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.