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10 MOST RECENT REVIEWS BELOW
DJ Platurn - Debauchery Vol.1
Released March 1, 2008
Rating 8.5 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
TRACK #1
TRACK #4
TRACK #5
OVERALL: And the winner for bringing some much needed fun back into hip hop goes to Oakland Faders own DJ Platurn for his 45 minute 9 track collage on all things relating to sex, drugs and rap music via break beats and old school rap music.
Here’s what the back of the CD case had to say:
“Includes audio from… The Alkaholiks, The Gap Band, The Beatnuts, Bobby Knight and The Universal Lady, Bobby Brown, Jay and Silent Bob, Bob Saget, Black Sheep, Jack Black, Young Black Teenagers [chorus only], Busta Rhymes, The Pharcyde, Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo, St. Ides, Amy Winehouse, Homer Simpson, Digital Underground, Harlem Underground Band, and a shitload more!”
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: The opening of track 7 is tediously stale and out of place. Having to wait 2 minutes and 40 seconds until the mix rights itself was a little frustrating. But alas, when I heard both J-ro of the Liks and Homer Simpson at that 2:40 mark I knew DJ Platurn was back on track. I know it’s really not that big of a deal in contrast to the rest of the album, but it’s still noticeable enough to complain about. I think I’ll call this part of the mixtape the beer hiccup.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: 1. Track #1: The key to making a great mixtape lies in the introductory 1st track. This is the track that will ultimately set the tone for what’s to follow. What I gathered from Platurn’s opening 3 minutes was that this DJ takes his craft very seriously. There’s no uncalled for promotional shoutouts, unnecessary scratching, or any other ego-driven acts being performed here. It’s clear from the get-go that this DJ wants the listener to enjoy the message and the mixtape’s overall theme more than anything else.
2. Track #4: This is the transitional point in the album where the sex portion ends to make way for the drugs. And what better way to do that than with a 4 minute choir of f*#k you’s being sang before segueing into a Jay and Silent Bob marijuana freestyle?
3. Track #5: Homer Simpson’s ode to beer featuring Blackalicious, vintage Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg and Keith Murray.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “When I was 17, I drank some very good beer (come here beer)/I drank some very good beer I purchased with a fake I.D., my name was Brian McGee/I stayed up listening to Queen, when I was 17 (ummm beeer)” – Homer Simpson
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Trina - Still Da Baddest
Released April 1, 2008
Rating 2.0 out of 10
Most annoying songs out of the 13 tracks:
1.Still Da Baddest
2.Killing You Hoes
3.Single Again
4.Look Back At Me Feat. Killer Mike
5.I Got A Thing For You Feat. Keyshia Cole
6.I Got A Bottle Feat. Missy Elliot
7.Wish I Never Met You Feat. Shonie
8.Clear It Out
9.Phone Sexx Feat. Qwote
10.Single Again (Official Remix) Feat. Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross & Plies
OVERALL: Trina is better than this. WARNING: This is not a Diamond Princess album, or anything even close to it. If this is what you were hoping for, forget it.
If this album had been constructed with even the hint of some artistry and had just a little bit of lyricism, then maybe I would have been a little nicer in my review below. Still Da Baddest is just another example of an album where an already established artist dumbs down to sell ring-tones instead of trying to elevate the music.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Sorry Trina, but being a well recognized female MC, who already has a major label record deal, and is actually in a position to possibly raise the bar of female rap, you need to put out something superior to this bullshit. I’m not asking you to go on some Queen-Latifah-“Who-you-calling-a-bitch”- tirade, I just think it would be nice if you could give your grown rap fans some worthwhile music. F#&k it, keep making songs about your apple-bottom and your coochie, but can you at least make them listenable for people over the age of 14?
BIGGEST POSITIVE: 1. "Stop Traffic" featuring Pitbull and "Hot Commodity" featuring Rick Ross. These are the types of songs that you put on your iPod shuffle and then skip over every time they come on. What’s so positive about that, you might be asking? Well, while neither song is exceptional by any means, at least on these 2 songs exposure to Trina and company’s mind-numbing exploitative abundance of terribleness is kept to the bare minimum.
2. Trick Daddy nowhere to be found. Being a big fan of T double D, I would have hated to see Trina cause him to dumb-down his lyrics in order to not overshadow the self-proclaimed Baddest Bitch.
40 Cal - The Yellow Tape
Released April 1, 2008
Rating 5.0 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
Yacht Music
Time Out
So Gutta
OVERALL: The cliché saying of “too little, too late” would be the best way to describe the overall sentiment of 40 Cal’s album, The Yellow Tape. Battle tested and Dipset soldier, 40 Cal delivers an inadequately and disappointing effort that should be seen as an example as to what happens when a battle rapper’s album is rushed. Not sure if this album was indeed rushed, but it sure did sound that way.
The first-half of the album (tracks 1-7) come off sounding like Dipset throwaways, complete with squeaky chipmunk-sounding vocal samples and that imitative Diplomatic cadence first made popular by Dipset general Cam’ron back in 1996.
Fortunately, 40 Cal, the MC who is more than capable of crafting his own style, awakes from his stupor to address those he feels have committed the heinous act of jacking another’s swagger on the aptly named "Swagger Jacka 2". This is the where the album starts it’s notably pivotal 360.
Up until this point 40 Cal has been sounding eerily similar to the rest of his Dipset crew in both his rhyme delivery and beat selections. It’s as though he was speaking to himself on this song, knowing that if he continued to rhyme in a similar fashion to that of Cam and fam that his entire album and persona would undeniably turn into a discreditable failure. If you’re going to accuse Lupe Fiasco of jacking both Kanye West’s and Pharrell’s swagger, like he does on "Swagger Jacka 2", you have better start to acquire some originality to your own swagger, and had better do it fast, before the album becomes a complete waste.
That is exactly what he does on the remaining 5 of the last 6 songs on the album. Both beats and lyrics drastically improve from this point on. I almost had to check my CD player to see if somebody changed CD’s when I wasn’t looking as an April Fool’s joke.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Following the Dipset blueprint and not venturing on his own throughout the first half of the album.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: 1. Like a college basketball team on the verge of elimination, 40 Cal throws out the first-half’s game plan, regroups and comes out swishing hook shots from mid-court. Maybe not enough to win the game, but well enough to be featured on Sports Center’s top 10 plays of the year.
2. Letting the beat ride out for a good minute and a half on the jazzy horned, boom bap infused "Yacht Music". A great song to further illustrate the other extreme side of this album’s terrible beginnings.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “You’ll think I’m spelling Iverson when the beef all done, cause you’ll be on an IV in the ER, son” - 40 Cal
LMNO & Kev Brown - Selective Hearing
Released March 25, 2008
Rating 2.0 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
Who’s That (instrumental)
Selective Hearing (instrumental)
We Got This (instrumental)
OVERALL: 22 tracks in all. 1 – 11 are filled with nauseating optimism. 12 – 22 contain the instrumentals to the 1st part and clearly the better half, but not by much. At least on the latter you can insert your own rhymes over the beats, even if ¾ of which will leave you in a rhythmic stupor like an Amish person who accidentally wandered into a Laundromat.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Using the names of such talented musicians as Oh No, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins to lure unsuspecting victims like myself towards this album is just plain mean. And Kev Brown, you should be ashamed of yourself for having such a big hand in creating this. What’s next, you guys go recruit Stephen Baldwin for your first music video and throw in subliminal messages about Christ? There is way too much talk of God, love, peace, and morality being shoved aggressively into my ears via revolting raspy battle-rapper vocals. I felt like an 8 year-old boy being forced to listen to a public service announcement from some Church’s Sunday school’s teacher’s pet.
Listen, I’ve stated this before, usually while reviewing a Bone Thugs release, I am not anti-religion nor am I against artists making positive and uplifting music. I am however against artists who do it in an irritating hippy-like self-righteous fashion.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: I’m not going to get any hate mail for my above comments! What’s great about this CD is LMNO’s and Kev Brown’s over-the-top optimism that both them and their die-hard fans share. Due to this fact, any fan that has anything negative to say about this review will surely want to take that high road and not stoop to my level to respond with something nasty.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “nervousness fading away with the early mist/frying up the soy-bacon extra crisp, and take a hike after we eat up, then we clean-up/Can’t leave the camp-site looking all beat-up” - LMNO
And now an appropriate quote from South Park’s own Cartman, who will sum up in two words the overall theme of this album.
“Goddamn Hippies!”
Comments on Selective Hearing
Name: Derek Date: April 1, 2008 11:18a.m.
Wow that was a harsh review of Selective Hearing. I thought the album was decent. LMNO has a great flow, and is a clever lyricist, but i do have to agree that the soy bacon and world full of peace references are enough to make anyone feel sick at the overall hippyness. It's one thing to rap about important issues, it's a totally different thing to have this ridiculous pie-in-the-sky vision of earth and shove it in the listeners face relentlessly thoughout the album. Kev Brown's beats are solid and LD does some nice cuttin and scratchin, which makes this album at least a 4/5 in my book. Plus, if you havent flipped through LMNO's catalogue, then you have severly underestimated this man's skills on the mic. Just listen to "LMNO" on "Economic Food Chain Music" to get a feel for the depth of his lyrical abilities. Also, remember that many artists think LMNO is a great MC...Madlib for example said that LMNO is his favorite MC, which is real high praise from one of the world's best cratediggers. That being said, I do think that this album was rushed and his lines suffer big time from this. But you cant look me in the eye and tell me that that youd rather listen to Pastor Troy. So, give the album a 5, and give LMNO the benefit of the doubt because of his and the Visionaries history.
Name: Reid Date: April 1, 2008 12:36 p.m.
To the previous comment, you can't give an album a better rating based on the lyricist's history. And your discription sounded like less than a 4/5.
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Young Droop - King Me
Released Fabruary 12, 2008
Rating 5.0 out of 10
Best 3 songs:
Wild’n Out
Kant Hyde It Feat. Byron Douglas & Syko
Like Dis, Like Dat Feat. Pop Sykle
OVERALL: Unless you’re a bona fide pimp or a huge fan of repetitive bragadociousness I highly recommend that you download the first 5 songs along with the last song and stay far away from the others.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: King Me contains Young Droop’s ability to alter cadences mid-flow, admirable guest features, and more crisp and fresh production then your local farmer’s market. If it weren’t for these aspects being as good as they were, this CD would have been hurled at my stupid hippy neighbor’s cranium a long time ago. Is it asking too much for Droop to take a break every now and then from his pimping and boasting to focus on at least one other aspect of his artistry? Maybe then the entire album would have had an enjoyable replay value and not just the first 5 songs.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: Remember how The Fugees improved their style from the fast rapping first heard on Blunted On Reality to the unhurried rhyming style executed on The Score? Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not in anyway saying that Young Droop’s King Me album is on the same plane as The Fugees timeless classic The Score. I’m just stating that not every rhyme has to be spat at lightning speed. There are only a handful of artists who can pull of the rapid flow successfully, and just like the Fugges did, it seems Young Droop is starting to realize that he is better off with a more laid back delivery. So, except for the intro and a few other verses throughout the album, Young Droop, for the most part has brought down his speedy flow from previous albums in order to reach those rap fans that aren’t addicted to speed. Now, if only he would diversify his subject matter.
FAVORITE QUOTE: This quote is my favorite due to how the thumping bass that compliments it “The critical nigga that’s back for the first time hit 'em all with a ka-boom when I spit out my first line”
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Grip Grand - Brokelore
Released March 25, 2008
Rating 7.5 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
But Anyway
Paper Cup Feat. Percee P
Remember The Time Feat. Darondo
OVERALL: Grip Grand's impressive low-budget '02 rookie debut entitled Broakland, took us into the struggling blue-collar and empty-pockets world of an underground rapper who, when it came to getting cheddar could barely scrounge up a crumb, let alone a slice.
Now, 6 years later for his sophomore release, Grip Grind has improved on his beat selections, simile-strong rhymes and in the overall quality of production to bring us his new album Brokelore.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: 1. Aside from 2 or 3 tracks, he still has yet to find a lot of new material to speak on. It appears dude is just as cheddarless now as he was 6 years ago, only this time he's armed with more similes and some very impressive guest appearances thanks to Percee P and A.G. Seriously, I get it man. You're from a brokeland with stories of broke people, empty pockets and could use a penny thrown your way whenever possible, right? To be fair, the entire album isn't about not having money, but the mantra of one's brokeness does tend to repeat itself perhaps a little more often than I would like to hear.
2. As I play the part of the reviewer/critic it is inevitable that I will no doubt be made into the villian portrayed on "Love/Drama", a song that blasts the medias response to Grip Grind's first album. Not sure how I feel about that. After all, aren't I just some dude with an opinion like everybody else? By the way Grip Grind, you're welcome for the free promotion and the inspiration required for you to come up with this song, even if it wasn't directly aimed at me per say. I'm ok with you loving and hating me.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: 1. Grip's attempt at poking fun at the trap music on "Handle That" far exceeds most every trap music's artists own songs. It's both whimsical and playful nature might go over the heads of some listeners, but as for me, every time I play it I find myself simultaneously laughing out loud and throwing my bows.
2. Dedicating the final song on your album to lost friends and family can be both cliche and detrimentel to any artist's final product. Not so is the case on Grip Grind's beautiful album closer "Remember The Time". Yes, this is a song dedicated to family and friends that have left us, and yes this theme has been done a thousand times before with mediocore results, but this one is different. Here, with the help of a heartfelt sampled Darondo song, "Didin't I", Grip Grind achieves in making this track both touching and timeless.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "Tell U2 the sweetest thing is when I get smart with the rhyme and start signing like Steven King" - Grip Grind
Tanya Morgan & DJ Soul - Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group (Mixtape)
Released Marh 18, 2008
Rating 8.5 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
Walk My Way
She Moved Outta Cincy (08)
Take The W
OVERALL: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, rap needs Tanya Morgan! Everybody out there complaining how rap music lost its unity, humor, lyricism, and just overall good vibes needs to go directly to http://www.myspace.com/tanyamorgan right now and download this incredible group’s newest mixtape. Both their lyrics and beats are never slacking. Every song on this mixtape has at least 1 rewind moment. (Also, if you haven’t picked up their 2006 album Moonlighting, Wake up!)
Let me just put it this way; if rap were a relay race, Tanya Morgan would be those dudes grabbing the baton from the hands of De La Soul and Price Paul. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not accusing them of copying, I’m just simply stating that there’s both a humbleness and originality to Tanya Morgan’s music that I haven’t heard in any rap group since the great De La Soul came along.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Being a fan of the group since the Sunlighting Mixtape I did notice some recycled joints on here. Also for those not in the know, Von P’s remix of Jay-Z’s American Gangster album is coconuts (there’s only so many bananas a reviewer can eat before he gets sick). It would have been nice had he replaced the older Sunlighting material with some more remixed Jay-Z joints.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: I think I praised Tanya Morgan enough in my opening statements within the Overall section, so here I’ll just say a quick word on how the group reincarnated the hip hop skit. Seriously, when was the last time you looked forward to an album’s skits? Tanya Morgan brings back the usage of skits as both an interlude and as a tool to keep the listener interested in the flow of the album. Their interludes reminded me of a time when groups made the skit an art form and not just something to add to the album for the hell of it. Here, the trio took some famous skits from well-known albums and parodied them. My personal favorite is "The Killa Interlude", which will be hilarious for both those familiar and unfamiliar with the Wu’s classic 1st LP.
FAVORITE QUOTE(s): “On crack cocaine, tryin’ to ease the pain/Walking in the rain, cold and insane/Taking all the blame, she knows she’s off track with the tracks in her vein/She knows she’s off track on the track giving brain/There’s only one way to get back on track on a track with a train/I wish you well” –Von P from "She Moved Outta Cincy (08)"
“I make rap songs sound like love songs/Who made that song?, that’s a dumb song, I wouldn’t tell folks that I sell dope on a song if I really did, silly kids … get deals now, yet they still bow to their old life like it was they whole life” – Von P from "So Sweet"
“If I see a female’s name I want to see breasts and thighs/ I guess these guys are gay or just transies/Female group name, it ain’t at all manly/Seen em’ in The Source, XL, and The Scratch, Elemental when it all started off with a caption telling me the name, so it must be a gimmick/I ain’t heard 1 song so I want them to diminish because Image is all, and I don’t understand something different/they oughta have a name I could grasp/You caught up in a name while I’m caught up in a cab to the airport, right about to leave in a half/So, we ain’t got the time, but we got a lot of rhymes/So, whoever want to bring it, they best rethink it/Hip Hop is always looking for a change, as soon as a change comes, people ready to complain” – Von P from "Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group"
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Flo Rida - Mail On Sunday
Released March 18, 2008
Rating 2.0 out of 10
Best 3 Songs :
In The Ayer Feat. Will.I.Am
OVERALL: Shallow lyrics and generic beats are all Flo Rida brings to the table with his very disappointing Mail On Sunday. Even with established relief being sent to help the ailing Flo Rida by way of Timbaland, Lil’ Wayne, Sean Kingston and Will.I.Am, the sunshine state is still left with little to shine about. I thought this guy was supposed to be some kind of lyrical monster, I thought wrong.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Flo Rida’s corny lyrics and background vocals rival only the backstreet boys, but hey, those boys were pretty big, right? This guy might blow up in the 11 to 15-year-old scene, but for his sake I hope he plays all age venues. I heard Chuck E. Cheese’s might be looking to build a stage right behind the ball pit so I contacted CEC Entertainment Inc. who owns the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, but they refused to comment.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: At least some of his beats are catchy, but then again, so is herpes.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “I got money on money, on money, on money, on top of mo’ money, on top of my shit like flies” - Lil’ Wayne
This review was written by MyRapUp.com’s own Dappy Hoenuts, who, I’d like to add, is the only staff member brave enough to endure Flo Rida’s 53 minutes of boy band cloning.
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Guilty Simpson - Ode To The Ghetto
Released March 25, 2008
Rating 9.5 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
I Must Love You
Run Feat. Sean P & Black Milk
The Real Me
OVERALL: Thanks to the backing from usual Stones Throw Records suspects (Madlib, Black Milk, Oh No, Mr. Porter and of course J-Dilla), Guilty Simpson is able to paint a most realistic portrait of the ghetto with a consistent effectiveness that I haven’t heard since the late great Notorious one. Simpson’s slow-flowing humble approach brings to life his poetry with brilliantly brutal and true-to-life humorous observations. Simply put, the guy is a beast on the mic!
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Track number 12 is Guilty’s shout-out to the woman in his life who’s been holding him down, "Kinda Live". Personally I liked this song then again I’m currently in a beautiful relationship. I can however, easily see myself viewing this track with disgust if my girl and I were to ever breakup. This song is like seeing that young couple in love kissing on some random crowded train during rush hour. It’s sweet and beautiful, that is if you yourself are in love as well, otherwise it’s just plain obnoxious and annoying. Plus, it doesn’t help matters when the preceding song is the explosive Black Milk produced "Run", which as of right now is my favorite track.
BIGGEST POSITIVE: What I found to be fascinating with Guilty Simpson on this album was how his intelligence could be so noticeable without any use of gimmicks or fancy tongue-work. But if there were one thing that was most prominent on this album, asides from having some of the best producers in the game and an absence of gimmicky rhymes, it would be his ability in telling a great story that makes you feel where he’s coming from and what he’s saying. The man might not touch on subjects that are anything new, but his angle from which he comes at you certainly is.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Mama got bills, Papa got ghost, my new father-figure’s poppin’ that toast on the corner where the dopemen boasts, arguing who got the most/I barely got a pot for roasts, but always had pots for coke/When you’re broke the hood got jokes/A lot of brothers doing good got smoked/Many blood stains paint the Ave, it makes you wonder what choice we have/I chose not to take that path, I ain’t tryin’ to feel the D.A.’s wrath, so I push it on the freeway fast, tryin’ to see another B-day past/Some think my success won’t last/Still I go hard and get cash” – Guilty Simpson on "The Real Me"
Mistah F.A.B. - The Tonite Show With Mistah F.A.B. Pt.2
Released February 26, 2008
Rating 3.0 out of 10
Best 3 Songs:
FABFLOW101
Sumalumah
Bonus Track #18
OVERALL: Now, more than ever, mixtapes, both official and unofficial are continuing to be viewed as albums. Both the quality and the placement of tracks have become a very important integral element to the overall production of a good mix. DJs and rappers alike have been adding more creativity to their mixtapes on a more frequent basis. In addition, releasing both conceptual (Atmosphere's Strictly Leakage) and/or a well-placed collection of songs (Lil Wayne's Friends pt.2) have become the norm and the standard for any well received mixtape. That's why I find it so irritating when rappers release albums without any kind of structure or care to the order of which the songs are placed. Call me snobbish or whatever you want, but I expect more from a mixtape now than I did even 5 years ago, especially when the official mixtape costs over $10.00 and there are only about 2 dollar's worth of material. The 2 dollar's worth here, which have been disorganizingly placed throughout, are the few go-dumb extremely bass-heavy songs that appear not as often as one would expect from a Thizz Nation, Mistah F.A.B. release.
BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Here Mistah F.A.B. and DJ Fresh release their official mixtape with a handful of tracks having F.A.B. doing what he does best, which is motivating you to stop thinking and get your best special-ed on. Nothing wrong with that. Where the problem lies however, is in the greater amount of non-hyphy songs on splurging, hood-life, and bad freestyle-attempts-at-being-lyrical that were being tossed at me between my attempts at getting an all-out full-on dumb dance party going.
In the end, I only wound up feeling a lot more retarded than I would have had F.A.B. and DJ Fresh grouped all the yellow bus riding songs one after another. I mean, how am I supposed to reflect on relatively expressive songs immediately after doing my best carlton or humpty-hump dance?
BIGGEST POSITIVE: 1. Be careful not to overlook Mistah F.A.B. as he impressively switches up his style to sombersault through rhymes ala Big Pun-style on "FABFLOW101".
2. The invention of the CD player. This is definitely one of those instances where I have to thank those good people at Sony for inventing this handy device. If it weren't for their ingenuity, I would be forced to listen to this mixtape in my car on cassette. I could picture it now; my pointer finger, calused from the repeated pressing of the >> and << buttons, and my suspended liscense for gathering all the unpaid moving violations while attempting to cue up the few songs worth hearing. Again, Thank you Sony.
And just in case you were wondering, no, I would not be able to listen to this on my iPod, due to the fact that it is on its way to Spain to be with my girlfriend.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "I'm proving nothing to ya'll, don't got nothing to prove, but I'm running and I'm playing like I got nothing to lose" - Mistah F.A.B. on "FABFLOW101"
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