Kaz-well – Fish Outta Water (Album Review)

Hip Hop DX rant:

First off fuck Hip Hop DX. They really fucked up on this one. This album was definitely sick. I don’t know much about Kaz-well but I do know he knows how to make a great concept album. He is from the Bay area but doesn’t show any characteristics of Bay Area music that I am familiar with. Yes Fish Outta Water has the same title as the recently released Chali 2Na album, but who gives a fuck. They were released a week apart.  Actually, it looks like this came out first but the original release date for Chali was June 23, 2009 (pushed back to July 7), one week after Kaz-well’s release. This was obviously a coincidence and will have no affect on this review.

Album Review:

Kaz-well seems like a somewhat amateur rap artist who put his all in to produce the best album he could. His lyrics are crafted perfectly to match the 80’s inspired beats provided by DJ Scotty Doo. This album is inventive in so many ways, but does have its low points, mostly due to the apparent inexperience of Kaz. This album comes together as a spiritual, emotional rollercoaster ride. The album begins with his description of his development as an artist stemming as early as infancy. Kaz then shows us he is more than just a stereotypical rapper: first he gives us a motivational track, Whisper of the Gods and follows it up by telling listeners tales of how he  shines with his artistry as opposed to showing off material possessions on Take Me Home. His “back in the days” track, Three Words, takes listeners to his teenage days of puppy love and heartache as listeners witness Kaz getting left by his schoolyard girlfriend. This was probably my favorite just because it is so relatable, not to mention well produced. Kaz touches on so many different subjects on album it is overwhelming. He isn't afraid to get spiritual on here as well. On the track The Beach he is trying to find his definition paradise (heaven, I guess). This type of subject exploration will most likely limit his acceptance in the rap world. Accepted or not this album is thought provoking, original, smooth, and positively inclined. Aside from some noticeable flaws in Kaz-well’s rap delivery the album is near perfect in my eyes. There is no point in breaking this album down track by track, it is a purely conceptual album that is done in such a way that you feel as if Kaz has taken you just where he wants you to go: on a trippy ride though time and a mystical walk in the clouds, 4.5/5. Are you ready for it?

01. Krazy Glue ( 3:40)
02. Whisper Of The Godz ( 3:13)
03. Take Me Home ( 3:55)
04. Three Words ( 4:12)
05. Ain't So Far Away ( 3:01)
06. The Beach ( 2:56)
07. Another Day ( 3:42)
08. Right Here ( 3:28)
09. Let Me In ( 4:39)

Kaz-well - Fish Outta Water Direct Download

Curren$y - This Ain’t No Mixtape (Album Review) Late

Curren$y Rant:

I have only recently started following Curren$y, “tha Hot Spitta,” after his past two mixtapes. He has what he describes on the track Galaxy as a “mild tone’ flow and it doesn't change much from song to song; you either like him a lot or you don’t like him at all. He has a lot of fans who all feel he is the best in the game. So, when I first heard him I had my expectations built up to hear some ridiculously different shit from the dude. However, on my first listen I didn't immediately feel him and brushed it off as misguided respect. I thought he had a really average flow, but once I figured out his style was more of a laid-back lyricism, I started to let him in to the Ipod. He has put out a bunch of mixtapes most of which are solid hip hop gems. Once you get past his low key style you really start to like the dude. He is a quiet, mellow rapper with a lot of intelligent lines that you may miss on initial judgments.

Album Review:

Curren$y’s freshman album, This Ain’t No Mixtape, probably shouldn't even be considered an album. It is exactly like his mixtapes and has no new concepts at all, just slightly improved beats. Still, true Spitta fans have jumped at the chance to purchase his album after having been leaked 7 mixtapes for free. Curren$y’s problem on some tracks is that he will get noticeably lazy with his flow at some points during verses.  Common subjects in his raps are: hitting groupie girls that he gets from rap stardom and also how much better he is than the rest of the rap industry. I feel he is not any different from many other artists in terms of content, but his style and blatant authenticity repackage the common occurring themes into a whole new rap offering. Re-gifting is acceptable in this case. He is very relatable because you can feel he is actually living what he's talking. I think there are a lot of rap fans who are like me and have not figured out what is so good about the dude. My advice for you is: play it over and over, it gets better with every listen OR just simply light up and smoke to it. The best track on here was Food For Thought, it was hot in all aspects: lyrics, beat, and hook. The other hot tracks on this album are: Blown Away, Scared Of Monstas, Elevator Musik, On My Plane, Sail On, Power Button, Food 4 Thought, Galaxy. Although there is nothing out of the ordinary on this release it is more of the same consistent intelligent laid back lyrics fans expect from Curren$y laid over unique smooth hip hop beats, 3.9/5.

01 - The briefing
02 - Get it ya self (feat. Deelow)
03 - Blown away (feat. Deelow & Jean Lephare)
04 - Scared of monstas
05 - Elevator musik
06 - On my plane (feat. Deelow)
07 - 16 switches spitter
08 - The Jets son (feat. Deelow & Jean Lephare)
09 - LOL (feat. Trademark Da Skydiver, Deelow & Jean Lephare)
10 - Sail on (feat. Young Chris)
11 - Got it
12 - Power button
13 - Up here (feat. Young Roddy)
14 - Cook up (feat. Bun B & Deelow)
15 - Food 4 thought (feat. Mickey Factz & Amanda Diva)
16 - Galaxy (feat. Deelow, Jean Lephare & Whodinsky)
17 - Look up at The Jets (Exclusive Hidden Bonus Track)
18 - Top of the money (Exclusive Hidden Bonus Track)
19 - Something like (feat. Street Wiz & Fiend) (Exclusive Hidden Bonus Track)

Curren$y - This Ain’t No Mixtape Direct Download

Joe Budden - Escape Route (Album Review)

The new Joe Budden album, Escape Route, has just leaked. I was worried that since he has been releasing a lot of material lately that this might be watered down a bit. This was not the case. The album was jam packed with concepts and substance. He is sticking with the insanity theme just like on Padded Room (reviewed by us HERE). Joey gets real personal on this new album and it works well. He is trying to mature as an artist and it shows. He touches on a variety of subjects that are relevant to his life such as how he: can't change the world on the World Keep Spinnin’, has made a lot of mistakes and is only human on Forgive Me, can never satisfy everybody on Good Enough, feels like he can’t be himself on Clothes On A Mannequin. His rhymes are introspective and give listeners deep insight into the thoughts and fears from within the mind of Joe Budden. His delivery is very fresh on here and it switches up a lot. It it clear that his “teeth clenched” flow works well on deeper beats but he can become a bit boring on less exciting or smoother beats such as those on the collabos with Young Chris and Wale. As far as the Slaughterhouse track, it hits you hard and leaves you wondering what fuck they are going to come with next. They all switch it up every new track that they release and the result is usually sick, as it was here. The Standouts were Anti, World Keep Spinnin’, Forgive Me, State of You, Good Enough, We Outta Here, and Clothes On A Mannequin. This album was content rich, but had a few mediocre tracks that prevent it from surpassing Padded Room, 4/5.

01. Intro
02. Anti
03. Never Again
04. World Keep Spinnin’
05. Forgive Me
06. State of You
07. Good Enough
08. No Comment
09. We Outta Here feat. Slaughterhouse
10. Clothes on a Mannequin
11. Freight Train
12. Connect 4 (Feat. Young Chris)
13. [Bonus] Tito Santana (Feat. Wale)
14. [Bonus] For You (Feat. Royce Da 5'9)

Joe Budden - Escape Route Direct Download

Krizz Kaliko – Genius (Album Review)

I respect this Bay Area dude and sidekick of Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko for having a completely different sound, which may be why he is a member of the Strange Music crew. He sounds like a mix between Ceelo (of Gnarls Barkley) and Andre 3000. However, I just wasn't feeling the dude at all. On his sophomore album, Genius, his whole style was annoying to me. His production was well-tuned but seemed altogether boring. He is talented in singing and can rap in his own different way, but I just couldn't get into it. He has a thousand different styles each of which initially grabbed my attention then lost it in about 15 seconds. The whole album is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. There are numerous original concepts that give listeners a look into some uncomfortable subjects such as an obsessive stalker and depression/bipolarity. You can easily notice the Bay Area influence in his style and with the features by some of the Bay Area heavy weights on this as well. He is definitely innovative in his music and we respect that on this site. I just didn't like his singing style, lyrics, or production choices on the majority of this album. It was a miss in my eyes. By all means check it out if you are into the possibility of Bay Area hip hop mixed with RnB and are into the Strange Music crew. It seems like anyone who is a die hard Strange Music fan is raving about this album, not me though, 2.5/5.

01. Intro
02. Chip On My Shoulder
03. Genius
04. Back Pack
05. Doe Doe (featuring E-40)
06. Get Off (featuring Tech N9ne)
07. Butt Naked Fun
08. Getcha Life Right (featuring Skatterman & Snug Brim)
09. Love You 2 Death
10. Misunderstood
11. Bipolar
12. Dead Wrong
13. So High (featuring Kutt Calhoun and Tech N9ne)
14. The Chemical
15. She'll Do (featuring DJ Chill and Kutt Calhoun)
16. Be Right Back (featuring Big Scoob and Tech N9ne)
17. Hum Drum (featuring Tech N9ne)
18. Happy Birthday (featuring Tech N9ne)
19. Choir Boy
20. Outro

Krizz Kaliko – Genius Direct Download

Hell Rell – Hell Up In The Bronx (Album Review)

Hell Rell is a mediocre rapper who is consistently average with his flow and lyrics. His fan base mostly comes from his street cred and gangster voice. I think of him as a gangster first, then a rapper.  Similar to most Dipset album releases, on this new album, Hell Up In The Bronx, there are a few tracks that blow away the rest of the songs on the album. As far as the Hell Rell releases, this is near the top which really doesn't say much. The song Hell Yea had all the elements of a standout track except it had a classic example of a terrible hook. I'm A Beast was weak in every way, as was I Got Beef. However, most of the others were quality tracks. The two tracks Got Enough Gunz and Never Gunna Dance were miles better then the rest of the album in terms of production and flow. The remaining standouts were Right On Time, U Don't Want It, and Top Gunnaz. This album was a strong release from Ruga Rell but it lacks the consistency that could separate him from the rest of the Dipset gang, 3.75/5.

01. Right On Time
02. Keep It In the Bag
03. Who U Fuckin Wit?
04. Got Enough Gunz
05. U Don’t Want It
06. I Got Beef
07. Hell Yeah - (featuring J.R. Writer)
08. Top Gunnaz - (featuring I-Rocc)
09. I’m a Beast
10. Shine - (featuring I-Rocc)
11. Never Gunna Dance
12. Hell Rell

Hell Rell - Hell Up In The Bronx Direct Download

Slaughterhouse – Slaughterhouse (Album Review)

Are you excited? Well, I am. Slaughterhouse has met and exceeded everyone’s expectations from day one. Their album, Slaughterhouse, was just the place I would expect them to let up, if only a little. I kept waiting for it and it just never happened. This album is easily the album of the year. An entire album with every song great if not amazing, intense lyricism, dynamic flows, meaningful rhymes, no bullshit singles, and raw beats; what more could you ask for? Nothing. Rappers for years have been trying to “resurrect hip hop.” Take notes bitches; this is how it’s done, 5/5. There is nothing else left to say, just get it.

1. Sound Off 5:51
2. Lyrical Murderers (feat. K. Young) 4:04
3. Microphone 4:42
4. Not Tonight 3:39
5. The One (feat. The New Royales) 3:37
6. In The Mind Of Madness (skit) 1:23
7. Cuckoo 4:30
8. The Phone Call (skit) 0:58
9. Onslaught 2 (feat. Fatman Scoop) 4:27
10. The Phone Call 2 (skit) 0:56
11. Salute (feat. Pharoahe Monch) 4:31
12. Pray (it’s A Shame) 3:53
13. Cut You Loose 4:43
14. Rain Drops (feat. Novel) 5:00
15. Killaz (feat. Melanie Rutherford & C. Brown) 4:09

Slaughterhouse – Slaughterhouse Direct Download

Joe Budden – Padded Room (Album Review) Late As Fuck

I'm not going to pretend I've always been a fan of Joe Budden because I haven’t been. It has only been this past year where I really got turned on to him. I think he was confused as to who he was early in his career, but has grown into his own type of artist. One thing I still don't like us how he just picks fights with rappers for attention but tries to pretend its serious. He has had "beef" with half the rappers in the game right now. Not only that but his beef tracks are usually not his best quality music. They are just cries for attention. Aside from his rap social problems, his last album Padded Room has been way too slept on (including on by me). This Shit is jam packed with intelligent lyrics and deep concepts. His flow is fuckin’ tight all throughout this album.  The two tracks I didn't really like were Blood On The Wall and Adrenaline. Blood On The Wall was a weak/annoying diss track and Adrenaline was an experimental heavy metal track that felt was so out of place it was unlistenable. From there I would say I liked every single other track on here. They all had perfect production for his style and he dropped intelligent and creative lyrics on every one of them. The collabo track with The Game was hard for me to stomach because I hate when rappers kiss and make up after heavy beefs. I eventually got over it and realized it was a hot club song that I can’t help but get down to. There were a bunch of concept tracks that not only provoked thought but worked well musically. You can hate on Joe Budden as a person, but you need to respect this album as definitely one of the best of the year, 4.25/5. Better late than never, I guess.

Also check out out review for the Slaughterhouse Mixtape Severed Heads here.

01. Now I Lay (Produced By Blastah Beats)
02. The Future Ft. The Game (Produced By Fyu-Chur)
03. If I Gotta Go (Produced By The Klasix)
04. Don’t Make Me (Produced By Blastah Beats)
05. Blood On The Wall (Produced By Moss)
06. In My Sleep (Produced By The Klasix)
07. Exxxes (Produced By The Klasix)
08. I Couldn’t Help It (Produced By The Klasix)
09. Adrenaline (Produced By Dub B)
10. Happy Holidays Ft. Emanny (Produced By Qwan)
11. Do Tell (Produced By Blastah Beats)
12. Angel In My Life (Produced By Blastah Beats)
13. Pray For Me (Produced By Versatile And Dilemma)
14. Family Reunion (Bonus Remix) Ft. Fabolous, Ransom And Hitchcock

Joe Budden - Padded Room Direct Download

Trife Diesel - Better Late Than Never (Album Review)

Almost a decade after his debut in hip hop, Trife Diesel (formerly Trife Da God, New York's “backbone”) has dropped solo album from out of nowhere, Better Late Than Never. For those of you who don’t know Trife, he is a member of Theodore Unit (and formerly of T.M.F.) headed by Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan. Trife has an aggressive and high energy flow that some compare to that of the late Big L. He has only a small body of work (mostly consisting of guest spots) for having been in the rap game for so long. Still, he is always reliably laying down hard verses on quality tracks. He did have what many consider a classic collabo album with Ghostface Killah in 2005, Put It On Da Line. His new solo album is exactly what I would've expected from him back in 2005, but it’s 2009 and I’m not sure if I can hold it to the same standards. Either way, this new album is packed full of diesel Trife verses, but I wouldn't say this album is classic material. The production was okay and had its highs and lows. There were only a few tracks on here I would consider heavy street bangers, the others we're concept tracks and personal tracks, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, he really needs to stop rapping with those wack ass T.M.F. dudes (Kryme Life and Tommy Whispers) and just stick to respectable rappers. There weren’t any weak tracks at all except for some of the verses from his guests. The standouts were Better Late Than Never, Powerful, Project Leaders, Respectfully, and We get In. Just when fans thought they were going to run out of gas, Trife has come back in to the game to refuel fans with some fresh Diesel, 3.9/5.

01. Better Late Than Never
02. Wanna Be A Rapper
03. We Get It In
05. Prey Vs. Predator Ft. Kryme Life And Tommy Whispers
06. Project Leaders Ft. Freeway And Termanology
07. Repectfully Ft. Ghostface
08. Listen Carefully Ft. Tommy Whispers And Kryme Life
09. Blind Man
10. Live Nigga Night Out Ft. Ghostface And Wigs
11. Stronger Man Ft. Kryme Life
12. Powerful Minds Ft. Royce Da 5′9
13. World Today
14. Direct From The Ghetto Ft. Tommy Whispers
15. What Did I Do Wrong Ft. Slash
16. Mother Like You Ft. Mike Payne

Trife Diesel - Better Late Than Never Direct Download

Bonus: Trife Diesel - Project Pope Mixtape Direct Download

Fabolous - Loso's Way (Album Review)

I don't think Fabolous has ever put out a bad CD and I'm happy to say that he still has not. Loso's Way is everything you would expect from Fabolous. There are a ton of singles here and the only song I can't stand has Jay-Z on the chorus. Paul Cain's feature was garbage, which is weird, since I loved all his previous appearences on Fab's albums. It feels like Fabolous tried a little harder to put a message in his music but he's mostly rapping about how Gucci'd up he is and still complaining about the same problems. I don't mind though because Fab really knows the formula for a hot song and his flow is as good as ever. Bleys' favorite song is Pachanga, mine is probably Lullabye. If you're mad at the score blame camel face.

4/5

1 The Way “Intro”
2 My Time feat Jeremih
3 Imma Do It featuring Kobe
4 Feel Like I’m Back
5 Everything, Everyday, Everywhere feat Keri Hilson
6 Throw It In The Bag feat The Dream
7 When The Money Goes - Remix feat Jay-Z
8 Salute feat Lil Wayne
9 There He Go Featuring Paul Cain, Red Café and Freck Billionaire
10 The Fabolous Life feat Ryan Leslie
11 Makin Love feat Ne-Yo
12 Last Time feat Trey Songz
13 Pachanga
14 Lullabye
15 Stay feat Marsha Ambrosius
16 I Miss My Love

Loso's Way Direct Download

Ro Blvd & U-N-I - A Love Supreme (Album Review)

The recent collaboration between Ro Blvd and rap duo U-N-I really surprised me. I didn’t know much about U-N-I’s, but I knew Ro Blvd would come hard with those top notch backpack rap sounds. After listening to this album a few times U-N-I seem like a mix between Cool Kids and Lupe which definitely makes for a tight sound. The album name A Love Supreme comes from the 1965 jazz record by John Coltrane. The original album is actually one of the most critically acclaimed jazz albums of all time. Considering the long history of jazz that is no easy accomplishment. To name your album after something so highly praised you need to come with your A-game. Ro holds up his end on the production tip, but U-N-I let up a bit lyrically at points, namely on Voltron and Stylin. There were a few concept tracks on here that really grew on me after a few listens: Pulp Fiction Part 1 where U-N-I put their own twist on the Quentin Tarintino classic and Halftime a slowed-down, deep rap ballad exposing some of the dramatic low points in their lives. Overall, this was a great album filled with amazing, dynamic production from Ro and original, substance-rich lyrics from U-N-I. Again, there is no point of posting the standouts because I would basically be listing the entire tracklist. This another project I hope all you guys pick up, 4.25/5.

01 My Life
02 Windows
03 Supreme
04 Hollywood Hiatus
05 Lately
06 Pulp Fiction Part 1 f. Fashawn
07 The Grudge
08 Voltron
09 Stylin
10 Hammertime
11 Calendar Girls
12 Lauren London
13 Black Sky
14 Halftime
15 A Love Supreme

Ro Blvd & U-N-I - A Love Supreme Direct Download

Twista - Category F5 (Album Review)

What has happened to Twista these days? He used to go really hard with Ruff Ryder’s on that gangster tongue-twister shit (video posted below). I guess those days are over for him. Joe Budden said it best when he pointed it out on his 15-minute track with “Twista is still tryin’ to recreate Slow Jamz.” I miss the pre-Kanye Twista and I am sure most of his male fans are missing him too. He still has a strong machine gun flow, but he won’t give up the single hunting. Roughly half of his new album is a single of some sort and aimed directly at the ladies. There is nothing wrong with making songs for the ladies, but Twista used to be a really hard MC. All I can hear when I listen to this album is: sell out. The standouts on here were Jump Off, Yo Body, Talk To Me, Misunderstood, and a Bigger Gun. This new album Category F5 (tornado reference) seemed more like a light breeze, 3/5.

1. Misunderstood F/ Buk

2. American Gangsta

3. Fire F/ Lil Boosie

4. Talk To Me
5. Yellow Light F/ R Kelly
6. Walkin On Ice F/ Gucci Mane & OJ Da Juiceman
7. Wetter F/ Erika Shevon
8. Billionaire F/ Busta Rhymes
9. Yo Body F/ Do or Die & Johnny P

10. Hustla
11. Gotta get me One F/ Static Major
12. On Top F/ Akon
13. Jump Off
14. Wanna See ’Em Buss F/ Liffy Stokes
15. Birthday

Twista - Category F5 Direct Download

Willy NorthPole - Tha Connect (Album Review)

I have been trying to figure out this Willy Northpole album for a while. He is one of the only rappers I know from Arizona that is getting a decent buzz. He had sort of a runaround with G-unit and it was rumored he was almost signed by 50 Cent. It never happened, but what did happened is that he signed to Luda’s label DTP. He released his solo LP to the acclaim of many of his fans. However, I have a very different take on the album, I thought it was garbage. I will say that Willy has a nice gangster/cocky vibe about him, but completely lacks in delivery. His monotone and tired sounding voice translated to zero rapping skills. It is 100% clear that his production carried him throughout the whole album. It was banging production the whole way through, which made me think it was going to be an epic album. I was let down badly by his Willy’s rapping skills aside from his surprisingly awesome concept track: Ghetto Tour Guide. There were a few other standout tracks on this (mostly due to production): The Life, Body Marked Up, and Hood Dreamer. I saw brief glimpses of potential on here, but until he steps his game up he will have trouble finding fans outside his local buzz in Arizona, 2.75/5.

1. Intro
2. Hood Shit
3. The Story
4. Skit (How Hard)
5. Body Marked Up
6. Hood Dreamer Ft. B.o.B.
7. Feeling Alright
8. Skit (Ghetto Tour Guide)
9. Ghetto Tour Guide
10. #1 Side Chick Ft. Bobby Valentino
11. Vegas Lights
12. The Life Ft. Ne-Yo
13. Dear Lord
14. Skit (At Salt’s Grave)
15. Heaven

Willy NorthPole - Tha Connect Direct Download

La Coka Nostra - A Brand You Can Trust (Album Review)

La Coka Nostra is a group formed by Danny Boy of the old school Irish-American Hip Hop group House of Pain. House of Pain was most known for their chart-topping single Jump Around. However, the success of their group faded quickly after the release of their second album and as a result the group split. Recently in 2005, the founding members of House of Pain as well as some new members came together to form the group La Coka Nostra. LCN is reminiscent of Cypress Hill and has similar subject matter. All of the members in the group are white street dudes and you can tell they have a different flavor from most of the NY gangster rap tunes out right now. The members of the group who stand out most are Ill Bill and Everlast. The group’s style falls in the category of gangster rap. On their new album, A Brand You Can Trust, they reassure listeners (with the title) that their music will stay true to the gangster sound fans have come to know and love. Most of the rapping on here was consistent and rapid-fire. This album was full of hardcore uptempo production with traces of rock influence (a common trend in Everlast’s music). There was a wide spectrum of concepts on here which ranged from gun-busting to daughter-loving. Ill Bill really spits hard on most of these tracks and Everlast’s unique voice helps him stand out over the other members/guests. Aside from a few mediocre tracks on here, this was a strong release from La Coka Nostra filled with the head banging, hardcore rap tunes their fans come to expect. The standouts on this were The Stain, Hardcore Chemical, Gun In Your Mouth, Choose Your Side, and Bang Bang, 3.75/5.

1) Bloody Sunday feat. Big Left & Sen Dog of Cypress Hill
2) Get You By
3) Bang Bang feat. Snoop Dogg
4) The Stain
5) I'm An American feat. B-Real of Cypress Hill
6) Brujeria feat. Sick Jacken of Psycho Realm
7) Once Upon A Time
8) Cousin Of Death
9) Choose Your Side feat. Bun-B of UGK
10) Hardcore Chemical
11) Soldier's Story feat. Sick Jacken
12) Gun In Your Mouth
13) Nuclear Medicinemen feat. Q-Unique & Immortal Technique
14) That's Coke
15) f**k Tony Montana feat. Sick Jacken & B-Real

La Coka Nostra - A Brand You Can Trust Direct Download

Tame One - Acid Tab Vocab (Album Review)

This new Tame One was a hard album to review. I just couldn’t figure it out. Tame has made some good songs in the past, but this album was a fail on his part. I couldn't decipher a coherent concept this album. He basically babbles about random subjects for twelve tracks. I always try to find the good in these independent releases from the Def Jux camp, but this was ridiculous. This can hardly be considered an album. At times I could smell evidence of lyricism, but then it quickly wafted away as he changed concepts. He was off beat a lot of the album, as well. I think the only track I liked was Suede Addias, although I have no clue what he is talking about in it. First he is rapping about preists and religion then he started talking about living the life of crime. There was a clear drug theme with the mentions of acid and PCP. Maybe that's what listeners needed to be on to enjoy this, 2/5.

01. Intro
02. Molly Feat. Aesop Rock & Breeze Brewin
03. Anxiety Attacks
04. Ooops Feat. Del The Funky Homosapien
05. Hip-Hop Action Figure
06. Suede Adidas
07. Dips
08. Ghetto Gutter Gillaness
09. Press Rewind
10. Bitch
11. Kik Rox
12. Go Away

Tame One - Acid Tab Vocab Direct Download

Poobs - Prepare For Glory (Album Review)

Poobs is part of the New Generation of D-Block and supplies a lot of the production for their projects. He has been providing D-Block with some innovative production efforts over the past few years. This new album showcases his abilities not only as a producer, but also a mediocre rapper. Poobs production is successful because it is conceptually different every track he touches, but not so much that his beats come off sounding scattered. However, he lacks a signature sound like the big guns of production such as DJ Premier and Swizz Beats. I liked Poobs’s sample choices such as the on soul singer on Miracle and the LL Cool J sample on Need Bail. He also does a decent job of rapping on a few of the tracks. Poobs shows that he has a lot of creative and original production to offer, all of which bang perfectly with the hard D-Block east coast gangster style. From a production standpoint the top tacks on here were Miracle, Need Bail, Pain, Zoom, Streets Call’Em Bully, and Hog Tied. This was a strong release from D-Block and Poobs. I will be looking for more of Poobs production on upcoming D-Block projects, 3.75/5.

01. Hog Tied (ft Styles P) (Prod. by Poobs)
02. Back On The Street (ft Sheek Louch) (Prod. by Poobs)
03. Come All (ft Bucky, Styles P, Don-D & T.Y.) (Prod. by Poobs)
04. Streets Call’Em Bully (ft Bully) (Prod. by Vinny Idol)
05. 7 Days 6 Nights (ft T.Y.) (Prod. by Mr. Potter)
06. Zoom (ft Straws, Bully & Poobs) (Prod. by Poobs)
07. Other Than That (ft Styles P & Jadakiss) (Prod. by Poobs)
08. Is What It Is (ft Don-D & T.Y.) (Prod. by Poobs)
09. Unstoppable (ft Bucky) (Prod. by Poobs)
10. That’s My Nigga (ft The LOX) (Prod. by Vinny Idol)
11. Miracle (ft Large Amount) (Prod. by Poobs)
12. So Many Things (ft Straws & Poobs) (Prod. by Vinny Idol)
13. Who’s The Target (ft Styles P & A.P.) (Prod. by Poobs)
14. Savage (ft A.P.) (Prod. by Poobs)
15. 456 (ft Don-D & T.Y.) (Prod. by Poobs)
16. Cocaine Spitter (ft Styles P) (Prod. by Poobs)
17. Need Bail (ft Poobs, Trav & Straws) (Prod. by Poobs)
18. Pain (ft Large Amount & A.P.) (Prod. by Poobs)
19. Ghost (ft Styles P) (Prod. by Poobs)

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Blaq Poet - Tha Blaqprint (Album Review)

It is not well-known, but Blaq Poet has been making music since the late 80’s. He made his debut in hip hop dissing the famous godfather of hip hop, KRS-One. He was part of the old school group Screwball during the 90’s and has since released a solo album back in 2006. Poet has an old school flow with a bassy delivery topped off with simple streetwise lyrics. His stubbornness in refusing to change his subject matter and style attracted the attention of one of the best producers of all time, DJ Premier, enough to take the production reins on his sophomore solo album. This new album covers the street struggles, hardships, and pain associated with coming out of Queensbridge, NY. This album is filled with amazing production from Preemo and gritty street lyricism from Poet. However, there are numerous low points in production and flow. There are some tracks like Hood Crazy and Stretch Marks And Cigarette Burns, where Preemo supplies Poet with subpar production. On others such as U Phucc’d Up, Don’t Give A Fuccc, and Never Goodbye, Poet is either off beat, out of sync, or is overpowered by the beat. The most impressive tracks on here are What’s The Deal, Voices, and Hate. Other standouts were Sichuwayshunz, Legendary Pt 1, and Ain’t Nuttin Changed. Aside from the numerous standout tracks on this, the low points prevent it from the possible classic status it had the potential of achieving, 4/5.

1. I-Gettin (Prod. by DJ Premier)
2. U Phucc’D Up (Feat. KL) (Prod. by Easy Mo Bee)
3. Ain’t Nuttin’ Changed (Prod. by DJ Premier)
4. What’s The Deal? (Prod. by DJ Premier)
5. Legendary Pt. 1 (Feat. Nick Javas & NYGz) (Prod. by DJ Premier)
6. Hood Crazy (Prod. by DJ Premier)
7. Voices (Prod. by DJ Premier)
8. Hate (Feat. N.O.R.E.) (Prod. by DJ Premier)
9. Sichuwayshunz (Prod. by Gemcrates)
10. Stretch Marks And Cigarette Burns (Feat. Panchi & Imani Montana) (Prod. by DJ Premier)
11. S.O.S. (Prod. by DJ Premier)
12. Let The Guns Blow
13. Don’t Give A Fucc (Prod. by DJ Premier)
14. Rap Addiction (Feat. Lil’ Fame & Shabeeno) (Prod. by DJ Premier)
15. Never Goodbye (Tribute to KL) (Prod. by DJ Premier

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Dead Prez - Pulse of the People (Album Review)

Dead Prez has come out with a new mixtape with the help of DJ Green Lantern attempting to get hip hop listeners to stop listening to the commercial nonsense that is played on the radio today. Dead Prez has held a strong presence in hip hop since the mid 90’s. The group usually comes with strongly political/social opinions embedded in there lyrics. They aren’t subtle about it either; when they have a message to get a cross they usually spell it out perfectly for you in their hooks and verses. Repeatedly telling listeners to turn off the radio and to Google the currencies around the world are just examples of their in your face messages in their music. Lately they have been using the acronym RBG, meaning Revolutionary But Gangster, to explain their movement. If you are a fan of political rap this new release from Dead Prez will not let you down. Aside from some production low points, this is a solid release packed passionate rapping with revolution-inspiring lyrics. The best track on this album, in my opinion is NYPD. It bumps a lot harder than the rest of the album. The other standouts on this were Gangster, Gangster, Don’t Hate My Grind, $timulus Plan, Summer Time, and Refuse To Lose. In comparison to their earlier works this is an above average release from the duo, 3.5/5.

01. WRBG 0:11
02. Runnin’ Wild 4:28
03. Don’t Hate My Grind (Feat. Bun B) 4:54
04. Warpath (Feat. Ratfink) 3:39
05. Gangsta, Gangster (Feat. Styles P) 4:01
06. Afrika Hot! 3:22
07. NYPD (Feat. Johnny Polygon) 3:11
08. Summer Time 3:54
09. Refuse To Lose (Feat. Chuck D & Avery Storm) 3:32
10. Life Goes On 4:13
11. Helpful 2:26
12. Pulse 0:49
13. $timulus Plan 4:58
14. My Dirty Valentine 3:28

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Ace Hood - Ruthless (Album Review)

Ace hood is a relatively new rapper from Florida. He has a flow that is consistently quick and full of energy. He has a very light and commercialized southern rap style. By this I mean you can listen to his music with your girlfriend in your car and have no content issues. He has a lot of commercially aimed singles on his sophomore album, similar to his last album. Throughout the album he claims to be “so hood,” but aside from a few drug references, this album is lacking the evidence of his street influence. This dude can spit and he does it consistently, however there is hardly any substance or meaning to his music which made this album boring at times. If you were a fan of his first album you will not be disappointed with this new release. My favorite track on here was Bout Me. The other standouts were Love Somebody, Make A Toast, Get Money, Born An O.G., and Champion. I would say this is an average to above average release considering what I think Ace Hood could be capable of, so I give this album a 3.5/5.

1. Get Money feat. Rick Ross
2. Loco Wit The Cake feat. Schife
3. Born An O.G. feat. Ludacris
4. Overtime feat. Akon & T-Pain
5. Champion feat. Jazmine Sullivan & Rick Ross
6. Love Somebody feat. Jeremih
7. Don't Get Caught Slippin'
8. This Nigga Here feat. Birdman & Schife
9. Mine feat. The-Dream
10. Wifey Material feat. Lloyd
11. 'Bout Me feat. Ball Greezy
12. Zone
13. Make A Toast

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Classified - Self Explanatory (Album Review) Re-up

Classified is from Canada. That is enough to keep most people away. If you feel the same, I suggest that you put all that shit behind you and just listen to this. Self Explanatory is his newest release. This album has got it all. I can’t say I’ve heard a lot of Canadian hip hop other than Shad K, but I have to say Classified has to be ranked near or at the top along with Shad. He falls into the category of smooth/laid back hip-hop. His delivery is dynamic and won’t leave any listener bored. His lyrical content is full of substance and meaningful subject matter. Many listeners will be able to relate him. His verses outshine most guest appearances. The production on here works well for his style. The standout tracks are Quit While Your Ahead, Anybody Listening, Things Are Looking Up, Where Are You, and Loonie. Overall, this is easily in my top 5 of 2009, 4.25/5. Download this now.

1. Self Explanatory
2. Get Out The Way
3. Choose Your Own Adventure 1
4. Up All Night
5. Quit While You’re Ahead w/ Choclair, Maestro and Moka Only
6. Inspiration
7. CYOA 2
8. Anybody Listening
9. They Call this (Hip Hop) w/ Royce 5′9″ and B.o.B
10. Oh… Canada
11. CYOA 3
12. Where Are You w/ Saukrates
13. Trouble
14. Use to Be w/ Mic Boyd
15. Breaking Up
16. One Track Mind w/ Joel Plaskett
17. CYOA 4
18. Things Are Looking Up w/ Chad Hatcher
19. Still Got it
20. Loonie w/ D-sisive, Shad, DL Incognito and Buck 65
21. CYOA 5
22. CYOA 6

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AZ - I Am Legend (God Oil Diamonds) (Album Review)

The release of Legendary (reviewed here) a few moths back really let me down. I felt like I was alone in this feeling because most fans were praising the album as hip hop gold (five star iTunes rating). They must have just been blinded by the greatness of AZ’s previous releases. However, AZ himself must have agreed with me because he is back with new album. This new release completely blindsided me because of my recently lowered expectations. Only a month after the release of Legendary, AZ has come out with a new and far superior album. I am not too sure about the details of this release, (it may not even be official). This new album was everything that I hoped Legendary would be. The beats (mostly from Batkave) on this coincide perfectly with AZ’s laidback and cool style. His lyrics on this were carefully crafted. His skill as a rap wordsmith showed nicely. The only out of place song was The Reverend. AZ spits great on this, but the song is much more serious and dark than I am used to with him. The exceptional tracks on here are Hustle In My Blood, Run From Me, Get Low, Bonafied, AZ’s Behind This, and Do Me This Way. The rest of the album was filled with very good, but not great songs. Because this was released so soon after legendary, I am willing to erase that album from his nearly untarnished resume, 4.25/5.

01. Hustle In My Blood (Produced By The Batkave) 4:03
02. What It Sounds Like (Feat. Charlie Rock) (Produced By Dave Moss) 2:55
03. Game Ain't Changed (Produced By Dave Moss) 3:04
04. Run From Me (Feat. Smigg Dirtee & Obnoxious) (Produced By The 3:26
Batkave)
05. Live Your Life (Produced By Dave Moss) 3:25
06. Get Low (Feat. Smigg Dirtee) (Produced By The Batkave) 4:07
07. Bonafied (Feat. Obnoxious) (Produced By Dave Moss) 2:55
08. The Reverand (Feat. I-Rocc) (Produced By The Batkave) 3:57
09. AZ's Behind This (Feat. Smigg Dirtee) (Produced By The Batkave) 3:39
10. Havin My Baby (Produced By The Batkave) 3:41
11. Do Me This Way (Produced By Dave Moss) 2:47
12. Outro 1:28

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