DJ Whoo Kid And Lloyd Banks - 4-30-09: Happy Birthday (2CD)/The Cold Corner (Mixtape Review)

I may get a lot of hate for posting this, but Lloyd Banks has been one of my favorite rappers for years. Between his freshman and sophomore albums he fell off a bit, but has definitely made a comeback with his flow as of late. I liked most of the songs on the Happy Birthday double-disk. Also, before this mixtape, in January he released the Cold Corner and that was great. Both of these mixtapes were on-point lyrically. Lloyd Banks is the only G-Unit member worthy of respect. Both of these mixtapes have some good collaborations (namely the Jay Rock Collabo on Happy Birthday) and top-notch east coast production. The beats chosen fit well for Banks. Both Mixtapes average out to a 4/5. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday:

Disc 1

1. (00:00:37) Lloyd Banks - Reborn (Intro)
2. (00:03:49) Lloyd Banks - Real Recognize Real Ft. Jay Rock
3. (00:03:51) Lloyd Banks - My Way Or Nothing Ft. Uncle Murda
4. (00:03:50) Lloyd Banks - Me And My Strap Ft. Nipsey Hussle
5. (00:02:57) Lloyd Banks - Luv Witch Ya Boy Ft. Ron Browz
6. (00:03:40) Lloyd Banks - Not Quite Right
7. (00:00:29) Lloyd Banks - Verses Skit
8. (00:01:35) Lloyd Banks - Flight School
9. (00:02:41) Lloyd Banks - M.B.A.M.
10. (00:03:03) Lloyd Banks - Shut Your Bloodcot Mouth Pt. 2
11. (00:03:09) Lloyd Banks - I'll Be Back
12. (00:02:27) Lloyd Banks - Reborn
13. (00:03:57) Lloyd Banks - Have It All
14. (00:02:08) Lloyd Banks - I Get Around
15. (00:03:36) Lloyd Banks - Life Goes On

Disc Two

1. (00:00:14) Lloyd Banks - Intro
2. (00:04:07) Lloyd Banks - Officer Down
3. (00:01:32) Lloyd Banks - Get Down
4. (00:02:42) Lloyd Banks - New Era
5. (00:03:24) Lloyd Banks - The Raw
6. (00:03:18) Lloyd Banks - Hottest In The Hood (Remix) Ft. Red Cafe
7. (00:03:16) Lloyd Banks - My Girl
8. (00:03:18) Lloyd Banks - Money Moves The World
9. (00:03:59) Lloyd Banks - 24 Inches Rmx
10. (00:04:12) Lloyd Banks - Holy Matrimony
11. (00:03:45) Lloyd Banks - Mind On Murda
12. (00:03:34) Lloyd Banks - Don't Come Around
13. (00:03:38) Lloyd Banks - Truth Hurts


Cold Corner:

01. Eminem Intro / Increase The Gritty
02. New Pu$$y
03. Ice Box
04. Cold Corner
05. On My Way
06. Neighborhood Watch
07. On The Arm
08. What Am I Doing Here
09. My Brothers Keeper
10. The Reason
11. Be That Way Sometimes
12. Good Company
13. Do It For This Block
14. Another Day Another Dollar

Lloyd Banks - 4-30-09: Happy Birthday Direct Download

Lloyd Banks - The Cold Corner Direct Download

Lloyd Banks - 4-30-09: Happy Birthday Torrent
Lloyd Banks - The Cold Corner Torrent

More coming soon.

Kid Cudi - Dat Kid From Cleveland (Mixtape Review)

Kid Cudi has been blowing up ever since his hit single “day and night.” After listening to A Kid Named Cudi, his previous mixtape, I wasn’t too impressed. However, this mixtape blew me away. His flow is very original and has a Kanye/Lupe vibe. This is very different than most of the music out right now. Cudi fits right in with the other new guys from the “softer side” of hip-hop like Drake, Asher Roth, and the Cool Kids in terms of style. I will say that I am enjoying the originality that each of these new artists are bringing to hip-hop, but I would say that I like Cudi best out of all of them. This mixtape Dat Kid From Cleveland is very representative of Cudi and his style. A handful of these songs made it to my 5-star list; I give it a 4/5 overall. Hope you all enjoy it and can agree that he is not just a one hit wonder.

1. Dj E-V - Intro
2. Daps & Pounds (DJ E-V Exclusive)
3. I Poke Her Face (ft Kanye West & Common)
4. Sky Might Fall (Prod By Kanye West) (Early Version)
5. Look Up In Da Stars (Feat. Wale) (Prod. by Breez)
6. Skit - Jerry Maguire from Cleveland
7. Rollin (Remix) (Feat. Jackie Chain)
8. She came along (feat. Sharam)
9. Super Boo
10. Welcome 2 the World (feat. Kevin Rudolf)
11. Ho' Is Short For Honey (feat. 88-Keys)
12. Skit - Foggy Glasses
13. Buggin Out 2009 (ft. Consequence)
14. Sky High (Prod. By The Kickdrums)
15. 09 Freestyle
16. Switchin Lanes
17. Higher Up
18. Takeover Freestyle
19. Can I Be
20. Ask About Me ft. Chip Tha Ripper (Prod By Rami Beatz)

Kid Cudi - Dat Kid From Cleveland Direct Download

Kid Cudi - Dat Kid From Cleveland Torrent

Freeway - Month Of Madness (Compilation Mixtape Review)

I have liked freeway for a long time now. When he first came out I wasn’t really feeling him, especially because I have the tendency to hate artists who associate with Jay-Z. Eventually, I let Freeway leak into my ITunes and have liked him ever since. He has a completely original style and flow. He also usually has pretty decent content. He made this mixtape from the songs he made once-a-day all-month in December, 2008. He released it in January 2009, so that is why I am posting it. It is a really strong mixtape the whole way through. He doesn’t let up much the entire time. I give it a 4/5.
I liked this mixtape a whole lot more than his low budget retail album Philadelphia Freeway 2, released earlier this month. Enjoy.


1. (00:03:14) Freeway - Month Of Madness
2. (00:03:39) Freeway - Everlast
3. (00:03:17) Freeway - Count On Free
4. (00:02:46) Freeway - Look Around
5. (00:03:19) Freeway - Gonna Get Mines
6. (00:03:56) Freeway - I'm Great
7. (00:02:57) Freeway - Mindstate Takeover
8. (00:02:40) Freeway - Blauh
9. (00:02:48) Freeway - Together
10. (00:03:12) Freeway - Tell You Something
11. (00:03:23) Freeway - Movin' Out
12. (00:03:42) Freeway - Straight Madness
13. (00:02:33) Freeway - I Can Deal With It
14. (00:02:53) Freeway - Really Rough Out Here
15. (00:02:56) Freeway - Street Music
16. (00:03:12) Freeway - Start Wildin'
17. (00:03:43) Freeway - Doing Anthing
18. (00:03:23) Freeway - Get It Started
19. (00:03:21) Freeway - Rap Spitters
20. (00:03:25) Freeway - Diesel
21. (00:03:13) Freeway - Long Money
22. (00:03:19) Freeway - Do It To Death
23. (00:03:48) Freeway - There You Go
24. (00:03:32) Freeway - For The Better (Feat. Neesh)
25. (00:03:26) Freeway - As I Ever Been (Feat. Hezekiah)
26. (00:03:40) Freeway - When I Die (Feat. James Blunt)
27. (00:02:39) Freeway - I Wanna Be Free
28. (00:02:57) Freeway - Np Finest
29. (00:03:30) Freeway - Bank Rollz
30. (00:03:04) Freeway - Back For More
31. (00:03:28) Freeway - Don't Tell Me It's Over
32. (00:04:06) Freeway - So Cold (Feat. Klass) (Bonus)

Freeway - Month of Madness Direct Download

Freeway - Month of Madness Torrent


More coming soon.

Jay Rock - Gudda Muzik (Mixtape Review)

This is an up-and-coming artist from the west-coast. He sounds a lot like Game, but I think he is a far superior artist. Let me know if you like it. I like his flow, and content. He is the head of TDE (Top Dawg Ent) which features many other new talented artists like K-dot, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q from the west-coast. He is one of my favorite new guys in hip-hop. I don’t think this mixtape is as good as his previous releases, but still a really good mixtape from a newer artist in 2009. I give it a 3.5/5.

His previous mixtape (Coming Soon to a Hood Near You) is also posted below. Most people will probably enjoy this one more. It features his iTunes smash-hit single “My life.” Enjoy.


01 Gudda Muzik
02 I Be On The Block
03 Follow Me Home (Cali Soul)
04 Hottest In The Hood
05 Gangsta Shit
06 Make The Trap
07 How To Rob 2009
08 I Get It In
09 Beat A Rapper Down
10 Can't U Tell (Remix)
11 Put On
12 Real Recognize Real
13 Freestyle
14 Wassup Hah
15 Magnificent
16 Rock The House
17 Bang Bang
18 112 Bars
19 All My Life (West Coast Remix)

Jay Rock - Gudda Musik Direct Download

Jay Rock - Gudda Musik Torrent

Jay Rock - Coming Soon to a Hood Near You Torrent


More coming soon.

Slaughterhouse - Severed Heads Vol. 1-2 (Mixtape Review)

Not much can be said about this tape other than: amazing. This group features the best chemistry and member selection, I can think of, since EMC. I think it may be even more successful. My only complaint to the group is that listeners may have trouble distinguishing Crooked I from Royce. Their voice and delivery is pretty similar. Overall, I loved this tape. I would say there are a handful of 5-star songs and a bunch of 4-stars. I don’t think I disliked any of the songs. The mixtape is definitely entertaining and lyrically dynamic the entire way through. Joe Budden is actually becoming a rapper I can listen to. His 16-minute song summarizing the entire history of hip-hop was incredible. I don’t think I will ever get sick of it. I hope you all like this mixtape as much as I did. I think it is a great way to start the blog and really demonstrates what I am looking for in a mixtape. I give it a 4.5/5.


VOL. 1:
01. Slaughterhouse - Intro
02. Joe Budden Feat Joell Ortiz Nino Bless Crooked I & Royce Da 5'9 - Slaughterhouse (Produced By Scram Jones)
03. Crooked I - Slaughterhouse Is A Big Deal
04. Slaughterhouse - Wack MC's (Produced By Red Spyda)
05. Royce Da 5'9 - Ya'll Must Of Forgot
06. Joe Budden & Royce Da 5'9 - Hottest In The Hood
07. Crooked I - I'm Still An MC (Produced By Komplex)
08. Joell Ortiz Royce Da 5'9 & Crooked I - We Go Hard (DJ 1Mic Mix)
09. Joe Budden Feat Joell Ortiz - Warfare (Produced By Klasic)
10. Royce Da 5'9 - Losing Out (Produced By Black Milk)
11. Joell Ortiz - Air Ya'll (Produced By Lord Finesse)
12. Slaughterhouse - Interlude
13. Crooked I - All I Ever Wanted
14. Royce Da 5'9 - Shake This (Produced By DJ Premier)
15. Joell Ortiz - Can't You Tell (Produced By Statik Selektah)
16. Crooked I - If You Ever Heard (Produced By King Tech)
17. Royce Da 5'9 - Part Of Me (Produced By Carlos Broady)
18. Joe Budden Feat Meedah - Ground Breaking Newz
19. Crooked I - Str8 Bossin (2Pac Tribute)
20. Joell Ortiz - Too Soon (Notorious BIG & 2Pac Tribute) (Produced By DJ Khalil)
21. Joe Budden - Send Him Our Love (Stack Bundles Tribute)
22. Joe Budden - Speaks On Send Him Our Love

VOL. 2:
01. Slaughterhouse - Speaks On The Top Songs Of The 90's
02. Slaughterhouse - Fight Club
03. Slaughterhouse - Onslaught
04. Slaughterhouse - Move On
05. Royce Da 5'9 Feat Phonte & Stat Quo - Homage To Premier
06. Joell Ortiz - Tribute To DJ Premier
07. Joell Ortiz - Purple Tape Freestyle
08. Crooked I Feat DJ Wicked - Jackin For Beats
09. Joell Ortiz - BK Get The Money
10. Joell Ortiz Feat DJ Enuff - Jackin For Beats
11. Crooked I & Royce Da 5'9 - Clear The Area
12. Crooked I Feat Chamillionaire - Everything
13. Joe Budden Feat Young Chris - Freestyle
14. Joe Budden - Under The Sun
15. Royce Da 5'9 Feat Busta Rhymes - Freestyle
16. Royce Da 5'9 - I'm The Shit Fool (DJ 1Mic Blend)
17. Joell Ortiz - Crack A Bottle
18. Joell Ortiz - Say It
19. Joell Ortiz - Loud.com Freestyle
20. Joell Ortiz - Gomez Bros Freestyle
21. Joe Budden - Livin For The City Freestyle
22. Crooked I - Sickology
23. Crooked I - Yes Sir
24. Crooked I - After Inaguration
25. Joell Ortiz - They Reminisce Over You
26. Joe Budden - Who Killed Hip Hop (Full 15 Minute Song)

Slaughterhouse - Severed Heads 1 Direct Download
Slaughterhouse - Severed Heads 2 Direct Download

Slaughterhouse - Severed Heads 1 Torrent
Slaughterhouse - Severed Heads 2 Torrent


More coming soon.

Hip-Hop Filter

Like I said in the previous post, I want to filter out what I define to be garbage hip-hop music. I will only be posting music emphasizing the 3 following characteristics, in order of importance:

1. Lyrics (hence the name of the bog)
2. Charisma
3. Beat


I am going to try to catch up and post music from 2009 that I believe show the above characteristics. I will be posting them as torrent links. So download uTorrent and install it, so you can listen to the music.

Goal of this Blog

Hip-hop has become one of the most mixed up forms of music in history. It began full of substance and meaning, but has now transformed into the meaningless monster of mainstream greed. It is easy to see why this could happen. In the beginning of hip-hop, like anything else, there was no money to be made. Artists made music in order to express themselves. Artists like Rakim, LL Cool J, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, Kool G Rap, and many other pioneers brought originality and self expression to their music. Somewhere along the line people began to realize that money could be made with this type of music. What really generated profit for hip-hop artists? The popularity of their singles. But, why were singles like “Momma Said Knock You Out,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Unity,” and “Paid in Full” so popular? They had mass appeal, meaning people outside the industry of hip-hop could listen to that single and enjoy it. This is all that needs to be understood. Anyone who can make a single with mass appeal can have a hit record that makes money. There are many different types of mass appeal. The current and most popular method is to make a song with a heavy bass beat and a simple catchy hook. These songs are easy to understand, catchy, and appeal to a wide audience. Records like “Laffy Taffy” and “Crank Dat (Souljah Boy)” prove this to be true. It seems like the trend of artists grossly oversimplify their song concepts has proven over and over to be the easiest way for artists to make money without needing to have an ounce of substance within their music. Now that this type of music is dominating the radio there is no way to stop it. This trend will continue for a long time and continues to give hip-hop music a bad reputation. Most artists will have a decision to make. If they have any type of microphone talent, they can choose to sell out for mass appeal or stay true to themselves as artists. I am starting this blog in an effort to preserve the second option. I don’t want to listen to the garbage on the radio. I want to hear real hip-hop music. This blog is going to be a hip-hop filter. All that will be let through the filter is talented artists with skill, originality, substance. I hope you all enjoy it.