's breezy vocals. Almost instrumental number “Everybody Touch” allows producer D'Leau to take the spotlight, as he crafts a very Ummah-esque groove that pulls you into the music with it's hypnotic, bass-heavy rhythm. Also notable here is “Camera”, where Davey pokes fun at the gangster rap image, over a thumping beat that would make Q-Tip jealous. 

     “Land Of The Lost” however seems to be a series of leftovers, hence it's “mixtape” designation. Here, we have a series of solid tracks, such as the Kardinal Offishall collaboration “Rock The Dancehall”, as “Lil Big Heads”, which finds Jack taunting her competitors with tough girl talk over Brook's lo-fi funk. However, also mixed in are a few mishaps that might have been better left on the studio floor. “sLAyers”, for instance, allows a collection of local emcees to flex their skills on one of Brook's beats, but this freestyle session simply doesn't fit in with the rest of the tracks on either release. The performance of “No More Live @ The Temple Bar” is also one for the secret diary, as DaVeY uncomfortably struggles with a lousy crowd. 

     Despite Land of The Lost's abundance of so-so material, you are still getting a lot of bang for your buck. Coupled with the fact that Beauty In Distortion is such a solid release from top to bottom, J*DaVey's unofficial debut is definitely worth the price of admission. In today's age of disposable commercial acts and redundant backpack groups, Jack and Brook are offering something unique, new, and different. - Pizzo 

   Anyone who's been down with the Wu-Tang Clan since day one knows the legend that nobody wanted to follow GZA on posse cuts, ensuring that he always rhymed last. The Genius may not always run the anchor leg when the Clan gets together these days, but his gift for lyricism is still on display on his first true solo record in nearly six years, Pro Tools.

   Right from the first track, GZA sounds as formidable as ever. Alongside brethren Masta Killa and RZA on the up-tempo opening track, “Pencil,” he references topics as diverse as chess and pro wrestling while delivering warnings to other emcees. As with many previous joints from this crew there’s no chorus, and an inspired RZA rhymes for nearly two minutes straight to bring it home.

   More classic Wu flavor is delivered on “Alphabets” and “Groundbreaking,” which sound like they could have fit in comfortably on Liquid Swords thanks to beats by True Master and Bronze Nazareth, respectively. The latter is only a little ironic thanks to a partially recycled chorus: “And we roll together as one/ I call my brother son ‘cause he shines like one.”

   Another knack GZA has always possessed is the ability to construct a creative concept song, and he’s got that covered here too. “0 % Finance” sees him weave the names of all kinds of cars and trucks into a story, showing off a skill he’s kept sharp since the days of “Labels.”

   Just past the halfway point of Pro Tools lies the track that’s raised the most eyebrows, the RZA-produced “Paper Plate.” Though the Clan members aren’t known for getting involved in too many industry beefs, this is an unabashed assault on one high profile rapper who’s been going back and forth with GZA for a little while. And even though the intro should make it clear who he’s talking about, he leaves no doubt with lines like, “Enough to make you vogue on the cover of GQ/Only missing a sheer blouse, homey you see-through/ Stop sipping on that Formula 50/They want heat, I give it to them, burnt and crispy.”

   Unfortunately, the second half of the album doesn’t carry through on the promise of the first. Things get a little bogged down towards the end when songs like “Cinema” and “Life is a Movie” can’t keep up musically with what’s come before. Perhaps a few less producers or simply more than two beats from RZA would have helped, though GZA went on the record before this album’s release and said that he was having trouble rhyming to the more cinematic style his old partner utilizes today.

   Just when Pro Tools threatens to go out with a whimper instead of a bang, it finishes with an excellent live performance of “Elastic Audio,” reminding us that - to paraphrase an old RZA quote - GZA delivers hip hop in its purest form. He’s been doing it that way for almost two decades now, and his fans are no doubt thankful for that. - Nick Tylwalk

   From about 93-98, hip-hop was riding high, and Wu-Tang led the charge.  Albums by the Clan, Method Man, Raekwon, GZA, and Ghostface, among others, hit hard with critical and commercial success. However, the Clan as a whole seemed to have fallen off for a few years.  Albums were more dispersed from the crew as a whole and even the solo albums only casually made it to market.  But in the last couple years the Wu-Tang dynasty has entered a new renaissance.  Ghostface drops nearly 2 albums a year, the crew has reunited and new albums from the GZA, and Raekwon are both forthcoming. 

    Now that the RZA has dropped Digi Snacks, after the feuds with the other members, of Wu-Tang, it almost seems strange that this is a solo project.  This album, if anything, is more of a return to classic Wu form then anything on The 8 Diagrams was.  Not that that’s a bad thing.  But for all the insistence of being the leader on 8 Diagrams, it’s his own solo album that the RZA relinquishes production to David Banner, King Tech and the RZA himself among others.

   "Long Time Coming" and "You Can’t Stop Me Now" both kick off the album on what sounds like a slightly slicker, yet still dark sound.  If earlier Wu-Tang was still wet from the rain, the storms still pouring on these tracks.  The RZA sounds perfectly at home on "You Can’t Stop Me Now", laying down some old stories as he drops “While Ghost was doin' stick-ups, tryin' to make a vic' up / Waitin' outside for the Brinks truck to pick up”.  While David Banner can be hit or miss, "Straight Up the Block" is a solid beat with a Jay-Z sample for the chorus.  Unfortunately, the RZA isn’t up to full power on one the best beats of the album.

   RZA sounds right at home over "Booby Trap", a track that sounds like the musical equivalent of breaking into a safe.  It’s a sparse beat and that’s what makes it work.  "Good Night" is one of the last solid tracks before the album heads in a tailspin.  It’s a solid lightheaded beat but it could’ve been made better without the consistent moaning over the top.  Once it cuts out, the song is a relaxing midpoint for the album. 

   Unfortunately a lot of what falls apart is the RZA.  He’s never been a great lyricist, but he has his moments, especially on Wu-Tang Clan records.  But it’s a combination of his voice and his almost lack of effort.  Certainly he’s capable but he doesn’t show up.  Sometimes its not always about what’s coming out but how it’s coming out, and unfortunately the RZA doesn’t step it up in either aspect. - Dane Johnson

    "It's been about four years now.  I've been through a lot."
 
    That's how Ashanti's new album, The Declaration, starts out.  While she's been going through it, the airwaves have been dominated by the likes of Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Rihanna.  Leaving us to wonder, where does Ashanti fit in?  What can she offer that the others don't?

    It's been four years since her last album, but really it seems like the release of 2002's hit single "Foolish," was the last time she was truly the "Princess of R&B."  Can she take back the title with The Declaration?  
 
    We get a taste of what she's been going through on "The Way That I Love You," as she laments all the time she's given to a broken relationship.  She tried to convince herself what they had was too good, but once she starts finding credit card receipts and messages on his sidekick, she knows he doesn't love her the same. 
 
   As she sings, "All I have to say is why?" We find ourselves asking the same question.  What kind of fool would cheat on Ashanti?!

    She spends a few more tracks grappling with the end of this tortured love affair, not quite being able to let go.  However, on "Girlfriend," she seems to have moved on to someone else as she sultrily teases, "I'm lying here between these sheets lying wide awake/thinking about the love we could make...If I was your girlfriend I would let you touch everything...I would let you take control of everything I have inside." 
  
   Ashanti is actually at her best when she quiets things down and plays the sensual seductress role.  Along with "Girlfriend," she continues to have success with this tone on "Things You Make Me Do" featuring Robin Thicke and "Good Good," where she touts the prowess of her...good, good. 
 
   "I put it on him right/I do it every night/I leave him mouth open like woooo..."
 
    As a vocalist, though, Ashanti is fine but she's not going to bring the house down.  She doesn't have the ability to transcend standard R&B fair into something exceptional.  On the inspirational ballad "Shine," for instance, she just doesn't have enough firepower to really inspire. 
 
    And not to violate the rules and requirements of R&B and hip hop, Ashanti is sure to include a "Dear Mama" track, "Mother," leaving no doubt that she loves and appreciates ma dukes.  At this point we can just go on the assumption that hip hop and R&B artists love their mothers unless stated otherwise (i.e. Eminem).  We don't necessarily need a five-minute track stressing the point. 
 
   Ashanti closes out the album with "The Declaration," and it sounds like she's thinking about that relationship that seemed so right at the time.  But now Ashanti declares: "I'm still here and I see you for who you are/and you're not far from the devil baby."
 
    This album is a decent listen, but unfortunately, while Ashanti's been dealing with the devil, she's become just another face in the R&B crowd. - Stefan Schumacher

    It’s been a hot minute since we heard from Immortal Technique – five years to be exact - who last blessed us with a pair of albums in the form of Revolutionary Volumes 1 and 2. With back to back releases from the politically charged Harlem-by-way-of-Peru emcee, it seemed as if the third volume in Tech’s trilogy would be right around the corner – especially considering today’s hot political climate. Word is that Revolutionary Vol. 3 is still in the works, but just to let us know he’s still in the studio, Immortal bridges the gap with The 3rd World, mixed by DJ Green Lantern.

     Whether this is your first introduction to Technique – or your third – he quickly establishes himself as one of the most outspoken emcees ever, never holding his tongue. His spits with the venom of the Viper his record label is named after, delivering shockingly raw, anti-Governmental lyrics. “Death March” is the perfect reintroduction, finding the emcee returning to form after his brief absence.
  
     It’s easy to see why some of the tracks could not make a regular Immortal Technique album – sample clearances, of course. Tech gets cinematic, first on “Golpe De Estado”, a full Spanish language track using a piece of the score from The Godfather, then later on “Watchout Remix”, which chops up the “Duel of The Fates” sample from Star Wars: Episode 1.
 
    Besides the obvious nods to two films that he might hold dearly, the album has much deeper substance within, thanks to the rich sample source material. “Harlem Renaissance” finds Immortal passionately speaking about the government’s invasion of his hood, over a moody Diana Ross sample. “Payback” is another stand-out track, where he, along with Ras Kass and Diabolic deliver scathing lyrics to enemies they seek revenge upon, over a well-placed Chi-Lites sample. Finally, one of the album’s best tracks, “I Made A Mistake” pits Immortal versus a classic Bob Marley sample, as he illustrates sixteen-bar episodes of various characters' mistakes – from signing to a major label to joining the military.

    Collaboratively, “Stronghold Grip” is one of the album’s strongest tracks, as the Stronghold crew of Immortal Technique, Poison Pen, and Swave Sevah obliterate a Buckwild beat. The super-emcee contest truly begins on “Lick Shots” however, where he is joined by Crooked I and Chino XL, making it hard to choose the best verse.

    Conspiracy theorist or revolutionary? Perhaps a bit of both. Technique often speaks in metaphor to animate the severity of the situations he and his people are dealing with, taking things to the extreme when making a point about the evils of big government organizations. He will shock you with his statements – sometimes outlandish, sometimes dead on - but because of this, audiences may be divided on the way he chooses to conduct his revolution.

    Strangely enough, the material included herein is strong enough to stand on it’s own as Revolutionary Volume 3, and perhaps it’s title is a sly nod to being the third chapter in the series. While many artists drop these type of mixtape albums in between projects, Immortal’s latest entry is worthy of being called an album. That, or the final chapter in his legacy if the government somehow arranges a mysterious disappearance. – D.T. Swinga

   Writing this review I’m reminded of the fact that I live in the Midwest where it’s winter nearly 7 months out of the year.  When listening to something like The Grouch’s new LP Show You the World it has a certain California feel that just feels different then the music that comes out of the Midwest.   With Show You the World the Grouch maintains some of his previous sounds that have been familiar since Living Legends but expands on some of the music where it verges on more electronic elements.

    The first track "Watch Watch" with Mike Marshall is remiscent of Warren G and Nate Dogg circa 94, with a great laid back sound and smooth chorus.  Grouch follows this up by jumping all the way to the present with the next 2 songs  with "Clones" and "Artsy".  Clones has a light digital backdrop with some decent lyrics, but the concept of the track just isn’t all that successful.  "Artsy", which originally appeared on eDit’s Certified Air Raid last year, fares better.  Having a partial lounge feel, the song has some smart rhymes where Grouch calls out hipsters and the indie set while basically just saying he is who he is. 

     "Yardwork" begins with a low key beat that sounds like it was created at about 3 in darkness with the exception of the blue glow of a computer monitor.  Grouch talks about the costs of making music as an artist dropping, “Put it on the market, look at the offers I get, now that’s independent game man, nobody else’s name I built the frame, put the wheels on, ya feel the flame?”.  On "Mom and Pop Killer", Grouch laments the death of small enterprise and the independent way of doing things.  It’s not a song about life and or epic movie themes, but what we all deal with everyday and that makes it all the more relevant the most of the things going in our ears.

   "Never Die" once again brings back that mid 90’s era when California reigned supreme, it’s almost impossible not to imagine this song as a soundtrack to a beautiful ride down the streets in a drop top.  Between this song and the end are a few hit or miss songs but the album ends on a strong note with "The Time" and "Breath".  Where earlier on the album the song Shero seemed to misuse guitars in a cheesy Boyz II Men way, "The Time" rides a almost Johnny Cash like guitar and a great simple chorus by Marty J.  The last song of the album ends on a relaxed note and is great bookend to everything before it.  A soft soul sample and some what sounds like some backwards vocals sped up and then later played backwards at normal speeds cought me off guard at first.

    Like many of the Living Legends releases this has it’s ups and downs.  Grouch has a great perspective in the way he writes his songs and the topics he chooses but ultimately the music behind him comes off as a little unoriginal sometimes and rarely catches the ear.  But when he’s on as on "Watch Watch" or "The Time" he proves that he - like Murs - has prospects outside of Living Legends. - Dane Johnson

     To be completely honest, I'm a little bit over this "bedroom musician" thing that's been going around lately. Yeah, technology is cheaper and studio-quality music programs can be downloaded for free through nefarious means, but that doesn't necessarily mean that every half-assed music fan with access to a computer should be out promoting themselves as the next "cool kid" of music. No offense to those of you working the grind, but some things aren't meant to be. Welcome, intern-turned-artist James Pants' first record from Stones Throw pretty much fits that mold. 

      Publicized as an unmistakable voice of "fresh beats," Pants is anything but. Welcome isn't "fresh" by any means, but rather comes across as a shallow representation of the simplicity that made early synth-music so good. Instead of working up danceable beats like his predecessors, Pants seems intent to simply tease what could have been. Drawing you in with a catchy horn or a or a thick drum beat, he nearly always botches his tracks within the first 30 seconds. The flatness of the record is made worse as he somehow manages to work in pretty much every annoying sample from the last 30 years: robot voice - check, lawn-mower - check, car engine - check, gun-shots - check. The samples on the record seem to have been chosen for their eccentricity rather than their fit with the music; songs like My Girl become immediately off-putting after what sounds like a garage band practice session is made worse with psuedo-space noises that come out of nowhere.

    And for a synth-record, Welcome is remarkably not jive inducing; tracks will not get you all "dumb in the club." Pants has a penchant to work in sounds from a variety of genres, but on Welcome he strips away their character when he combines them, rendering them sub-standard. Maybe it's charming in an ironic way, but if you do manage to listen long enough to hear some charm in it, it will eventually fade into insulting mediocrity.

    With all my ragging, I do have to admit that there a few moments of mind-numbing brilliance. "Theme From Paris" and "Finger On The Knife", with their Roots-centric drum-line cram more depth in a total of 4 minutes than the rest of the album as a whole. They'll get you ridiculously happy, but much like the record, they're only temporarily satisfying.

     Welcome is a hard album to categorize. To Pants credit, there's not much else on the market that sounds like it, but maybe there's a reason why. He's got undeniable talent, but until he gets rid of his distractions and focuses on making a fluid piece of music, it might be better to ignore him. - Michael Rodriguez

   The thing you have to realize when listening to Tyga's No Introduction is that it's essentially children's music.  Okay, not children, but teenagers.  It's for kids.  This is fitting since the 18-year-old Tyga is barely out of high school himself.  Granted, there isn't that much difference these days between the social lives of those in their late teens and those in their late twenties and early thirties.  The older set just feels worse the next day. 

   Coming straight outta Compton, Tyga is not a gangsta.  He's a fun-loving party guy and part-time lover most of the time.  He was discovered by Gym Class Heroes lead vocalist Travis McCoy (also his cousin).  You can decide for yourself whether or not that gives him any credibility, but Tyga has worked with a variety of artists including Lil' Wayne and Fall Out Boy.  Given his connections, he didn't exactly work his way up from nothing.  Tyga's not without talent, though, and while I'm not putting him anywhere close to the same category, there's a little bit of Lupe Fiasco in his flow.
 
    No Introduction is a mixed bag and it's certainly not for you if you're looking for something mature and introspective, but considering its target audience, it often works.
 
    "Coconut Juice" and "Supersize Me," border on the extremely annoying, but also on the irresistibly catchy with repetitive hooks like, "Put the lime in the coconut and twist it all up/twist it all up/twist it all up...coconut juice got me real loose/got me leaning 3,000 proof."  It's a natural born club/party anthem. (But is he old enough to drink? - Editor)
 
     "Supersize Me" slides between an abrasive siren-type sound and an almost tropical bridge while Tyga gets his globe-trot on: "Underage so you can't charge/but officer, no autograph ya'll/cause I'm jetlagged/Louis Vuitton bag…I stay puffed like the marshmallow man/I gotta supersize me/I gotta supersize me."  I know it's standard protocol, but why the constant mentions of Louis Vuitton on hip hop records?  Are MC's really that enamored with fine leather handbags?   
 
    Tyga talks to the ladies on "Pillow Talkin'," which is not the sexual romp you might expect based on the title, but instead a kind of sweet love-gone-wrong ballad.  Tyga professes his love and willingness to take this loved one on shopping sprees, but the hook wonders why they fight.

    On the second verse, Tyga realizes the bloom is off the rose:  "Now im startin to notice all that shit was bogus/all the dozens of roses/thinkin you was my golden token/now im feelin frozen/lookin like my life is hopeless/no human/should ever experience what i drove in/now my car is broken/my engine hood/i should have never left it opened/lookin like im on E/no fuel i cant even eat."
 
    All that agony and the relationship only lasted a month.  Like I said, this is a kids album.
 
    Perhaps the highlight of the album is "AIM," which perfectly captures the internet courtship ritual. "She don't know me by my name/she just know me by my AIM/I saw her page on MySpace/Never seen her face…I sign on it's like AIM, AIM, AIM."  
 
    The upbeat "Cartoonz" continues to capture the spirit of No Introduction at its best as Tyga drops some cartoon-based rhymes that put a new twist on bling: "Porkey pig dollar bills, plus Tweety Bird sits on my wrist." It sounds silly, but Ghostface used a similar theme on "The Forest" ("Bugs still sniffin', Daffy Duck snitchin'…Droopy got knocked, now he Muslim in jail/his name is Abdrul, colorful/Snow White tattoo").
 
    Just in case you were worried No Introduction isn't a true hip hop album, Tyga leaves nothing to chance and includes a voicemail track with "Press 7." 
 
    "You have one new voice message..."
 
    That's how the song starts, and really, what moves you to the music more than the sound of someone's voicemail?  I'm curious, are all rappers constantly recording their messages so they can use them on their next albums?  "Press 7" is actually another decent teenage love track, but I think it would be wise to call for a moratorium on all voicemail/answering machine messages on hip hop albums.  Even The Roots resorted to the telephone recordings bit on their last record, and that means it's time to stop. 
 
    Tyga gets lazy with tracks like "Summertime," a shameless rip-off of the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff anthem and "Woww," a silly braggadocio track with Tyga claiming no one can move a crowd or put it down like him.  Whatever. 
 
   Attempts at maturity on "2 A.M." and "Don't Regret It Now" seem forced and out of place on an album like this. 
 
   No Introduction definitely has the potential to really irritate anyone over the age of 23, but it's not bad at being what it is - a ring tone treasure trove for kids and a playful escape from substance for the rest of us. - Stefan Schumacher

   The word "nigger" is defined as (1) a hateful slang term for an African-American person or (2) a member of a socially disadvantaged class.  Perhaps the most derogatory term in the English language, it managed to become a term of endearment, a symbol of comradory, an in a sense, instilling the feeling of social/emotional acceptance.  So is it still offensive?  That depends on who you ask and that is one the most significant characteristics of Nas’s groundbreaking and exceptional untitled album.  The artist also know as Escobar creates an opus that touches on every aspect of the word; its usage, its meaning, but all the while leaving it up for the interpretation of the listener to develop their own opinion.

    With strong lyrics, a unique concept with relevant subject matter, and beats tailor made for the artist, you are taken on a voyage through the Black Diaspora both past and present to explain why the N-word is still a relevant word, positively and negatively. Beginning with the Salaam Remi produced “You Can’t Stop Us Now” feat. Eban Thomas of the Stylistics and the Last Poets, Nas navigates the vessel via word play, “…witch doctors, good ol’ pick pockets/Sip on moonshine/So called coons, shines, and darkies/I love y’all/Pyramids to cotton fields to Wrigley Fields/Forgotten men who did get killed/Crispus Attucks/The first blasted/Peace to the rich lady purse snatcher shot in the back…”  On the DJ Toomp produced “N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave and the Master),” Nas describes the lives of everyday people as he sees it, “We trust no black leaders/Use the stove to heat us/Powdered eggs and government cheeses/The calendar with Martin , JFK, and Jesus/Gotta be fresh to go to school with fly sneakers/Schools with outdated books/We are the forgotten/Summertime coolin’ off by the fire hydrant/Yeah I’m from the ghetto/Where old black women talk about their sugar level…”  He magnificently paints a picture of ghetto life where miracles are made from nothing and the very magicians who made it all possible are considered to be nothing more than, quite frankly, niggers. 

    But at the same time Nas compares “niggers” to roaches on “Project Roach” feat. The Last Poets, that clearly states that a word cannot be “buried,” let alone its usage and instead one should learn from it and not aspire to be one.  On “Y’all My Ni**as” God Son takes on the meaning of the word head on, questioning its meaning  and the treatment of the people who are called it while speaking from a personal standpoint as he rhymes, “Yo, I was thinkin’ a lil’ bit/What would it take for me to authenticate my nigganess/Ball ridiculous/26 inch rims when I call the dealership/Ah, that’s some nigga shit/We only out for our own benefit/we havin’ too many kids/We Claudines/Welfare recipients/ The infamous free clinics is the sickest shit/Make me wonder what the hell they cleaning their syringes with…”  

    On the lead single, the Polow da Don produced “Hero” feat. Keri Hilson, Nas addresses the controversy over naming this LP its original title stating, “…still in musical prison/And jailed for the flow/Try tellin’ Bob Dylan, Bruce, or Billy Joel they can’t sing what’s in their soul/So untitled it is/I’ll never change nothing’/For people to remember this/If Nas can’t say it, think about these talented kids/With new ideas/Being told what they can and can’t spit…,” questioning not only his own individual right, but how it effects society as a whole.

    Nas also takes the time to address some of his own personal indictments.  On the Stargate produced “America,” he touches on this country’s unfair practices while linking it to its some of the most degraded groups of people as he describes the some of the struggles of women, “…split her navel/Took her premature baby/Let her man see you rape her/If I could travel  to the 1700s/I’d push a wheel barrel full of dynamite through your covenant/Love to sit on the senate/Tell the whole government/Y’all don’t treat women fair/She read about herself in the Bible/Believe she is the reason why sin is here/You played her with an apron like bring my dinner dear/She’s the real nigga here…” or on the Stic.man of Dead Prez produced “Sly Fox” describing the “fair and unbiased” coverage of not only the channel, but the business practices of the NewsCorp conglomerate, striking a cord with the current times like a true revolutionary.

   With only a few guest appearances, this album makes the most of it with The Game and Cool and Dre co-produced “Make the World Go Round” feat. Chuck Taylor himself and Chris Brown and on the highly entertaining Mark Ronson produced “Fried Chicken” feat. Busta Rhymes extend the metaphor to venomous vixens that are so bad for you, but taste so good....  But the shining moment on the album has to be the DJ Green Lantern produced “Black President.”  Maybe one of the most historic events to take place in modern history, Nas expresses his pride and reservations of Sen. Barack Obama  possibly becoming leader of the free world, “…but on the positive side/I think Obama provides hope/And challenges minds of all races and colors to erase the hate/And try to love one another/So many political snakes/We are in need of a break/I’m thinkin’ we can trust this brother/But will he keep it way real/Every innocent nigga in jail gets out on appeal/When he wins, will he really care still…”  It is this context that defines the album, looking at two sides of something and having to come up with a viewpoint for which to see it, often a very difficult and stressful situation.

    The only flaw (if you really want to call it one) of this album is no fault of the artist.  While today’s average hip hop listener is caught up in who is the latest so called up and coming king or what new trend is taking place, this LP will more than likely go over their heads due to its revolutionary content.  And that is where the dilemma starts to form, should one try to conform to the appeals of the mainstream and convey their message around that premise, or should they speak from their heart even though it might not be statistically successful, offending many, and ostracizing them from the general hip hop/music audience?  Honestly, that is up to the listener/buyer to make that decision.  But one thing cannot be denied, lyrically and conceptually, this album is superior to any project that has came out as of late and Mr. Jones should be commended for this magnificent album, like it or not. - Ryan Harrison

       Coming somewhere off the Chicago-Detroit expressway is buzz-worthy new act, The Cool Kids who recently signed to local indie imprint Chocolate Industries. Poised to move on the majors any second now, the duo made up of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish have ironically caught a huge buzz, named as one of 2008’s top 10 artists to watch by Rolling Stone, and acting as the opening act for M.I.A. They did this, not by trying to duplicate whatever the popular radio sounds are, but instead taking back to basics. But is this something new and original, or merely a cheap knock off of the styles of yesteryear? Within The Bake Sale is the answer.

    The opening track, “What Up Man”, a minimalist track made up of 808 bass and repeating vocal samples, sounds like something from the golden era of hip-hop, the 1980’s. This track sets the tone for the entire album, as the retro production and playful freestyle rhymes more or less vibe throughout the project. Thumping beats on “One Two” or “Mikey Rocks” evoke memories of early bass oriented artists – whether Sir Mix-A-Lot or Too $hort, while songs like “88” and “What It Is” throwback to more East Coast styles of production, say Schooly D or Eric B & Rakim. This proves their loyalties aren’t to either coast of classic hip-hop, but all of it. 

     Ironically, today’s Southern and Bay Area sounds have become so reliant on 808-keyboard production over sampling that this approach works two-fold for The Cool Kids. The chopped and screwed hooks of “Black Mags” (a BMX bike anthem) and “Gold & A Pager” allow the duo to brag on their fresh haircuts and limited edition Nikes, sounding old school, but not dated. 

    The only problem that The Cool Kids have is the monotony of their sound. With such a simplistic approach to making hip-hop, their laid back deliveries and minimalist tracks can begin to wear thin at times, so it’s better in small doses, like in the case of this EP.  That being said, it will be interesting to see what the Kids will come with in the form of their full-length album, When Fish Ride Bicycles. 

     So is it a gimmick or isn’t it? Yes - it is - but all in all, we can’t be mad at The Cool Kids. For a sound that has pretty much disappeared over the last twenty years, it’s good to see someone bring it back in this era of bounce tracks and bling. There have been far worse attempts at being retro in hip-hop - usually involving blatant ripping off of classic beats – but these cats have made their brand of old school hip-hop from scratch. Props are due. - D.T. Swinga

     Pace Won first got notice with a guest spot on The Fugees' The Score back in 1996.  That's right, 12 years ago.  Dude's been around for a minute.  He served as one of the front men for the group The Outsidaz and if you're wondering where he's been or surprised he's still around, it's been four years since his last solo release, Telepathy. 

    New Jersey MC and DJ duo Pace Won and Mr. Green's The Only Color That Matters Is Green gets off to a better start than most hip hop albums for the simple fact that it actually starts with a song.  A full-fledged, meaty, five-minute-plus track with Mr. Green (not to be confused with DJ Green Lantern) laying down some rousing strings as Pace comes in to get it "bangin' like Billy Bob Thornton."
 
    It sets the tone for the fairly tight package this album delivers.  The Only Color... is somewhat of a rare thing these days—a hip hop record you can just enjoy.  Put it in the deck, press play, and bob your head.  It's not innovative or socially conscious or even that gangsta, but at only a little over 50 minutes, it's not bloated with the requisite club tracks, southern-flavored tracks, intros, outros and skits that have you constantly hitting the skip button.
 
    That said, the second track, "Children Sing," employs what's become, if not a cliché, than a hip hop staple, the children's chorus.  It's apparently a study in contrast producers can't resist:  Glock-toting MC's and the little kids who sing their hooks.  Still, Mr. Green makes it work as Pace Won takes shots at weak rappers and proclaims, "I'ma just push and push until I get it."  
 
  Pace seems to have become a sort of journeyman of the underground.  While he gives lip-service to gettin' cheddar ("The Only Color That Matters is Green," "I Need Money"), he's not ever going to be Jay-Z or 50 Cent.  On "I Need Money" he talks predictably about his spot on the Forbes list but he's more truthful when he spits:  "Pick my pen up and just let the nouns flow/and earn/like Nature did with The Firm."  Yeah, Nature, that's more like it.  
 
   Like most rappers, Pace is obsessed with the past, and the middle portion of The Only Color is heavy on nostalgia.  On the piano-laced "Who I Am," he takes us through a timeline of his hip hop influences: "I'ma take you back with a heavenly rhyme/to me in kindergarten back in '79/back to the essence/when hip hop was precious/first I heard Rapper's Delight, then The Message."  
 
    On the next verse, he fills us in on how he used to eat more junk food than a candy-fiendin' Derrick Rose:  "Five-cent candies they called 'em Jingles/who didn't have the fever for the flavor of some Pringles … Swedish fish, Blow Pops and Chico Sticks/all before evil chicks or ego trips."  It's not exactly a childhood reflection worthy of Ghostface talking about plucking roaches out the cereal box, but it'll do.
 
    The second-to-last track, "She Be So Cold," is the unequivocal gem of the album.  Mr. Green brilliantly samples The White Stripes' "Denial Twist," and Pace weaves a 'why she wanna go and do me like dat' tale of woe worthy of Mos Def's "Ms. Fat Booty."  Some girl jerked Pace around for months but, refreshingly, instead of calling her a bitch he went the Project Pat route ("Don't Call Me No Mo") and told her to delete his number from her phone. 
 
    Unfortunately, the record closes with a not very creative diss of Eminem (who had been affiliated with The Outsidaz and didn't exactly put Pace on his back when he reached stardom).  What might have been a bold attempt at starting a beef ends up smacking of jealousy, and threatening to "get Tiger Woods to putt you" doesn't necessarily strike fear in the hearts of men.  Pace does raise one good point, though, where is Eminem?

    The real star of this record may be Mr. Green's startlingly consistent production.  The unheralded producer's DJ Premier-like sound proves that you can make quality hip hop by taking a sweet sample, looping it, scratching it and letting it bump.  With so much filler and garbage out there, these beats and a solid performance from a rather seasoned MC make you wonder, is this game really so hard?  As Pace says on "Four Quarters," the album's opener, "It's like fightin' some dude that got a glass jaw/you hit him in the chin and you win/your old life ends and your new one beings."  - Stefan Schumacher

    In 2006, will.i.am helped reinvent classic Brazilian samba/bossa nova pioneer Sergio Mendes with the release of Timeless, after a ten year absence from the artist. Bringing out some of the biggest and best names in the industry to help modernize his sound, Timeless had an extensive guest list, including The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip, Black Thought, Chali 2na, Pharoahe Monch, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, and Mr. Vegas, among others. The result was a surprisingly dope LP that resonated with a lot of people, finding it’s way into various commercials and other media. 

    Two years later, Sergio and will.i.am have joined forces again to team up for Encanto (translated means “charm” or “loveliness”), a joint venture between will.i.am Music Group, Concord Records, and...wait for it.... Starbucks! Yes, Starbucks is determined to save the music industry by playing this album on their stores all day long until unsuspecting soccer moms ask “hey, what is this?” and buy the CD on the spot. But, taking that into account, this time things are different. Either the budget is lower, Sergio wants to stick to his roots a little more, or Starbucks doesn’t want potty-mouthed rappers on their products, but Encanto isn’t nearly soiree the that Timeless was. 

    That doesn’t necessarily mean its not a good party, just a lot of the cool people didn’t show up this time. Will takes a back seat to production values this time, as the ball is more in Sergio’s court, collaborating more with artists of his own genre than those of hip-hop and R&B. Will does have four contributions, but with hit and miss results. “The Look Of Love” has been done many times over the past forty years, so Fergie’s new rendition is contrived and nothing special, starting the album off on a bad note (literally, Ferg!). “Funky Bahia” fares better however, as Will’s moving, acoustic drum driven track helps animate former Michael Jackson/Brand New Heavies collaborator, Siedah Garrett’s, festive vocals. Will also contributes to the album’s final pair of tracks, “Acode”, featuring popular Brazilian vocalist Vanessa Da Mata and “Agua De Beber”, featuring Will himself. “Acode” is a funky-yet-atmospheric up-tempo jam sung completely in the native tongue, and it works. “Agua De Beber” finds Will on top a set of Sergio’s pianos, while Will recounts the story of how the collaboration came to be. 

      As far as tracks produced by Sergio’s own hand, the results are also a bit hit and miss. The first of these is the vibey “Waters of March”, where New Orleans vocalist Ledisi gets ultra-descriptive over Serg’s funky rhodes 73 keys and layers of percussion. More native to his land is “Odo-Ya”, which pulls no punches as Carlinhos Brown goes full force, abandoning any attempt at modernizing or Americanizing Sergio’s signature sound. Much of the rest of the album follows in this direction, while other tracks allow Sergio to enchant his female listeners with more romantic selections like “Dreamer” (feat. Lani Hall & Herb Alpert) or “Catavento” (feat. Gracinha Leporace). Surely you’ve heard of them? 

      Make no mistake, this is a world music record, not a pop record like Timeless. But, while the big names of Timeless made for some great collaborations that of which made it easier for the average listener to grab onto, Encanto is a slower build. But if Timeless got you open, and you yearn for some more of that Brazilian funk that only Sergio can deliver, this is worth checking out, despite its minor inconsistencies. - Pizzo

    Embarking on a cult classic with their debut, In Search Of..., The Neptunes' rock-band alias, N*E*R*D, has yet to recapture the success of that first record. Perhaps it's the ever-changing styles of the Chad and Pharrell, always pushing the envelope to turn the industry on it's ear, whether producing for Clipse or Madonna. After amazing audiences with their recent Madonna LP, one could only guess what they had in store for the new N*E*R*D album, Seeing Sounds. 

    Well, we hate to break it to the Madonna fans who loved The Neptunes' interpretation of what pop music should sound like, and we hate to break it to the In Search Of fans who wanted another extra smedium t-shirt club-dude record, as this is something else entirely. As you might be able to tell from the album's lead single, "Everybody Nose", the duo have thrown caution to the wind in regards to producing anything close to what you would expect. Here, the beat packs a heavy cello bassline and horn stabs, perhaps more suited for a 1994 Rakim than, well, all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom. Despite the fact that its a dope single with a great concept behind it (there's a coke machine in the women's bathroom at every club, apparently), the single has failed to make any significant impact outside of the cool-people circles. 

    But that's fine with N*E*R*D, as they've got their hands in everyone else's pockets. An album like Seeing Sounds is looked at as an offshoot project where they really can allow their creative juices to flow. That being said, we get to see all kinds of sounds on this LP, for better or for worse. 

    "Windows" is a bit of a catchy, radio friendly contemporary rock song that channels a bit of Lenny Kravitz with Pharrell's wailing, despite it's overdone eyes / windows metaphor. They flip the script without warning, diving headfirst into "Anti-Matter", a strange culmination of sleezy guitars, dirty south bounce, drum & bass rhythms. Here Pharrell's condescending rhymes mesh perfectly with the rest of the beat, making perhaps one of the albums best tracks. "Spaz" is another curve ball, again utilizing jungle beats and off kilter, NIN-esque guitar licks, complete with trademark N.E.R.D. soft-rock breakdown.

    The jazzy "Yeah You" is a humorous rant to the text-happy groupies that won't leave Pharrell alone; and it works in some capacity despite P's usual strange language and sentence assembly. "Sooner Or Later" is another piano ballad, in the tradition of last album's "Maybe", however comes off as a rehash of that track.

    It's pretty easy to pick up on the group's influences this time around. The sound of The Police is heard in the droning "Happy", and later on the discoed-out and better executed "You Know What". "Killjoy" is a lot of fun, the theme song to the imaginary film of the same name, playing like a deep, early Jamiroquai album cut, with a funky, moving bassline and percussion drums galore. 

     All in all, Seeing Sounds has it's moments, but doesn't play that well as an album. There is definitely a lot of creativity here, and they are pushing the envelope in the sounds they toy with here. However, it's obvious they don't care about the outcome of this record, using it is almost an experimentation ground for what kind of styles they can (or cannot) flex on the next Justin Timberlake album. After developing a signature sound on their first record, In Search Of, it's hard not to yearn for that early sound that they have obviously moved far beyond from. - Pizzo

    Sampled by everyone from Eric B & Rakim to Kanye West, classic soul singer Al Green has been around for over 40 years now, with perhaps his biggest and best known hit "Let's Stay Together" still relevant to bedrooms and dessert commercials alike. While he made his career out of slow, sultry love jams like this one, he turned to Gospel music during the seventies and eighties. While this move lost his core audience, he returned to R&B in the late eighties, but since has not been able to successfully recapture his early levels of popularity. Until now, that is. 

     Lay It Down, his third album on Blue Note Records debuted at #9 on the Billboard pop charts - the first time he's broken the top 40 chart since 1975's Greatest Hits LP. What's so different this time around? Al has taken a back to basics approach with this album, aided by producers The Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and James Poysner. As fans of his early works, the duo understands what people want to hear in an Al Green record, and they successfully deliver. 

     He gets right down to business with the title track, "Lay It Down", which sets up the record perfectly, as never-too-old-to-woo-the-ladies Green instantly captures the attention of his audience with this beautifully executed slow burner. Anthony Hamilton backs him up here - and again later on "You've Got The Love I Need", another classically penned love ballad that captures the lost innocence of Green's era perfectly. 

     Corinne Bailey Ray joins in on "Take Your Time", a duet that finds the two sinking into the sheets, professing their (performed) love for one another, over ?uestlove's slowest BPM ever. Obvious influence John Legend also collaborates with Green on "Stay with Me (By The Sea)", another smooth-like-butter  heartbreaker, finding the two Don Juan's effortlessly finding the perfect words for their female counterparts. Who wants to put money on an '09 Grammy duet for either track? 

    The collaborations are excellent, and add some star power to the record, but the true star here is Al himself. The majority of the album plays at a super relaxed pace, and Green is a natural at sliding back into his niche. ?uestlove and Poysner are perhaps the most important cog in the machine here. Rather than attempting to update Green by adding rap lyrics or modern hip-hop beats to his tracks, they instead see no reason to fix what isn't broken. Instead, they provide classic backdrops in the tradition of his early records and successfully channel the sound of yesterday.

     The only two out of place tracks here are "Standing In The Rain" and "I'm Wild About You", a pair of of uptempo tracks that seem as if they would go over especially well at your grandparents' wedding anniversary. It's evident that Green was attempting to "get the party started" with these two tracks, so to speak, but both come off more dated than timeless. But at this point, he can do what he wants, so who are we to judge?

   This is a record for the lovers, so despite these minor missteps, the first nine tracks of it play through flawlessly. 40 years into the game, Green gets the success he deserves once again. - Pizzo

    This isn’t Lil’ Wayne’s first album, clearly you knew that by the Roman numeral “III” in the title. But by the way it’s been hyped up over the last year, you’d think it was. What it is instead, is the first album that establishes Wayne as an official superstar, joining in the ranks of Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Kanye, etc. But why now?

   Early in his career, Wayne was looked at as the “kid rapper” of the Ca$h Money Millionaires family, and nobody outside of their fanbase really took him seriously. But during that time, Wayne perfected his craft. It wasn’t until the release of The Carter II, as well as his Dedication series of mixtapes that he carved out his own identity of super-emcee. 

     Wait, super-emcee? Isn’t this the guy that made “Lollipop”? We’ll agree with you that the song “Lollipop” sucks (well, the remix with Kanye that features actual rap lyrics is hot). On paper, it seems like more disposable bullshit. He’s got “Lil” in his name, he’s on every third R&B song, he rapped on “Bling Bling”, and was a member of The Hot Boyz. This checklist screams not to go anywhere near this album. 

     Despite some questionable beginnings, Wayne has transcended all of that and really begun to take up the art of rhyming. He’s a bit of an anomaly, because most other rappers that have a rap sheet similar to his simply aren’t that dope. 

     Listening to Tha Carter III, new listeners of Lil’ Wayne will quickly see how effortlessly Wayne can rip a mic – when he wants to. He selectively turns it on and off, at times dumbing things down to a level that makes you wonder why he’s considered one of the best out right now. Case in point is obviously “Lollipop”, as well as the album opener, “3 Peat”, which lets his core fanbase know that he hasn’t abandoned them, rhyming “fuck” with “fuck” and such. 

     He turns a corner quickly however, on “Mr. Carter”, his second collaboration with Jay-Z, as the two compete two see who can come off the illest over a soulful beat by Just Blaze. Truth be told, Wayne does his thing here, but Jay delivers one of his most lyrically complex verses in a while, never being allowing anyone else to Eminem him again. “A Milli” follows, his “Eye Examination” if you will, that features Wayne simply rhyming his ass off over a minimalist track, and addressing the answer to the long-debated what’s-a-goon-to-a-goblin argument. “Got Money” (feat. T-Pain) also finds him in top form, as the album’s quintessential club-banger, and sure to be next hit single. 

      Interestingly, he tiptoes in backpack territory in several places on the album, with hit and miss results. The corny “Phone Home” finds him over a spacey beat - more suited for Black Elvis than Lil’ Wayne - but with added thump from Cool & Dre. Here, he puts himself in another category of emcee completely, saying he’s beyond an “animal” or “beast”, claiming to instead be a “Martian”. Fairing better is the David Axelrod sampled, Swizz Beatz produced “Dr. Carter”, where he checks up on three dying patients, showing them how they can step their rap game up. The classic sample and tightly knit concept of this song makes it easily the best track on the album. Later on “Let the Beat Build”, he does just that, rapping over a drumless Kanye West track, which kicks in at the final moment with a lyrical payoff that does the first half of the song it’s justice. 

     Naturally, Wayne has to succumb to the pressures of the major labels, so he does pull back at times, delivering plenty of more radio friendly tracks in the same vein of “Lollipop”. Perhaps one of the most tasteless, not-cool-at-all extended metaphor tracks ever is “Mrs. Officer”, where Wayne and buddy cop Bobby Valentino suggest they are going to ...uh... beat that pussy up like the police. Tasteless, but make what you will of it. The Babyface assisted, Kanye produced “Comfortable” is a bit of a response record to Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable”, acting as a radio jam with a little more substance than “Lollipop”. Both “Tie My Hands” (feat. Robin Thicke) and the dreary “Shoot Me Down” find a more introspective Wayne, and fare better than the other songs that feature sung vocals.  

    Whether or not Tha Carter III will mature into a classic album remains to be seen, but there is one glaring problem with the record. While it is filled with lyrical gems, in many cases you can almost “catch” Wayne doing one-take sessions, where it’s very obvious he is freestyling. Sure, that may be impressive to some extent, but this isn’t a mixtape. At times, he is feeling himself so much that it’s like he assumes that he doesn’t need to fix the sloppier parts of his verses, which many times find him going off into weird tangents and never returning. But sure, he’s a Martian, and again, it won’t matter years from now if these lyrics become embedded in our brains. But we know he can do better. 

    All in all, Tha Carter 3 does not disappoint, and for the most part lives up to the hype. Make no mistake, Wayne is easily one of the best emcees holding a mic, sketchy past or not. Anyone who disagrees clearly isn’t listening. Sure, Wayne had albums before this one, but Tha Carter 3 truly is his debut. - Pizzo

   It’s safe to say that J-Live is one of the most consistent emcees in hip-hop today.  Maybe this writer is getting old or is tired of hearing “Lollipop” 72 times a day on the radio, but J-Live has never done anything this writer didn’t like.  We all know his beginnings with Raw Shack and his label struggles, so no need to elaborate on that any further.  And Then What Happened finds J opening up a little more about his heritage, the lack of a father figure in his life, and his affiliation with the 5%.

   The album starts off with the Jazzy Jeff produced “One to 31” where J lets people know exactly how great a woman is mother was, and how bad his astringed father was, while showing off his ever increasing DJ skills.   J-Live is not just an emcee but an all around entertainer.  “And Then What Happened” continues with J being slightly more political than usual.  “Be No Slave” has J correlating being a slave to being stuck in a record contract over a funky DJ Evil Dee track.  J-Live enlists Posdanous and Oddisee for the “The Upgrade”, Oddisee rhyming like and an old pro and Posdanous never missing a step.  

   J-Live and hip-hop are here to stay which is stated oh so eloquently on newcomer Yallzee’s “Don’t Stop”.  “The Understanding” has J-Live paying homage to where he comes from while cutting up a perfectly placed Jeru sample.  He states “This goes back further than that/further than rap/it’s weird/because my role models/are my peers now.” Does it getting any more humble than that?   A track that this writer has to talk about is “Ole” feat Oddy Gato.  For an artist to sample a jazz loop is nothing new, but Usef Dinero breaks out of the box sampling meringue guitar and the word “Ole”, J-Live rides the track just like he would a Donald Byrd sample.  Other notable tracks are the scene stealing guest shot from Charli 2na on “The Zone”, the Cap D (of All Natural) produced “Simmer Down”, and the Nicolay produced introspective track “You Out There?”

    J-Live rarely missteps as an emcee, sometimes his choice in production doesn’t move this writer.  The Probe DMS track, “The Last Third” is a bit abstract and Locsmif’s “Why You Holdin” has a little bit too much going on.  Despite these minor flaws, the album is better than 99.9% of the music that is in stores or on the internet. He DJs, he rhymes, and probably somewhere along the way did graffiti and dabbled in break dancing.  Maybe he’ll tell us about that on the next installment.  For now support good music and buy the album. - Darin Gloe

   On the low, the Midwest has been on the rise.  Since the early 2000s, Midwest emcees have been the recipients of both commercial and critical acclaim.  This is evident with the success of artists like Eminem, Nelly, Kanye West, Common, and Lupe Fiasco. So now the gates are open and it is up to the up and coming artist out of this region to take advantage of the newfound notoriety.  With The In Crowd, Kidz in the Hall manage to create an album that showcases the talents and state of mind of middle America while blending well with some of the underground’s better lyricists.

   The album from beginning to end displays a great combination of emcee and producer.  Naledge and Double-O work well together bringing out the best in the other.  This is seen on “Black Out” featuring DJ G.I. Joe and “Paper Chase” featuring an impressive verse from Little Brother’s Phonte.  The album’s lead single “Drivin’ Down The Block” is a sensational ridin’ track that brilliantly samples vocals from Masta Ace and Outkast.  The shining moments come later in the album beginning with the Midwest anthems “Middle of the Map Pt. 1” featuring Fooch and “Middle of the Map Pt. 2” featuring Black Milk and Guilty Simpson. “Inner Me” exposes the battles that Naledge has with himself battling inner demons, vices, and ambitions of success.  The In Crowd takes the listener to a world that is not known to the average hip hop audience.  While one is concentrated on the movements in other areas like the south or New York, there is a scene that is up and coming and one would be best to become aware.

   But one thing that this album lacks is a true connection of identity.  The title The In Crowd does not truly live up to its name for the fact that the Kidz in the Hall do not elaborate on exactly what “in crowd” they are exactly talking about.  Is it commercial emcees, or is it the game in general?  Or is it something completely different, we don’t know and the group lacks to address that question.  But overall, The In Crowd exhibits true lyricism that has been missing while helping to establish their region and brand. - Ryan Harrison

    With the success of The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey made a comeback that many artists at their crossroads could only dream of, from being on the brink of being written off as a tragic story to returning with one of 2005’s best R&B albums. So to follow up the groundbreaking LP, Carey returns with the E=MC2, a poppy album that takes the listener on a roller coaster of classic material that one is used to hearing from the songstress to the lower dips of experimentation and attempts of crossover appeal, while not living up to its predecessor.

    The album starts with the bounce on Danja produced “Migrate” featuring T-Pain and the albums lead single “Touch My Body.”  But soon after is where Mariah stumbles with the reggae influenced Damien Marley featured “Cruise Control.”  Both artists are great in their own right, but this mix does not fare well as Carey is clearly out of element, but she manages to come back with the strong ballad “I’m Stay In Love,” but once again followed up by the hip hop-esque “Side Effects” featuring Young Jeezy.  This pattern continues throughout the album with where she has her ups and downs as seen on tracks like the strong “Love Story” and “Thanx for Nothin’,” mixed in with the terrible “I’ll be Lovin’ U Long Time” and “O.O.C.”  The “wish you were hear” “Bye Bye” does not fare well as the whole notion of discussing individuals who are gone is more of a hip hop trend as opposed to R&B, let alone Mariah.  It are these inconsistencies that really take away from the LP as the listener would more than likely have to skip from track to track to hear a more cohesive album.

   By sticking to what you know, to what help to redeem you position as one of the top artists in your profession is sometimes hard to do, especially when you have a lot at stake and a lot of hype to live up to, but it is not necessarily a bad thing either.  There was a reason that you excelled the way you did, for it was the talent that you had that took you to that next level.  So one would only want to keep striving off of the elements that got them there, as opposed to taking risky moves that won’t garner you any new fans or accolades.  This is a wise lesson for Mimi to learn by that she really did not have to stray too far from the path, but just rely on the way you got there. - Ryan Harrison

   You have to imagine that at some time during his four-year absence, following one of the biggest club songs in the last five years (“Yeah” feat. Ludacris and Lil’ Jon), Usher was sitting on the couch watching MTV thinking, “Okay, Justin Timberlake, I see you.” While Usher kicked back and collected royalty checks off the Hitch trailer, J.T. kind of waltzed in and took his place as the millennial Michael Jackson with the Futuresex/Lovesounds LP and several offshoot projects. So, with “Here I Stand”, Usher makes his triumphant return. But is he looking to reclaim his crown as the king of clubs, or merely deliver an honest, introspective LP?

     Surprisingly, Usher’s latest shows off a more mature, settled-down version of the man who went from innocent child singer to sex-addicted superstar. While the lead single to this LP, “Love In This Club”, suggests that sex is still his main priority, the album gives a far different view of Usher Raymond. Contending for R&B single of the year, “Love In This Club” has already reached the anthem level, as Pollow The Don’s slow-synth and Usher’s passionate cries for public displays of affection flawlessly blur the lines between crunk hits and slow jams. The addition of Jeezy asking the age-old, poignant question of “have you ever made love to a thug in the club with his ice on?” doesn’t hurt either. It’s what Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” is to white people. 

     But this sadly is the only track of that caliber on “Here I Stand”. Coming out the gate with such a ridiculously huge song – one that perhaps tops even “Yeah” – suggests that perhaps he climaxed too quickly (or, instead, this song will pay his bills for the next five years). This isn’t to say that this is all he’s got – there’s plenty of other good songs on the album, but this is by far the apex. 

     Otherwise, Usher’s other club oriented songs are more groove oriented jams, in the tradition of Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder. “This Ain’t Sex” and “What’s Your Name” (feat. Will.I.Am) are two danceable party starters – both executed just fine – but won’t bring the house down like “Yeah” or “Love In This Club”. 

     Instead, much of the album is spent of topical slow jams, and at times landing in cliché territory. You can’t help but get into songs like “Trading Places” or “Something Special”, where he very suavely plays the seducer. However, when the wooing turns into whining, it feels like he’s playing the part up for all the lovelorn teenyboppers out there. “His Mistakes”, “Before I Met You” and “Moving Mountains” suffer from the depressing conversational style of R&B song that plagues urban radio all day long. 

     While we do see a more mature Usher on this record, such as on the N.Y.Centric “Best Thing” (feat. Jay-Z) or the short-lived “Prayer For You” (dedicated to his baby boy), for the most part, this is still fits the mold of a typical Usher LP. Like Confessions before it, everybody in the world might love that lead single, but only half of that crowd will give Here I Stand repeated listens. – Pizzo

   In this day and age, every subgenre of creation receives an equal platform for public attention. That platform is the internet, which you are using right now, and was invented by Al Gore on that legendary stormy evening when he was flying a kite with a calculator tied to it. By using your internet, you can obtain a degree in dental assistance, or become a schooled expert of Japanese culture, all without leaving the comfort of your own home. Simply Netflix some Godzilla and anime gems, buy some throwing stars on Ebay and look up the number for that questionable sushi restaurant that just opened in the mall. Log on, wax off.

    I don’t know if Esoteric actually spent time in the land of the Rising Sun, but Esoteric v. Japan (Pterodactyl Takes Japan!) is a vicarious adventure to the Far East via lush sample-based production. Tracks like “Feudal Lords” and “Knifegirl” are instant hip hop classics with punchy drums and sample chopping massacres that sound like the bastard children of the RZA and DJ Premier.

    This album is more Matsumoto than Miyazaki, full of constant action and sporadic plot lines. Like most cool stuff from Japan, it should be enjoyed with your stoner friends and hidden from your girlfriends. Eso has dug deep to expose us to a broad range of inner nerdus, employing a flood of diverse source material ranging from Godzilla toy commercials to Japanese surf rock and everything in between. He beefs it up with versatile boom bap, and through precision sequencing creates the effect of channel surfing through a haunted Japanese film archive. Oh, and he raps on most of it and its really good.

    7L and Esoteric (7LES) have been appealing to the young at heart since 1996, with their debut single “Be Alert” which sampled the theme from Transformers (including that coveted transformation sound effect). Esoteric v. Japan is in the same vein, with an abundance of clever references in both the production and vocal content: “I’m on some Rachael McAdams, you’re on some Jamie Lee Curtis” I know Esoteric has seen JLC endorsing that yogurt that helps you shit more often! 

    Golden Age aesthetics run rampant throughout this mix, including crisp drums, chopped samples interrupted by DJ cuts and dialogue, and Eso’s vicious rhymes. The pace is always quick, and there are endless instrumental and vocal breaks to let you forget you’re listening to a rap record.

   A few legit Japanese emcees contribute for street cred, and folks with even a passing interest in Japanese music and film will find themselves wanting to practice flying roundhouse kicks in their bedrooms while this is playing. Esoteric v. Japan is as entertaining as the entire Karate Kid Trilogy, and dare I say, the esoteric-ness of it is worth the acquisition. Long live the creative vision. --Chris Seeger

    Halfway through the first track of Flobots sophomore effort, Fight With Tools, it was a little unclear of the direction the record was taking. Flobots, a six-man hip-hop group from Denver, had managed to stay under the radar up until now. So rightfully, it was a little shocking when the intro track, "There's A War Going On For Your Mind", started off with a viola groove backed only by spoken word. How often is it that you hear a hip hop track backed only by a viola? With preconceptions set aside, it would soon become evident that this track would set a pattern for the rest of the album, as Fight With Tools manages to consistently defy convention and return hip-hop to the socio-political music that it has always strived to be.

      Political messages come in abundance on this record. Whether the call for revolution on "Same Thing", a track with a funky bass line tinged by a perfectly placed trumpet, Stand Up, with a desperate viola sure to give you goose bumps, or the dark, brooding sound of "Anna Braden", Flobots MCs Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit manage to pursue a political agenda with a deft wit and lyrical finesse often unseen. Almost as impressive, is the fact that they promote their political ideology without resorting to proselytizing; their messages, however sharp and critical they are, always come across as uplifting.

      We've seen planes in the windows of buildings crumbled in
      We've seen flames send the chills through London
      And we've sent planes to kill them and some of them were children
      But still we crumbling the building
      Underfunded but we still don't understand
      Under God but we kill like the son of Sam
      But if you feel like I feel like about the son of man
      We will overcome

      The record also has a lyrical complexity that most acts don't.  "Anna Braden" and "Handlebars" are so thought provoking that you're bound to question yourself after you hear them.

      The instrumentation on the album doesn't take a back seat to the powerful lyrics, but rather, complements them, giving the album a full, warm sound with a wide selection of great beats. The viola, guitar, bass, and trumpet playing are all top of the line, and demonstrate the group's potential as a fan-stealing live act, akin to The Roots.  And like The Roots, the Flobots have a certain musical dexterity that leaves you guessing as to the next sound you're going to hear; on "Combat", they seem like they could break into a Sly and The Family Stone track at any second, while "Never Had It" starts off with some acoustic picking that's a bit reminiscent of "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. Every member of the group shows their prowess somewhere on the album, demonstrating that variety and drama are a Flobots strong-point.

      Overall, this album is a great return to conscientious lyrics, something that definitely has its value in a time with so much political turmoil. With great instrumentation performed by a real band( !!!), this is an album that every hip hop fan, no wait, music fan, should pick up. - Michael Rodriguez

   Bun B has one of the most powerful voices in hip hop. Fluid, precise and measured; It demands attention. Too often, though, he's not saying much. For much of his career, moments of introspective genius have been sprinkled amongst syrupy dirty south cliché. For II Trill, follow-up to 2005's Trill, Bun takes a substantially more reflective stance than on any of his prior works. And while it's still blanketed with the customary street-corner machismo, there's real artist growth on II Trill -- even if it's sporadic.

   "Get Cha Issue" combines everything we've come to love about Port Arthur, Texas' favorite son, in one, tight package. Addressing a trio of issues, social and political, Bun snaps "Ya'll some liars, stealers, philanderers, and all / Got Senators sucking dick inside of bathroom stalls." No punches to be held here.

   Class inequality, as well as cultural responsibility, highlight "If It Was Up II Me" and the DJ Khalil-helmed "Another Soldier." Emotion reaches an entirely different level on "Angel in the Sky," Bun's posthumous tribute to one-half of UGK, the late Pimp C.

    For those seeking the drip of candy paint and a garish pair of gold fronts, have no fear. The album's opening two tracks, "II Trill" and "That's Gangsta" are table setters. Produced by Clinton Sparks and J.R. Rotem, respectively, these two are like downing three red bull and vodkas -- in 10 minutes. "Swang On 'Em" slides in with a swanky set of horns and an album-stealing verse from Lupe Fiasco: "I'm Rick James / And this game is a wide-leather coach for me to plant my feet on." Shut it down.

    That's not to say this album is a home run, though. Much like it's predecessor, II Trill succumbs to inconsistency. "My Block," laced by milk carton status nominee Jazze Pha, is a unnecessary rehash. Scott Storch underwhelms with "I Luv That," and "You're Everything" suffers greatly, not from the Jodeci sample but from the mundane production surrounding it. "Pop It 4 Pimp" may be the worst of the lot, reinterpreting Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up" to almost egregious effect (complete with tacked on Juvie verse). It's unfortunate to see the likes of Bun and Juvenile sloshing through what could've served as a nice contrast to "Angel in the Sky."

   Still, these are only wobbles on an otherwise fairly stable effort. Though production takes a noticeable U-turn when compared to Trill, Bun's versatility and ever-expanding content on II Trill make for an enjoyable experience overall. He's yet to unleash a solo classic. However, there's certainly evidence here to suggest Bun may yet have one up his sleeve. - Jack Goodson

     Shine is the second album from West London based rapper/singer Estelle, and the first release from John Legend’s new Homeschool Records imprint, via Atlantic Records. She first