Myztik - The Alligator Alley Mixtape

If you listen to the media you’d believe that Southern Hip hop is responsible for ruining hip hop music, and you’d believe that Southern hip hop is only about beats and a certain type of music, but none the less a group of young emcees continually push through determined to break that stereotype. Now I usually don’t take mixtapes and albums  given to me randomly and unsolicited, but after earing this one I felt it was my responsibility to not only report on what’s new but also to possibly introduce new talent with this column.

So I introduce to you, from South Florida , Myztik, dropping the Alligator Alley Mixtape.  

Lyrically its good, it can use a little work. Some of the punch lines are hit or miss, but he’s not just a punch line rapper and has the ability to rap in between the punchlines. Versatility and Originality are kind of lacking, the subject ranges are expected, representing, the street life, haters, success, etc, not original or new but definitely done his own way.  Expect that rhyme schemes and complexity will increasingly become deeper with time but he does show promise and opportunity for growth with flashes of brilliance at certain moments. The flow and ability to adapt over different beats is the greatest strength, coupled with a strong delivery.

The production is pretty good. It leaves some to be desired and makes you wonder what he could do with stronger beats, but he does seem to have chemistry with the producer(s) and seems comfortable over the beat selection. Only problem is  so far Sonically it doesn’t have a signature sound overall. No one beat stands out or is instantly memorable.

Myztik does however posses strong song making ability, that should garner him some attention from Dj’s for parties, clubs and possibly radio or mix shows.  “Hating on Me” f / Guerilla Zoe,  Pound of Purple f/ Gucci Mane ,  and Wire are perfect for that format.

Entertainment value is pretty high, and so is the replay value , you’ll get a few spins off the project. Overall I give it a strong 3 and ½ stars out of 6. Good job, look forward to hearing growth because he'll get better with time and experience. Its worth checking out , if you’d like to check it for yourself you can download it at  http://www.datpiff.com/Myztik-Alligator-Alley-mixtape.291374.html  and judge for your self.

                                                                                     Slin-K

                                                                                    @slin_k_polymath on twitter

Common - The Dreamer / The Believer

What can be said about Common that hasn’t already said, he’s a living legend, a true representative and representation of hip hop, he’s been at and has stayed consistently fire for going on 20 years now. He’s not afraid to succeed nor fail, he stays true to himself at all cost doing what he wants to do and making music from his heart they way he wants to hear it regardless of album sales or any ones opinion. Based on his track record you really truly don’t know what to expect from Common because he is not afraid to take a large risk and go completely left and experiment with a new sound, never one to paint himself into a box or corner or to stereotype himself, he’s a true artist that pushes boundaries.

After mixed reviews and the somewhat experimental Universal Mind Control , you always have to wonder what to expect from Common next. Well with The Dreamer / The Believer, Common brings it back, closer to the middle of expectations and desires of his music, and brings back typical but not  stereotypical Common music. With all songs being produced by No I.D. you know some good hiphop is to be served and that chemistry be on point.

Lyrically it’s the dope you expect . If you’re a fan of lyrics you know and expect better than average from Common. The subject range is great, there is no one prevailing theme or subject, its life in all its forms.

On the scale of originality it’s not anything that has never been done, but more on the side of what is rarely done anymore. And its Common being him self not any body else or following any trends other than the recent trend of having on producer take on the whole load.

No I.D lays it down on the production, it’s a good selection of beats and overall sonically its well rounded.  Not necessarily any instant classics or beats that will change history but definitely some jams.

 The strength is in the song making ability . Each song has a feel and depending on what mood you’re in when listening may determine which song you want to hear and what’s your favorite that day. I don’t think there is any wasted tracks, collabos or beats.  The collabo are very poignant and he does the majority of work himself.  All of the tracks fit and flow, there is no significant drop off, its consistent song to song as expected from a vet.  Definitely check the Intro track “The Dreamer” f/ Maya Angelou, Ghetto Dreams f/ Nas ,  “Lovin I lost” , “Celebrate” , and The Believer f/ John Legend.

If you’re a fan of real music, authentic hip hop and lyrics, the entertainment value will be relatively high, and the replay value also. Its not his best album but should be well received. I give The Dreamer / The Believer  a strong 4 out of 6 stars

Young Jeezy -TM103 Hustlerz Ambition

Long anticipated , patiently and anxiously awaited after being noticeably missing in action Young Jeezy finally releases TM103- Hustlerz Ambition. When you’ve been away for a minute and your three albums deep in the game, people often wonder what more your going to do, and rather you’ll still have it when you get back. On top of that it can be argued that Jeezy’s albums have progressively regressed rather than progressed, especially since he has yet to match the showing that gained him many of his followers. So many have large expectations for TM103, since he has proven that he has staying power and is still relevant , for album #4 fans want to see what you got left, what you have new, and what experience has taught you about making music.
Well Jeezy waste no tim in answering all doubts and all questions, by delivering arguably his best release so far.

The strongest parts of the album are unquestionably the chemistry with the featured artist and the song making ability. While there are plenty of features and collaborations, almost every song has one, and all of the best songs have one, it still stays distinctly Young Jeezy. The only drawbacks of having so many guest appearances is that it seems as if Jeezy wasn’t able to quite carry this album by himself and needed some other energies to help him get through it. He doesn’t shine on his own quite enough.  It doesn’t seem like a compilation album and it doesn’t seem like any of the collaborations are just for hype, or just to prove status of who he can get a verse from.

Without a doubt the song making ability and quality has gone way up, it easily noticeable that its his biggest improvement and strongest attribute for this album. Its the type of quality that only experience and working on your craft can provide, its what you get when you start to really understand your music and how to  make it. Young Jeezy proves with this album, that he is indeed starting to become not just a rapper but an artist, he ‘s starting to craft a sound, and make a type of music ,not just make a type of song. Good luck picking a favorite with so many but in particular “OJ” f/ Fabolous and Jadakiss, “Leave you Alone” f/ Ne-Yo , F.A.M.E. f/ T.I. , “I Do” f/ Jay-Z and Andre 3000 and “Higher Learning” f/ Snoop, Devin the Dude and Mitchellel are significant standouts, although for most of the songs there is no significant drop off.  Their is a noticeable drop off but not ridiculous, for the most part the album is pretty consistent.

Lyrically its not very strong or creative, Jeezy pretty much is in the that Master P lane, he has more flow than P, but he doesn’t really dig deep or get very creative with lyrics. the subject range is pretty run of the mill and expected for Jeezy. Their are no super high notes for originality or versatility and the subject range is as expected.

The production is good, but sonically the album is awesome. Overall how all the beats compliment each other without sounding the same and how they all fit together is exceptional. 

The entertainment value is high, I guarantee you find a few songs you like and you can easily listen to the album from beginning to end multiple times, with little or no skipping, because even the lesser songs are listenable, and there are definitely a few songs worthy of repeats
All in All I give the Young Jezzy TM103 , 4 stars out of 6.

Drake - Take Care

The sophomore album, traditionally has been the prove you can do it again album, especially for artist that were successful right out the gate. The sophomore jinx has plagued many of your favorite artist and legends, said to be extremely hard because its the first time you have time away from music with your new found busyness and fame, great distractions for focus. And, its said that the sophomore album is extremely hard because your first album contains all of the best work you had over the years, and what ever you have left is your second best set and new stuff and you basically have to relive life all over again. The sophomore album can be a huge test, especially when you’re highly anticipated, and people have been waiting on the follow up since you dropped the initial offering. Next to take on the challenge of a career, Drake, YMCM’s own that exploded on the scene in a way not seen before and rapidly shot to the top of everybody’s radar, hate or love it.

After a successful first run out and a number of features, Drake finally releases Take Care.

Multi talented, different and creative are what made Drake a phenomenon to start with, so as expected the album is very alternative as opposed to what usually can be found in the mainstream, as expected Drake shows his rap and crooning skills and as expected his flow is his greatest strength. His flow is strength of his arsenal, his delivery f nothing else will pull you in and that hasn’t changed a bit.

Production wise its ok, but it could be a little more diverse, its different but sonically its the same sound consistently from track to track. Sonically its a real jazzy , real musical sound,no real big heavy drums or kicks, very smooth very mellow.  So when that sound changes even if for a little bit it ver noticeable. Check “Headlines” for nod factor and “Underground Kings” for Ride Out music and Just Blaze laces him with one of those take’m to church beats with “ Lord Knows” which all serve as nice changes of pace.
The song making, as far as taking everything into account, is very good, but some of the hooks could be better. A few of the hooks are very simple and pop feeling, more care could have went into them

Lyrically solid from beginning to end as expected, but no monsters that stand way out, a few quotables here and there. Most of the quotables come form guest who blow up the verses in comparison to Drake who takes a backseat to his guest rather than challeneges them and be pushed by them. “Check Make me Proud” f/ Nicki Minaj  “Lord Knows” f/ Rick Ross and “The Real Her” f/ Lil Wayne & Andre 3000.

 He has a vast subject range and its greatly appreciated , but there doesn’t seem to be a great emphasis on focusing in on one particular subject and at times it appreciated, but considering the album has a concept album feel almost, you’d like to see him zone in on something and make it memorable.  The albums versatility as far as delivery and style wise, doesn’t deliver much, its pretty stereotypical Drake


As far as originality, its different, its original . The album has some entertaining moments and it depends on how big of a Drake fan you are rather it will have a high replay value.  Just as a person listening to an album  its good but its not high replay for the entire album.

Overall, I think the album will do well sales wise, but its gone have mixed reviews. Its not a pop album but it seems to have some very pop elements about it. Its different but it seems like contrived different, as if they went in the studio like how can we make this different rather than just letting it come naturally. It sometimes seems forced and overdone. The flows are tight but lyrically it seems like  there were creative problems, or some forcing. WSometimes he doesn’t sound inspired on this album, it doesn’t sound like he had fun writing and recording this album, like the pressure was on and it was all work. Seems as he was to busy focusing on the sound and trying to live up to being different and living up to last album to have fun. There are a few songs that probably should have been reworked or not on the album, most notably “ Practice”.  Depending on which edition you have  you may get a few extra songs but none that absolutely make or break the album. The album falls below expectation, I don’t expect it to change the culture, it doesn’t show any great risk or development, it picks up where Thank Me Later left off. I think a weakness is his trying to do both sing and rap, he's good at both but not a master at either.  He doesnt write supremely or have masterful technique as a singer. As an Mc he doesnt always bring it and his hooks are off . So its difficult for him to do a rap sing recording on one track. He should focus on mastering one completely or he'll be a jack of all trades and master of none. No big surprises, or unexpected events, techniques or styles. Ill give the album a rating of 3 out of 6 stars.

Pusha T - Fear of God II album review

Every Pusha T signed with Good Music people have been wondering how its was going to work out. Good Music is a good look from a creative control aspect, and people instantly expected major beats , ill collaboration, and a much needed push.
But questions would circle , how would Pusha do on a solo effort without Malice ? And after the Good Music cypher on the BET Awards, slew of radio verses , a well received mix tape, the answers would come back wait and see.
Pusha - T finally delivers Fear of God II to answer the questions.

There is no denying that Pusha can rap, and has flow, lyrically its good, but its not very very creative, its average for him, knowing he could do better. He could have dug a lil deeper for for some of the lines or tightened up in between the punch lines. He doesn’t really show a variety of techniques for the album, its usually the same type of flow, and delivery that we’re accustomed to from him and the same goes for versatility and subject range, its a lot of braggadocios and street talk as usual, not a really a problem but we could do to hear a little something different. But he does show a little difference in approach on “Alone in Vegas” and “What Dreams are Made of” is bragging on a new level, using a sample of Ric Flair in the background ranting, its major league cool.

Production wise, the beats work, but was expecting bigger beats, considering its a Good Music release. Sonically there isn’t a real over all sound, its not a very musical album, there basic good street beats, a few head nodders, but nothing that really really stands out. Honestly I think he would benefit from working predominantly with one producer to craft a solo sound. 

On the song making side of things, as stated earlier, lyrically its straight, but the hooks need work, some of the songs don’t seem fully developed. So sometimes it seems more like a mix tape than an album.

The album is pretty good, it suffers because there are good songs but no one song stands far out and beyond. Pusha doesn’t seem comfortable yet creating by himself, it seems as if something is missing, he does much better  on the tracks with features, so the album is feature heavy. He doesn't seem as if he can yet carry an album by himself.  The good things about the album are the consistency, there is not really much fall off song to song, line to line, lyric for lyric. The collabs work, Check “Amen” the best song on the album, featuring Kanye and Jeezy. “Trouble” f/ Tyler the Creator, “Raid” f/ 50 Cent and Pharell and “I still Wanna” f/ Rick Ross who delivers a stellar verse and Ab Liva.  and “Body Work” f/ Juicy J, Meek Mill and French Montana. As far as collabo go he’s definitely getting the push.

I don't know how it will sale, I can see “Amen” possibly getting some radio play hopefully. Pusha’s calm cool delivery almost hold him back a little, because there is not much change up and very little enthusiasm in his voice and its hard to pull off the monotone on every track. Its very consistent, he stays in his lane and does what he is comfortable with and thats a little bit of a fault. I wish he would have taken a few risk, tried something new, given a surprise or two, because the album doesn’t show any growth as an artist, depth or development.  The Album is not bad however, its a better second listen than first, it may grow on you, maybe a cult favorite. I expect it to be a very polarizing album among critic and fans.  I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 6

Why a classic album is not always a good thing

Alright I been catching a lot of heat about my ranking of Wales album and I read this morning he was like lobbying for 5 Mics in the Source.  Now I don't think my personal reviews are as influential as the Source or anything, but The Source is where I learned how to evaluate an album in the first place. They were extremely tough and would rather underrate and album than overrate one, and I do the same

Lets review what 5 Mics is supposed to be, its not an album that  can be played from song to son without skipping, its not just good or lyrical, its not just popular, or expected to sell crazy, its not just new or different, etc. Its a classic, it changes the rules of hip hop as we know them, we automatically know that everyone will adjust and be influenced and try to do something like it for a while to come.

The copy and change formats are most important, because honestly a 4 1/2 mic is harder and really a true barometer of how good an album is. 4 1/2 mics tells you its damn near flawless, people just aren't going to try and copy it or the industry is not going to push that style, and honestly thats better, its more hip hop, its more original.

Classic doesn’t mean good, an album can be classically good or classically horrible, and both change the direction of hip hop. So be careful when you ask for classic ratings , and make sure it qualifies to be classic. But I think it should be told what type of classic it is , because honestly a few albums should have been considered classic even though they were wack as hell, but they changed music for years to come, some form which Hip Hp is still trying to recover from, Im just saying think about it because I’ve never seen a one mic rating.

Now I stand by my Wale rating full force, it was a good rating, I like him he's lyrical, but I needed to get that off my chest about what classic is and what it isn’t. If you disagree that seriously, do your own ranking and tell why your perspective and opinion.  My perspective at least whats yours ? Sound off

Wale - Ambition

Considering this is Wale’s second album it almost has the feel of a first, considering the hype and anticipation around it and the extra attention in Wales’s direction thanks to signing with Maybach Music.
    In a way it kind of is a debut album, because many of Wales fans are new to his music and slept on the first album, and only recently since the move to Maybach hot Wale on their radar. The move to Maybach stunned a few people and left many with questions about what may become of Wale and his type of music  at the very street oriented Maybach Music.
    Ambition  immediately answers all questions about rather or not Maybach music would turn Wale into a thug rapper or would he stay true to his self and stay in the musical alternative rap lane.
    For those concerned with any change and not being true to his self, Wale dismisses such claims immediately from the jump on Ambition.  Wale proves that he is still him, and still does his brand of music. Its musical, grownup, alternative, two step, go-go influenced  Wale music.

Lyrically ,tight, meaningful, heartfelt, versatile, and witty. You can tell someone that takes time with their craft, because his lines are crisp and well put together. His subject range, endless, he talks about some of everything so everyone can relate at some level, he never boxes himself or his listeners in  with his verses and thats appreciated. He gets his highest marks for showing a variety of skills from poetic to street and for having a flow that demands attention. Wale literally proves he can rap over anything check "Slight Work" f/ Big Sean.

Sonically its very different, very musical as expected. But its not Kanye type of musical, its a good deal further left than even that.  Overall its a niche market style of music, and his core fans will love it and its gone confuse newcomers and take some getting used to for the mainstream.But it gets high points for originality, because its so different from what you expect from a hip hop album, its no where near stereotypical or mundane.

Now on a smaller level the individual production of each song is alright, but it seems like too much of the same types of beats. So beats like the jazzy and poetic "Illest Bitch" and the street cinematic "Ambition" f/ Rick Ross, Meek Millz or the the very simple but effective "Legendary" serve as nice change ups and things a larger audience will gravitate to.  If you are a big beat, heavy bass person,  or funk type of person, you gone be hard pressed to find that type of production, the production goes in a different direction.

The entertainment level his high, but its the lyrics and the flow that do the shining, not so much the entire package. If you love listening to lyrics and flow you may run quite a few songs back a few times, but for just casual listening I don’t know how many times you’ll listen to it, Ambition is more like mood music. I hope it sells and I hope it encourages others to be more different and take risk with music and explore other options and styles.  Its worth checking out even if just to be exposed to something out of the ordinary. It showed growth as an artist but it lacked a certain necessary balance,  I give it 3 out of 6 stars.

Styles P - Master of Ceremonies

Styles P , the ghost, respect out the ass, ill rhymer, often underrated. Out of the LOX trio  he is usually the one that digs deeper, get a little more personal and tackles the social issues . Known for dropping consistency through a slew of mix tapes and occasional appearances never really taking time off, but his first official studio album in almost four years. Styles drops the new Master of Ceremonies.

His fourth studio album and true to form, its a grown up street album, no funny or pop ish. Styles’ consistency is the strongest part of the album, there is no huge drop off from song to song.

Lyrically its nice, but very straightforward, serious and monotone. Don't expect a lot of wordplay and metaphors or a lot of emotion. Which for some may be a draw back.

The production is the weakness of the album, there aren't a lot of standout beats, and many could have been better, even though there are top notch producers on the project.  “Harsh” and “Who Loves you More" are bangers though, the production is kind of mellow and leaves more to be desired.

The song making is average, its not a very musical album or concept riddled album, and  most of the hooks are basic.
The album gets points for versatility, because there are different kinds of beats, and its sort of different from whats you normally expect for Styles P. He also gets points for his subject range, dealing with everything from braggadocios to conscious , to street . Its life all around.

Harsh featuring Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes is unquestionably the best song on the album. “We don't play” featuring Lloyd Banks, and “uh Ohh” featuring Sheek  are all worth checking for.

Entertainment wise the album kind of disappoints, you’ll get a few spins out of it, but for the most part, one would expect more, more creativity, bigger verses and harder lines. One would also expect a better output from styles as a solo artist, because most of the tracks he goes hard on are the ones with features where the other person raps also. On this album he’s at his best when he’s doing typical and stereotypical Lox stuff, like the back and forth that he and Jada do so well, check “Its Ok”.  All in all nothing new, unexpected or challenging and it doesn't show a lot of growth as an artist. But it is a solid release worth checking, with no completely wack cuts. I give it 3 out of 6 stars

Phonte - Chatity Starts at Home

No build up necessary, Phonte  multi talented as a singer and MC, one of the best at crafting a lyric by far. On his solo tip, Phonte blesses the Hip hop world with Charity Starts at Home. No Gimmicks, dope beats, dope rhymes, what more do ya’ll want and it will probably be slept on despite being easily one of the best releases all year and all summer and quarter. Better than most of the high profile releases and a hip hop fans wish.  And from the intro you can tell that it was going to be major, the intro sets the bar high and expectations even higher.

Lyrically Phonte is a beast and on every track he goes in, you can hear not only the creativity and attention to detail in each and every bar, but all of the focus that goes into be a powerful wordsmith. The best lyric on the album, they all dope good luck picking a favorite. The best guest spot is Elzhi who shows up big on “Not Here anymore”.

Sonically its incredible its just good music, good soulful hip hop, with head nod beats, powerful kicks, ill samples. Its not over produced to where the beats outshine the concept or the lyrics

The Production team does there things. Its good not great, so if you the type that's looking for a whole bunch beats not necessarily. The beats are ill, but with the exception of the 9th wonder produced Not here anymore , they are not radio beats, party beats and not big car stereo beats. Never the less put it in the car, jam on the house stereo and mellow out. I think that Not here anymore is also the most balanced song and best all around song on the album. Gave a lot of props to that song but every song is hitting.

The song making is also incredible . Phonte pays attention to every aspect of the songs, the hooks,  thumbs up for no lame hooks, the beats are perfectly set to his style and what the concept of the songs are, no weird moments. The lyrics speak for themselves and even the guess appearances are perfect for the song and the chemistry and respect between he and each artist matches. No forced collabo.

Its highly entertaining, especially if you require a lot from your music, if you’re intelligent and really check for and demand talent. You’ll listen to it over and over. Its original, its doesn’t sound like the last Little Brother album or Foreign Exchange Album, but its still signature Phonte.

Of course the versatility is on high as he flips flows, rhyme schemes and techniques and  handles the singing part and backgrounds. If you a fan of Phonte you know he’s versatile, sometimes to a fault of ours, because we love his verses so much we forget that there is room for both his singing and rhyming and try to box him in. But you got to respect a man for doing what he has in his heart and the talent to do. So he offers a nice balance with the r&b and rap, he gives us quality bars on the R&b tracks, which also should not be slept on.

Lastly range, he hits real life, so every subject is touched, money, women, the business, grinding, grown man stuff we all can relate to, nothing shameful or stereotypical. On top of that he’s hilarious.
If you a fan get it, if you not fake it and try it out any way, I promise you’ll like it, its impossible to not. I give it 5 stars out of 6.  There are no wasted tracks, no wasted collabos

Jay Rock - Follow Me Home review

When it comes to the West Coast some of Hip Hops biggest legends and best Mc’s come to mind. Names like Ice Cube, Ice -T, Snoop, Xzibit, Ras Kas, Spice-1 , Jurassic -5, Tash, Dr. Dre , Warren G, Dj QuiK, Mc Eiht, Tech N9ne, Cypres Hill, Crooked I. But even with such veterans , legends and a record of proof its always been hard for the West to get proper respect or props. Not since the death row days has the West collectively held the nations attention for a long period of time. A few have tried and done so for a spurts but nothing quite like since that time, ad we can blame a number of reasons, record companies trying to put the west in a box, medias lack of coverage, fans fickle taste, west coast feuds over unity etc, etc, etc

All of these factors have left a void unfilled that a new crop of Mc’s from the west hope to service. In walks a young cat Jay Rock, with his debut serving  Follow Me Home to see if he can fill the void and build on the momentum.

Follow me home starts off quite cinematic setting up a scene in Nickerson Garden to allow you to not only know but feel where Jay Rock comes from followed by a perfect intro track “Code Red” . From that moment on Jay Rock shows that he is to be taken serious, the album is traditionally west coast, but not stereotypically west coast. I appreciate the fact that its not  pre-crafted  to appeal to any specific audience, it just is what it is and wil do what it will do, no short cuts, got to respect a man willing to do what he wants and is willing to grind and hustle it out.  Follow me home is full of solid album cuts  but the one that will probably have the best chance for radio play is “Westside” featuring Chis Brown. While there isn’t a wack or wasted track on the album there are some that will have to grow on you or that you have to understand the culture to appreciate “Elbows” or “Say Wassup”.  The albums strongest serving and best song without a feature is “ All I know”,  the most balanced  cut is “ Hood Gone Love it “ featuring Kendrick Lamar. The standout cut is “Just Like Me” for its positive messages  and reality based message about our community, one could only hope that a song like this would get any type of exposure, it makes you look at and appreciate Jay Rock in a new light and appreciate his versatility. The album ends in similar perfection as it opened, with “ All My Life” featuring Lil Wayne and Will.I.Am, which will have you wanting more.

Final analysis, its a good album worth checking out, its good ride music. Its perfectly balanced , almost to a fault. Its a perfect middle, it has no real complaints but nothing that makes it stand out completely either, the good thing is that it a first offering and leaves room for improvement. Lyrically, sonically, production wise and song making qualities are all good. Has a similar sound to The Game and a Mobb Deep street feel that should be well received.

If Jay is going t capture the nation its going to require that he be a master at something rather than just a jack of all trades. I give Follow me Home    3 stars out of 6

Cole World : The Sideline Story Review

    At random pick todays new rapper, cosigned by random headline artist and signed to any major deal about to make his debut album drop. Now take everything you normally assume about this new artist and throw it out the window, and allow me to introduce you  to, no better yet, let him introduce himself as J. Cole.
   
    MC/ Producer from NC,  and I do mean Emcee in every sense of the word, who has been blowing up the under ground for a minute, given hip hop fans hope of what could possibly be in store. After 3 critically acclaimed and well received mix tapes ( The Come Up (2007) , The Warm Up (2009) ,Friday Night Lights (2010) ),  each consistently better than the previous, two of which could have been albums, both being better than most albums out that year at least one that could have been/ is a classic. Now add in a few stellar feature slots and an ever growing new fan base and you start to see something special happen before our eyes, as people start to expect pressure for  a classic album.  And finally after much anticipation, delays, and a few EP’s (Any given Sundays) to wet our whistle  finally Cole World : The Sideline Story has been delivered.

    A number of questions come attached to Cole World though, will he change up his style, will it be reaching for commercial success , how many songs from the mix tapes will be on the album, which ones, can he match that same consistency and drop a classic, etc, etc, etc

Well J. Cole waste no time introducing himself after a quick skit, he jumps right into “Dollar and a Dream III” - a great intro track  that quickly sets the stage for the album and sets and raises expectations and assures that aint nothing change for Cole. While not “Too Deep for the Intro” it still serves its purpose and fits perfectly.

From there Cole goes hard with “Can’t get enough” featuring Trey Songz. By no means is this your expected R&B hip hop collabo, its almost as if Trey is not on the track because his expected crooning is no where to be found, and its an upbeat head nod track that Cole absolutely murders, with hot a beat, hot lines and punch lines and the trademark flow that made me a fan. The song is well balanced and delivers the best flow and best song on the album.
    But not to worry about the best song being so early in the album, he keeps the fire going with the stellar “Lights Please” the most balanced song on the album delivering perfect beat, rhyme, and flow. the first song off the mix tapes and its compliments perfect

About Midway through the album pretty much every question has been addressed , because the album is consistent from track to track and its typical Cole. However the album does reach a slow point and looses momentum with tracks like “In the morning” featuring Drake, another mix tape selection, “Mr Nice Watch” and “Nobody’s Perfect” feauturing / Missy Elliot. While its good to hear him on tracks with other artist, he’s best alone because the chemistry never really proves and works to optimum form. The collabo with Hov was expected but the song format doesn’t seem like it works for Cole. The song with Drake neither rapper goes very hard and you wonder of all the mixtape selections why that one. The Song with missy while its great to finally hear from Missy again it doesn’t quite deliver the promise we expect.

There isn’t a wack song on the album, its just with so much material to compare it to and with such high expectations, some songs just don’t meet the expected mark, some underperform at the levels we know Cole is capable of.

The best shot at Radio Play are probably “Workout” which may also be a warm up track for parties, and “ Mr Nice Watch”, the rest of the album is hot lyrics, stories, social consciousness and plenty of range especially on tracks like the introspective “ Break Down” , the soulful and heartfelt “ Lost Ones”.

    In all Cole World is a breath of fresh air, because its everything that hip hop needs but isn’t currently getting, messages, skills, lyrics, social consciousness, creativity, independence and work ethic. Not sure its gone play heavy in the club or get much radio play,but you’ll listen in your car on the way to and after the club, or at least on your way to and from work. Falls slightly below expectations, could have thrown a few more of the heavy hit songs from the mix tapes on.
     But its not overdone  or overshadowed by features. Its not overproduced. Its extremely  relatable, its not fiction or movie like, its real life, keeping it real at its best. Lyrically superior, sonically great. The production value is good, but if you’re a person that just loves beats, wont be your cup of tea in that department. Some people make types of songs, J. Cole has a sound and he knows its best, so there aren’t a lot of different types of beats on the album , because he handles most of the production, think of a East Coast Dj Quick, but opposite, more lyrical and less musical with all respect to both parties, his song making ability shines bright and is top notch, not simple at all. These aren’t formulated songs with simple singy hooks and dance beats, or stereotypical banter and subjects.
    Cole World earns high points for originality, and subject range as he tackles seemingly every subject at some point. The low points however are the albums entertainment value, while not boring, its not going to make you hype, party or dance, unless you’re a true head and are entertained by the creativity, the skill, the flows, and concepts. Theres not a whole lot of versatility from the standpoint of him experimenting with things that aren’t typical Cole or doing what never been done, but its a first album and an introduction for most. While not the classic many were hoping for, it has good replay value, and some songs will grow on you, you’ll most certainly play it back more than once Im not sure if its an album 5+ years from now you’ll still be talking about. I don’t expect it to change the way albums are made, but Im glad someone is putting their heart into their music and look forward to the continued development of J.Cole as an artist.  This is music for people with complex musical taste. Real Hip Hop
I give it a strong 4  out of 6 stars.

What happen to our dance culture?

I swear americanized African American’s are a lost tribe of people, I get so frustrated and jealous being around my friends of other cultures and ethnicities, because they are so in tuned with their culture and heritage right down to the music and dancing. For some reason we African Americans, the majority of us at least, could care less.  You throw on old school reggae, soca, meringue, bachata, and people will rush the floor. You dare throw on Al Green at  party and the floor will clear, suddenly its time to go to the bathroom, visit the bar, complain about the DJ, or its a sign that the party is over, unless by some miracle there's an abundance of older people at the party, or its a theme party. What do we know about old school music other than the few Frankie Beverly and Maze tracks, a few MJ and Jackson 5 tracks and the electric slide. Even then, we don’t know how to dance to the music,  and for god sake hope we don’t have to ask a woman to dance,what was the last dance we had, lean with it rock with it, super man, snapping, what was the last real dance, the cha cha slide? The only dance we pass down now is the electric slide. The art of slow dancing has been lost on popping, grinding and bouncing, standing still and letting a girl gyrate on you. When a slow song come on the only people dancing are couples or drunk people.  When we get older, late twenties and beyond we still only know how to dance like we at spring break freshman year of college, cant step, do the mash potato, the hustle nothing. We can pretend like we can break dance, don’t act like you’ve never seen two cats in the club doing a horrible job pop locking with a crowd around them, making every breaker in america sick. We don't even know hip hop. I mean we know nothing about dance, nothing that involves actual technique or footwork or anything.  Are we trying to break the typecast that we have  rhythm by not dancing or something, IJS dancing is a part of culture and we've lost ours. Its a shame, how can we be so proud to be so uncultured, when sitting on a goldmine of culture and history, especially when we have some of the worlds best music and artist, revered all around the world but we aren't proud of it. WTH? We got to do better.

Game - Red Album review

After a summer of highly anticipated and hyped releases, and after a summer of debated and disappointing releases. From the West Coast steps Game to deliver his much hyped and anticipated album in an attempt to raise the bar on the average of this summers releases.

In a reunion we been waiting for we finally here the good doctors voice on an album with Game again, this reunion has been every bit as anticipated as when Dr. Dre and Snoop first reunited, Dre teases listeners by beginning with the album intro which is a narration of the album.
The album then gets right to work, with a very good intro track, “The city” has a very cinematic sounding beat and game comes out with aggressive verses and flows, but its Kendrick Lemar that steals the scene by going hard on both the hook and his verse, way harder than whats expected for an intro track.
The next track we get what we’ve been waiting and anticipating in more ways than one, Dr. dre and Game reunite on a track and Dre raps. “ Drug Test” f/ Dre, Snoop,and Sly is good crew track thats an automatic headbanger guaranteed to make your neck bob. No complaints on the track, as DJ Khalil puts it down on the track and each of the artist deliver on it. But it does make you wonder how much harder the song may have been if Dr. Dre did the beat and if Nate Dogg was alive( RIP) how he could have attacked the track, no disrespect but it does make you wonder.
From that moment on Game goes on to teach a lesson in versatility and the art of the collaboration. RED Album is full of collaboration, but they each work, none of the collabos are forced sounding. Game jumps on a track with people from all walks and at all stages in their career, from all around the country, old new, hot, established , up and coming etc, etc.
“Martians vs Goblin” featuring Lil Wayne and Tyler the Creator is a good example of both versatility and chemistry on collabo, the song has a very weird sounding horror / video game ,sounding beat but Game and Tyler deliver with funny punchlines and Wayne delivers the hook with his voices to make an entertaining cut.

On “Ricky” and “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” Game teaches how to story tell. He uses sound effects and samples to create the scene like a B.I.G track but uses the art of showing not telling in his lyrics like Slick Rick to bring the concepts of the records together and deliver to highly creative tracks. With “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” being in my opinion the one of the best tracks on the album.
Game then gets Socially conscious on the track with Drake called Good Girl Go Bad, in the most gangster way possible and respectful way possible, they tackle a tough issue and talk about the need to respect women and appreciate them. Its done in a gangster way, creatively and not a popish R&B candy way, Big Respect for making the statement, showing growth and taking the risk, and pulling it off.

The album looses steam for minute with a three song set of R&B style tracks and collabos, with Chris Brown, Mario, and LLoyd respectively. None of the songs are not album quality song , its the placement of them, they slow the album down rather continue to build and take the album in an entirely different direction that it never quite recovers from, it would be hard to figure out which if any to take off and it would take away from the versatility displayed if the were not on the album at all, so you take the good with the bad, a catch 22  because game delivers, shows and proves on each.

At the albums end Game continues to show versatility, Jumping on a DJ Premier beat and straight murdering it delivering the albums best cut in my opinion, a Jazzy style beat  reminiscent of a Tribe Called Quest beats, with an awkward collabo with Nelly Furtado that he still delivers on and a concept song California Dream allah B.I.G. , to close out.

In total the RED Album is a solid listen from beginning to end, with some replay and rewind ability. Lyrically its good , Sonically above average as Game shows that he be musical also, the production is good , the song making ability gets high notes and is the strongest quality, its entertaining, has originality, loads of versatility, it shows range speaking on different subjects, and has petty decent replay value. You’ll be able to listen to the whole album again, and certain songs are definite  and others will grow on you. I’d give it 4 out of 6 stars.

Lil Wayne - Carter 4 Review

    Lil Wayne the name alone is polarizing in hip hop circles, one of the most celebrated, misunderstood, intriguing, and hated all at the same time. Hate or love him you cant deny he’s left a mark on hip hop history. Like him or not you have to respect his following and you definitely have to respect his work ethic. A proverbial lab rat that constantly pumps out music via studio album, mix tapes, and features he constantly has a project in the works and always is highly anticipated to drop new material. No different is one of this years most anticipated albums The Carter IV, and after mentions , fans calling for it and loads of hype its finally here.
    The Carter IV kicks off with a typical intro, its a warm up, the beat is pretty straight its sure to get some use in the underground mix tape world and Wayne does a nice job with it. Its a typical intro because Wayne sets the bar at average, he doesn’t come out guns a blazing and doesn’t come out weak, so as  typical of a intro you know that the heat is to come later  and this is just pace setter, and its a good pace setter.
From their we pick up the pace bit with “Blunt Blowin” where he talks about smoking of course and just getting things off his mind chest to clear his mind via a simple 80’s type synthesizer beat. The lyrics are decent, but it shines based on Waynes ability to create a song and show his knowledge of music, not just hip hop because for the hook he uses the same flow pattern as Everlast - “Black Jesus” and classic Aerosmith - “Dream On” with out directly sampling them. Its a good exercise in knowledge and versatility.
    From then on business picks up immediately as we travel into the Albums best lyrical delivery with “ Mega Man”, as wayne goes in, in a cypher type manner, dropping line after line of heat. Reminds you of the mix tape Weezy that gets him so much attention.  After that we go directly into 6 foot 7 foot, which is another great lyrical output , but the beat tends to get annoying.
    From this point on the album gets very heavy and dependent on features. Some of very expected i.e Drake, T-Pain and Rick Ross and then a few surprises i.e John Legend, Andre 3000, Tech N9ne, Jadakiss, Nas, Busta Ryhmes.
The album continues to flow as we get to “How to Hate” featuring T-Pain, which every man will be able to relate to  and will have in rotation for break ups and angry with women situations. 
    The albums high water mark is the “Interlude” which feature unlikely duo of Tech N9ne and Andre 3000 who both absolutely murder the track and show great chemistry on the record, the problem is Wayne does not rap on the track and he probably should have considering its his album and because theses are two lyrical giants, would have been nice to see him trade with two legends and long time vets.
The Best feature appearance with Wayne on the track ( more on this later) the most chemistry comes on “John” featuring Rick Ross. A go hard track for the streets or your cars.
    From the go hard section we get into the experimental section of the album “ So special” featuring John Legend, where Wayne makes a erotic slightly R&B song, possibly t be used in a strip club setting. The theres “How to Love” immediately following in which he sings the whole song using some effects. How to love is a different more positive song for Wayne, that Im glad he released, and if you’ve seen the video it gives it more life and meaning, and it shows range and growth for him. But it may have been better executed by a singer with him just serving as the writer, but other than that no complaints, its a pleasant surprise from him, we applaud the courage to release and make such a song.
    Another experimental joint is the very conceptual “President Carter” which is very, very creatively put together and delivered, right down to the samples President Jimmy Carters inauguration being used in the back drop.
    As we near the end of the album we creep up on the song with the best production “Its Good” featuring Jadakiss and Drake. Both features are good, with Jada doing what he does best showing why he’s a Mc’s Mc. But the song is something else for Wayne, as we get a lil controversial by taking shots at Jay-Z. Not the first time, probably wont be the last, but its nothing major or a knock out blow, its not a great battle verse, its delivered well  but honestly has been over analyzed. And the beat, Jadakiss and the controversy are the stars of this song.
    Then its on to the Outro a crew track of heavy weight lyrics and delivery and legends and buzz, featuring Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes. Nas and Bust Compete for best verse over the same beat as the intro, but Wayne doesn’t appear. If they are going to be counted as two separate tracks its one of the best, if not the best.     Even if the Intro and Outro  were put together the verse Wayne delivers on the intro is not strong enough to stand with the output given by the others on the Outro, maybe its why they are separate but once again you would have liked to hear him trade with some of the best.
If you have the  deluxe edition you get three bonus songs, but none that put the album way over the top , but the song Mirror with Bruno Mars is noteworthy.
    Overall the album is pretty good, but it doesn’t live up to hype surrounding it or meet nor exceed expectations, it falls a good deal short. Its sounds like a mix tape or compilation album more than a Solo album. Its heavy, and somewhat dependent on features, the best parts all have features, and there isn’t a lot of carrying the album by Wayne. Lyrically for the album total for him its below average, sonically it doesn’t have an overall thematic sound, the production is average , there are a few bets that grab your attention but not many, the song making is the greatest strength, the entertainment value is average there are moments ad flashes of brilliant, but most are from features, but wayne does have his moments. Originality gets above average marks, while its not the most original thing ever heard there are some creative things done that were unexpected. The versatility is good, he shows his ability to adapt and flow with different types of beats and gel with different types artist styles. His subject range is good also because he takes on somethings more than whats expected of him. The replay value is below average. Its not an album you’ll listen to over and over again maybe a few times  and maybe not even the whole album, while there aren’t really any songs that aren’t album quality, or should be taken off, this collection just doesn’t fit together extremely well, it seems unfocused in direction and Im not sure if there are any songs that we will be still talking about 10 years from now. The fact that the two best tracks don’t have Lil Wayne on them I think something has to be said for that.  If you’re a die hard Lil Wayne fan or you don’t really get deep into and require a lot from your music and artist, you’ll probably love it, but for those with complex taste and preference we require a lil more. Its a good album, but not good for his ability, or output for the caliber of artist he is. If you just wanted to hear Lil Wayne its good, but if you wanted to hear stellar product from Wayne, you could have waited a lil longer for a more lyrical, and focused output. In a rush to give the people what they want the carter seems to have been a lil rushed. Expect it to sell well, but success, does not equal or define quality.  I give it 3 and a half stars out of 6

Black Rob - Game Tested Street Approved

Black Rob, bet  you haven’t heard that name in while, and at a time when hip hop is everything but dead, or at least on life support, everything we think and know about hip hop is being changed, taken for granted and exploited for the worst. No one knows how to rap, its all but pop music, pre-crafted and made specifically for the radio and  the youtube generation that knows nothing about hip hop. Clearly , we don’t need another one hit wonder that has never put in dues, another pop record with accompanying dance or any other fad, we just need good solid music for the streets and real hip hop heads. Lyrics and Beats.

In walks who? Black Rob, like an old vet back to prove he still got it with Game Tested, Street Approved. Black wastes no time showing and proving, from the Albums intro track Welcome Back, he gets in his lane and commands it, not going overboard, but sets a tone and expectation that he easily upholds  for the rest of the album.

With a bunch of solid album cuts, a few underground bangers, BR shows these young cats about Lyricism, flow, delivery and consistency. He even takes time to teach a lesson in versatility with the surprise cut Celebration, which is one of my favorites, because it fits even though unexpected based on the rest of the album. But Black Rob is at his best, when most rappers are at their worst, on slow  and cinematic tracks when every word stands out, as evidenced on tracks like Showin’ Up and Made Me a Man when his story telling and introspection shine.

There are a few misses, a number of the hooks could have been a little stronger and the song Sand to the Beach, could have not been done, sounded stripped down, forced, simple and redundant. It disappointed hugely, because it didn’t go with the rest of the albums flow , but sadly because it talks about getting at women, it’ll probably find its way on radio somehow.

Overall Game Tested Street Approved is a good hip hop album. Street Approved indeed. Good lyrics, good flows, good beats . The production is good. Sonically its Black Rob music, some people make types of songs he makes a brand of music somewhere between Kool G Rap and Slick Rick. Its a very consistent showing for Black Rob it doesn’t really show any growth, new style or technique. There is no experimentation. Its not made with a particular mainstream audience in mind, it doesn’t reach, its just good solid music that speaks for itself.


I give 3 1/2  stars of 6