First Quarter Hip-Hop Awards

We are a little over a quarter of the way through 2009 and already there has been an influx of hip-hop music flooding the internet and record stores. I have decided to pass out awards for my favorite mixtapes and albums so far in 2009. Let's begin.

Best Mixtape: Drake-So Far Gone
How this kid did not grace the cover of XXL's Freshmen of 2009 issue is beyond me. Ace Hood was on there but not Drake? Really? Anyway, Drake is one of the most unique artists to step into the hip-hop game. The Toronto native mixes deft wordplay with smooth vocals, and whether he is crooning to the thousands of women that will soon be in love with him or spitting some hard shit for the fellas, Drake remains one of the most talented artists I have ever heard. So Far Gone finds him bodying Lil' Wayne on a few tracks and singing right along with guests such as Omarion and Lloyd. Now in the studio working with Jay-Z and Jus Blaze, his debut album is sure to be one to remember.

Runners Up: Big Sean-UKnowBigSean, J.Period-J. Period Presents The (Abstract) Best, The Kickdrums-Smash The System

Best Album: Joe Budden-Padded Room
I think Joe Budden shocked a lot of people with how lyrically sick and deep his 2009 album, "Padded Room," was. From speaking about a girl that torments him every day and night to taking a serious look at his life, Jumpoff really goes in and lyrically is miles ahead of the majority of MCs spitting right now. Now the whole word cannot wait for the SlaughterHouse album coming this summer, as Joey has compiled four of the illest MCs into one group.

Runners up: K'naan-Troubadour, Curren$y-This Ain't No Mixtape, Saigon-All In A Day's Work

Most Slept On (Tie): MIMS-Guilt, Cunninlyguists-Strange Journey Vol. 1, Curren$y-This Ain't No Mixtape
I think MIMS definitely wins here just because of his mainstream appeal. People do not really know about Curren$y or Cunninlyguists yet because they are still very underground, even though they have both been around for years. But MIMS put out a quality album in "Guilt," and while every track may not be unbelievable, and his is definitely not the best lyricist, the CD has a lot of really good tracks on it. MIMS talks about how much his mother means to him and how he feels guilty about being a fake on his first CD, realness we don't see from mainstream rappers ever these days. Curren$y's new CD is a gem, and although he does talking about smoking weed a ton (because he does it a lot) he is another guy spitting about real life. And if you do not have "Strange Journey Vol. 1" then you are missing out on a collection of amazing beats and dope lyrics. Don't sleep on these CDs!

Most Disappointing: Asher Roth-Asleep In The Bread Aisle
Now, this award does not mean it was a bad CD. In fact, I like Asleep in the Bread Aisle. But it could have been so much better. Musically, the CD is amazing. As I stated before in my review, Oren Yoel's production on Asher's debut is top notch. But lyrically, Asher does not consistently bring it, and if he was spitting like he was on his mixtape, "Asleep In The Bread Aisle," may be one of the best hip-hop debuts to come out. Knowing the lyrical talent of Asher, his performance on his freshman CD is quite underwhelming.
Runner Up: Common-Universal Mind Control

These awards are based on music I downloaded and have listened to, if there are CDs I have missed (like Jadakiss' "Last Kiss") then please let me know!

Little 5 Weekend

Okay, after a slight absence from the blog, I'm back and will try to post some things more often. I have been slackin a bit, I know. Only a few hours ago, I returned from a trip to Little 500, the greatest college party weekend in the entire world. How does a bike race turn into such a huge deal? I have no idea. What I do know is that, at any point in time when I was there, I could turn in 4 different directions and I would be garaunteed to see either a beer bong, a 40 oz. beer, outdoor beer pong, or large packs of women everywhere I looked. I know this has nothing to do with music, so I'll get into it.

One of the main attractions that is now a huge part of Little 5 is the music that comes throughout the week. Unfortunately I have not gotten to attend any of the concerts yet, but I will tell you what I have heard. Last year, DMX was the talk of the town. After getting out of the cell, DMX appeared at little 5. Almost as soon as he got on stage, he started passing around a bottle of alcohol to the crowd, and after 1 song got shut down and taken off stage...Way to be X. This year there were a variety of hip-hop artists in Bloomington. The first being my boy Wale. Unfortunately it was at a 21+ bar/club, so my buddy couldn't go, but did manage to steal me a poster! From what I heard, he got a good response, which is always good to hear. The artist drew the biggest crowd of them all: Chris Bridges aka Ludacris. I was supposed to see him, because the place where I stayed was right across the street from the concert, but I ended up missing it. Regardless, everybody I talked to said the show was amazing. He played some of his new stuff in addition to some of his older stuff including "Whats your Fantasy?" He also brought up fellow DTP crew member Shawnna on stage to spit some on her own and to perform "Gettin' Some." (If you want to see a clip of his performance check out this clip: Ludacris Little 500. The other artists that graced IU with their presence were Young Jeezy and Soulja Boy. I didn't really talk to anybody that went to Jeezy, but I did run across some Soulja gay concert goers. It made me happy when EVERY SINGLE person that saw him, just went on a rant about how shitty his performance was. Apparently he would stop his songs and try to have a conversation in the middle of the appx. 5 songs that he did. I had three words for them: "Told you so." Anyways, its good to hear that people saw what a joke he is in person. Maybe that's what it will take for people to realize the truth about Soulja Boy.

Now that I'm done telling you about my weekend, let me show you a couple songs that I think are worth givin a listen:


Eminem - 3 A.M.
-Another song released of his upcoming album Relapse. Its not bad, but I wish he'd stop using this voice. Its kinda starting to annoy me

Royce Da 5'9" feat. Kid Vishis - Hottest in the Hood Freestyle
- The first song released off of Royce's Bar Exam 3....by now you should know how sick Royce is, so check him out goin over a nasty Slaughterhouse beat.

Tech N9ne feat. Krayzie Bone and K-Bean - Midwest Choppers
-pretty ridiculous flow in this song...Sickology 101 comes out April 28th...actually pretty pumped

Raekwon feat. The Game - Flash Back Memories
- real smooth track

Kanye West, Common, John Legend & Malik Yusef - Magic Man
- So glad Kanye is back to rappin and off that autotune bs

Crooked I - Slaughterhouse is a Big Deal
-Will this dude ever make a bad track?

Chubb Rock feat. Wordsmith - Another Party Joint
-The more I listen to Wordsmith, the more I like him


Alright, so those are some of the songs that I have been checkin out in the past week or so, check em out, lemme know what you think of my picks. Until next time...PEACE

TM

What I'm Listening To

I thought I would just give you guys a look into what has been on heavy rotation on my Ipod these days. If you are lacking any of these CDs or mixtapes I would highly recommend downloading or purchasing them. Got to get the hip-hop collection right for the summer! Ok, here is what Mr. Zirm has been listening to lately.

Drake-So Far Gone
Asher Roth-Asleep In The Bread Aisle
Curren$y-This Ain't No Mixtape, Fast Times At Ridgemont Fly
CunninLynguists-Strange Journey Vol. 1
Joe Budden-Padded Room
Knaan-Troubadour
MIMS-Guilt
Royce Da '5 9"-Bar Exam 2
Saigon-All In A Day's Work
U-N-I- A Love Supreme


And yes I do stroll around campus with my gigantic headphones, bobbing my head. And yes people do stare at me. Being white and loving hip-hop is a struggle! Haha. Alright back to watching the Indians game/NBA playoffs/grilling hot dogs.

Asleep In The Bread Aisle-Review

The long awaited debut from college dropout turned rapper Asher Paul Roth is here. Teaming up with relatively unknown producer Oren Yoel (and for one track Don Cannon), Roth tries to cater his CD to all audiences, not just those who love hip-hop. After "I Love College," became the anthem of frat boys around the country, MTV noticed Roth, getting him to perform at the annual MTV Spring Break and plastering his face and music all over their station. Sometimes this kind of exposure, especially on MTV (a channel that rarely promotes good music), can get to an artist's head, and they sacrifice lyrics and quality to promote themselves and sell records. Hate him or love him, one thing you cannot deny about Asher Roth is that he stays true to himself, in his interviews and through his lyrics. With the self proclaimed "Boss of Miami" Rick Ross,someone who has painted an untrue image of himself to sell records, dropping his CD today, Asher Roth is a breath of fresh air in hip-hop. Now, on to my review of "Asleep In The Bread Aisle."

Overall Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (I have changed my intial rating of 3.9....this CD is not strong enough lyrically to deserve a 4.)

The hookup with producer Oren Yoel proved to payoff big time for Asher Roth, for besides maybe "She Don't Wanna A Man," there is not a single beat on this CD that I did not love, and it saves Asher on certain tracks, especially when he doesn't come as hard as he should lyrically. From the banging drums on "Lark On My Go Kart" to the extremely smooth and soulful sounds of the piano and bass guitar on "His Dream," Yoel is able to match his production with the topic of Asher's lyrics, and the two blend together almost seamlessly. I also loved how Yoel was able to cater his beats to the style of the guest that was appearing on the track. On "Be By Myself" featuring Cee-Lo, Yoel crafts a beat that sounds exactly like a song you would hear off of a Gnarls Barkley album, allowing Cee-Lo to fit right in on the chorus instead of sounding out of his element like certain guest artists can. On "Lion's Roar," featuring Busta Rhymes, Yoel speeds up the rhythm to allow Busta to keep his unique and quick spitting style, while Asher flows right along with him. Listening to each beat, you can tell Yoel paid a lot of attention to detail on each track, and you have to love that from a producer. Don Cannon also comes through with one of the dopest beats on the CD on "La Di Da," on the only track he produced after working with Asher on his freshman mixtape, "The Greenhouse Effect."
Unfortunately, there are some definite flops on the album to keep Asher from garnering a 4 or 5 out of 5. "Blunt Cruisin'," and "She Don't Wanna Man," both are pretty weak tracks and don't seem to fit in with the rest of the CD. "I Love College" has become extremely played out to the point where I skip it every time I put my Ipod on. "Be By Myself," is a great song musically, and I love Cee-Lo on it, but Asher comes pretty weak with the lyrics. For as good as he can be on certain tracks, Asher leaves me with an empty feeling, like he could have come so much harder on one of the extremely dope beats that fill his CD. Overall, the production and guest spots are all on point, and while Asher struggles lyrically on certain songs, he kills it on others, enough to make "Asleep In The Bread Aisle" an excellent purchase for all fans of hip-hop. Here is a more in depth look at some tracks you had better listen to, and to some tracks that should not have made the CD.

Tracks That Bang:
"Lark On My Go Kart"-Leaked early as the second song off of the album, Asher takes us on a lyrical ride, talking about everything from Mario Kart to the Wii Fit. One of his favorite lyrical tactics, alliteration, is at full force here. The strong pattern of drums makes it hard not to bob your head to this one.

"La Di Da"-Personally my favorite track on the album, producer Don Cannon does not fail to impress with a mixture of live drums and a hot guitar riff. Asher absolutely kills the second verse as he spits about the struggles of an up and coming rapper and what he does when he just can't take what's going on around him. Apparently, all you have to do is sing "la di da" and everything will be cool.

"As I Em"-Using Chester French on the chorus, Asher addresses the non-stop (and ridiculous I might add) comparisons to Eminem. Over a soulful, guitar filled beat, Asher spits "If you have no further questions and can't think of other thoughts/I'd like to introduce you to Asher Paul Roth." Their styles are so different to begin with I don't understand how this comparison has become so rampant, but Asher's CD is a far cry from anything Em has ever put out.

"His Dream"-Asher gets deep on another gem from Yoel, speaking about the struggles of a father who cannot pursue his dreams out of love and respect for his family. Whether or not Ash is speaking from his experiences, I don't know, but it is a insightful track into the fears of growing up and having a family...do you put your dreams on hold to provide for your children? Real deep, I know.

These are just my favorite tracks, "Sour Patch Kids," "Lion's Roar," "Bad Day," and "Falling" are all great songs as well.

Tracks To Skip:

"Blunt Cruisin'"-This track should be labeled as a skit for the lack of lyrics on this track. Asher ruins a sick beat by weakly talking about rolling a blunt and driving around in a car. Lyrically there is nothing there, and the track twice turns into skit with cops busting the boxed out car. We bought the CD to hear you rap Ash.

"I Love College"-Was a fun song for a while, now it is just overplayed. High schoolers are blasting this song like they are in college...that's when you know it is time to retire this song. Even Asher himself says he does not want to be known for this frat boy anthem.

"She Don't Wanna Man"-Not sure what Asher was thinking with this track. Using Keri Hilson turns this track into a pop song, with Asher telling us he is the shit at least 3 times. While it is catchy, it is an extremely simple song with terrible lyrics to boot. You can do better than this Asher.

T.I. set to rerelease Paper Trail

With the day that Clifford Harris goes to jail inching closer, southern rapper T.I. , is spending most of his remaining time with his family. However, in an interview as part of his show on MTV, Harris told Sway that he also plans to rerelease his latest album Paper Trail. Harris has a number of recordings, including features by The Dream and Ciara, and is still continuing to record, before he is put away. Though the date has not been set yet, T.I. has said that there will be 5 additional tracks put onto the album. According to MTV, the Atlanta native also has another Kanye West track that he has yet to use, because it was cut to make room for Jay-Z on "Swagga Like Us." T.I. looks to add to his enormous success with the first release of the album. I'll let you know when I find out the exact release date.

TM

Sneaks of the Day

This is a pair of Nike Air Force 1 Playstation 2 10th anniversary edition. This pair of kicks is currently on Ebay goin for over $1,000 large.

Some Fire On A Sunday Afternoon

I have a present for everyone on this wonderful Sunday morning. My man Wes Blaze called me Friday night and said he was hitting the booth on Saturday, and that the song was going to be, and I quote, "that crack." Well ladies and gentlemen, the song is crack. The song is crack, ecstasy, heroin, and shrooms all rolled up into one. Imitating the efforts of Saigon (Saigon recorded his latest project, "All In A Day's Work" in 24 hours), Wes got into the booth Saturday and had the track for me around 5 a.m. last night. The song is called "Get At Me" and on it we find Wes at his lyrical best. The download link is at the bottom of the page. All I can say is, please download the track and comment so Wes can hear what you guys think. Wes is extremely talented, and I have no doubt in my mind if this track was put on Hip Hop DX, it would garner a 5 out of 5 rating. Much love to Wes for the shout outs on the track, like I told him yesterday, this song made my night. This song is the definition of an eargasm. Big things are coming this summer from my man Wes Blaze. So without further ado, I bring you the premiere of "Get At Me," produced entirely by Wes Blaze. Cleveland in the building!

My favorite line of the song:
"Encore they want more that's what they tellin me
Got em listening to every word like a spelling bee
Yea I made the beat too if you graded me
So I deserve a fuckin' double A like the battery."

Fire. That's all I have to say. Fire.



Audio-"Get At Me" By Wes Blaze

http://www.zshare.net/audio/588820574382ee8f/

Reality Check

As if Black Thought wasn't busy enough already with keeping the ratings on Jimmy Fallon's show decent and currently working on their next album due out later this year, OkayPlayer brings us "Reality Check," a disgusting Black Thought track put over an unreleased J. Dilla beat. This is a track off of an upcoming collection of 25 unrealeased J.Dilla beats put together by Pete Rock. On June 2nd Nature Sounds will be releasing Jay Stay Paid with appearances by Blue, DOOM, Raekwon, Havoc, Illa J, and M.O.P. In addition Ma Dukes, Dilla's mother is the excecutive producer to make sure it was done right.

Here is the song, its a must download, and I can't wait until the album comes out..

Black Thought Ft. J. Dilla - Reality Check

A Tony Starkks Exclusive

Man, I feel like such an official blogger today. Keeping it 100% Cleveland, I bring you all a Tony Starkks exclusive. The track, entitled "Young Fly Nigga," is fire, I was able to give a listen to it this morning. I really like how Chase uses samples in his beats, it really works well with his flow. Anyway, peep the track(link at the bottom), download it, and play it in the car because Cleveland is making good music. Also, check out Tony Starkk's MySpace for two new tracks he released yesterday.

"Young Fly Nigga"
http://www.yousendit.com/download/dVlyZXQySytoMlZMWEE9PQ

In case you forgot about the MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/starkks

K'Naan NFL Draft Promo

Sorry I haven't been on the blog that much recently. I have had a bunch of schoolwork this week so I've been pretty busy, but not worries. I'll be back to writin this weekend as soon as I finish my paper. As for now, I'll leave you with a promotional video my man K'Naan is doing for the NFL draft. Doin' big things!

Curren$y is the man, and Big Sean is coming

A video and a link for you all today! My man Curren$y, whose album "This Ain't No Mixtape" hits the internet 4/21 (and which I might be more excited for than Asher Roth's) sits down for an interview to talk about the upcoming album. The man has paid his dues. Back in the day he was part of Master P's crew, and we all know where Master P is now...yes that would be in Snickers commercials. Curren$y just seems like a real dude. In the interview he talks about how if you just "do you" you can go anywhere in life. Spitta talks the days when he was not being all the way true to himself (I can only assume that would be his Master P/Lil' Wayne days) and how that got him nowhere. He also talks about how the label still wants him to do a poppy record for a single but he refuses to put that out there. I can only respect that, and from what I have heard the album is about to be dope.






Big Sean,, who just graced Cleveland Heights with his presence this past week (apparently good hip-hop is blessing Cleveland with its presence all the time now, Wale and Big Sean? Why am I not home right now?), is dropping his newest mixtape entitled "UKnowBigSean," produced by Cleveland's own Mick Boogie, tomorrow. His debut album, "Finally Famous," is due out this summer. The kid's punch lines are ridiculous, so definitely download this tape tomorrow at www.uknowbigsean.com

It's A Cleveland Thing....

It's Friday, I ain't got no job, I ain't got shit to do...might as well write a blog entry right? I have been excited to write this post all week, so ladies and gentlemen, here it is. Good hip-hop music is everywhere if you work hard enough and search for it, and I am proud to have discovered that there is good hip-hop music being made right in my hometown of Cleveland Heights. I went to school with both of these guys at one time or another in my life, and was privileged enough to witness parts of their musical beginnings. From makeshifts studios to freestyling in the backyard, both of these guys are working hard to get their music out there. The least I can do is promote them, and promote my city. Let's get it started.



Wesley Ingram a.k.a Wes Blaze- Although I went to high school with Wes for four years, I did not know him personally. It was not until my good friend Colin became his roommate at the University of Akron that I really got to know Wes. I remember being at a party over the summer my freshman year when all of the sudden a circle formed in the next room. Who was in the middle of the circle, spitting a hot sixteen? None other than Wes Blaze, spitting dope lines about being a college student and the financial difficulties it brings. In other words, talking about real life. All the heads in the circle were bobbing in unison, and when Wes finished he left the 360 degree crowd in awe. From that point on everyone that knew Wes knew he came vicious with the lyrics. I can remember countless summer nights in Colin's backyard trying to cypher with Wes, but he would always kill us. Every now and then he would give us some new material, and it always left me with my head shaking. Wes now has his own MySpace, complete with about five or six tracks that go as hard as you would expect. With great wordplay and clever metaphors, Wes reminds me a little bit of Wale, addressing issues in his life but at the same time showing off his lyrical talent. Below is the link to Wes' MySpace, please check him out and show some love. Wes has been on his grind all year and it will be no different this summer, with Wes working on an album to showcase his talent.

Wes Blaze's MySpace:
(http://www.myspace.com/wesblaze)





Chase Ford a.k.a Tony Starkks- I have to go all the way back to middle school for our next artist. The only thing I knew about hip-hop is what Eminem was giving to me on the Marshall Mathers LP (the first hip-hop CD I ever bought), and that was a combination of killing wives, a lot of profanity, calling his mother a drug addict. Anyway, I remember one day my friend Patrick Belinson invited me over to his house after school, along with Chase and a few other guys. I sat in awe as they guys got together and cyphered for a good hour in Pat's basement. With one guy playing the drums for the beat, the mic was passed from Patrick to Chase to another of of their buddies, each spitting for minutes at a time. After the cypher I was shown the makeshift studio in the basement, and actually worked up the courage to freestyle over a beat. It wasn't any good, but I loved hearing myself after they recorded me. We were just young kids day dreaming about being big time rappers. Well, now Chase Ford is following that dream. Recently releasing a mixtape with fellow Cleveland rapper Keith Hawk and others, Chase's story of trying to make it in the streets of Cleveland is relateable to anyone who grew up in the Heights. Dope metaphors make you stop Tony Starkk's tracks and rewind them and gives his mixtape and songs a definite replay quality. At the bottom are the links to his latest mixtape, entitled "The Takeover" and his MySpace. Please show Chase some love, and support both these Cleveland artists. Who knows, one day when they make it big you can say you knew how sick they were before they blew up. Enjoy and comment to let these guys know what you think! Cleveland we in here!

Links to listen to Tony Starkks:
Mixtape link:
(http://www.datpiff.com/Fresh_Produce_Fresh_Produce_Presents_The_Takeove.m41265.html)

Tony Starkk's Myspace
(http://www.myspace.com/starkks)

MIMS: Guilt Review

After seeing the video for Move (if you wanna)," the first single off of MIMS sophomore album Guilt, my interest grew a litte bit. Before hearing that song and seeing the video, all I really knew of MIMS were his hit song "This is why I'm Hot" and another song that got less attention, "Like This." Both songs were two huge examples of why mainstream hiphop has been going downhill and the main reason why MIMS got so many people calling him a ringtone rapper. I was one of those people and thought nothing of the East Coast rapper. In fact, if it weren't for that video, I probably never would have even gave the album a chance. However since "Move" had gotten my attnetion I figured I would check it out.

Before really listening to the album, I decided I would check to see the buzz around the album and see what people were saying. What I found was pretty interesting. At HipHopDX.com, a site I visit pretty much everyday, I read a review absolutely destroying the album, saying that it showed no growth and was just another flop of an album. Read the review here: (http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1151/title.mims-guilt) However, on the other hand, I looked at itunes to read the reviews that listeners had posted and what do I find? A cumulative rating of 4/5 stars out of about 170 total people. I sit at my laptop and write this review to give you the deciding vote and tell you this: In my opinion, hiphopdx's review is very wrong in many many ways. I believe that this album was actually a pretty solid step forward for MIMS and with the occastional bad song, find it to be a good album with energy and variety. Let me tell you why.

The first track takes on the same title as the album itself: Guilt. The reason MIMS chose this as his title is because guilt is exactly what he is feeling. He explains in this song his view about what happened and why his first album rightfully got so much criticism. He discusses through witty comparisons how he really got caught up in the whole "rap game" and the success that came with it. The song talks about how he is guilty of lovin' the cars, clothes and money that his rap success brought and as a result, he ended up making pretty terrible music. These material possessions blinded him and caused him and his large ego to make songs like "This is Why I'm Hot," which had absolutely nothing new or innovative to offer to the already slumping rap industry. He also adds he is still extremely thankful for the things that he has and the gifts he has been given. Overall, it is a good intro to set the mood and explain the basic concept of the album.

Moving onto two of the more hyped songs off the album, "Move(If you wanna)" and "Rock 'N Rollin'." "Move" is the first single that was realeased a while ago. MIMS brings a solid lyrical performance through a short winded methodical flow. With the deep bass banging in the background the entire song, MIMS raps over a more low key beat one minute, and explodes into a louder high energy drum break the next. This combination along with lines like
"I don't undrestand how can I have so many ha-ters Knowin I'm there father like my name is Darth Va-der I can get you hemmed up while I'm bein tay-lored Then I slide off to the side like a fa-der"
make for a sick song. The song "Rock 'N Rollin" got a lot of hype because of the appearance of KC native Tech N9ne. On itunes I literally saw multiple comments saying they bought the CD purely for the appearance of Tech N9ne. The duo don't disappoint bringing a concept similar to GZA's "Labels" in which they string dozens of rock 'n roll band names through clever lines over a dark beat with a demonic like chorus. Tech N9ne does overshadow MIMS a little bit purely because his uptempo verse sounds better than MIMS who raps pretty slowly(almost like he's talking) the whole song.

Contrary to what DX, writes in their review, I was very impressed by the song, "One Last Kiss." I thought the song was a breath of fresh air with the mixture of an alternative style song combined with a synthesizer to set up a heart felt song from MIMS discussing how much he misses his mother and how he just wants to spend more time with her. I dont really see how DX could say that this was a "straight pop record that falls flat," unless they didn't actually listen to the lyrics.

Some more songs that I enjoyed off the album were "On and On," "Chasing Sunshine," "Love Rollercoaster" and "I Do." "Chasing Sunshine" gets the point accross that he was distracted from his girl by his success, and that he has realized he can have all of the cars money and material things, but without her, he can't be happy. "On and On" has a tight beat to express some more of his feelings about his guilt and how he has changed. Saying "talking bread every verse he gets/talking about head every verse he spits/But that ain’t him man, that ain’t MIMS man," Mims tries to show that he realized his faults and knows he needs to fix them. "Love Rollercoaster" featuring LeToya Luckett will probably be the next single off the album, as it is a typical song about strife between him and his girl over a simple beat and melody. "I Do" is a song made for specifically for couples. Over this catchy piano based beat, MIMS uses the marriage term "I Do" to convey the message that relationships can be difficult, but they can work out if they are meant to.

Of the remaining songs, "One Day," "Makin Money," "Be My Hustla," "In My Life," and "Heal Me," I really wasn't feelin' "Be My Hustla (its the same mainstream bs)," "One Day(didn't really enjoy the flow or the appearance by Ky-Mani Marley)" and "In My Life(just wasn't feelin it)." "Makin Money" I really like the beat and he has some tight metaphors, but the chorus is kind of annoying and it is the opposite of his album concept. "Heal me" is kinda slow, but is very solid lyrically.

Overall I believe the album is a very big step up for MIMS and I applaude him for realizing his flaws and making an effort to fix them. He has shown me growth and maturity in this album (with the exception of a few songs), and I largely disagree with HipHopDX's review. He stepped his game up lyrically and put them on a lot of catchy beats to make for an overall great listening experience that will bang in your headphones. I'll give him somewhere around a 7 or 8/10 stars. If he makes this much of an improvement for his next album, it should be a great one. Keep it up Shawn Mims Jr.

Hood Dreamer Willy Northypole Ft. Bobby Ray

Heres a song and video I have been waitin for. Hood Dreamer by Willy Northpole Ft. Bobby Ray (B.O.B.) It bangs so check it out...

Please Sir...May I Have Another Album?

Today I realized I have taken an accidental break from previewing the upcoming hip-hop albums of 2009. I must have been too busy watching Kanye West becoming a Gay Fish. (South Park reference...if you don't understand it please watch last night's episode!)
With no further ado, I bring you three more albums you had better be playing in your Ford Focus this year.


Jay-Z-The Blueprint 3 (Unknown release date): It seems like many people, well maybe just Joe Budden, feel like Jay's flow has fallen off recently. Not feeling "new Jay," some hip-heads wish he would go back to his old self. I on the other hand feel completely the opposite. While his CD "Kingdom Come" may not have been his best work, he gave the world "American Gangster," a brilliant concept album based on Frank Lucas' life who Denzel Washington portrayed in the movie with the same name. Jay also dropped two songs, "History" that has been rumored to be on "The Blueprint 3" where we find Jay wondering what success is and questioning the legacy he is going to leave. Then, off of the Notorious B.I.G. soundtrack Jay gave us "Brooklyn Go Hard," where the megastar spits about growing up in the streets of Brooklyn and his pride for the city. Both songs, to me at least, are top notch lyrically. I cannot wait for the next installment of the Blueprint series.



The Roots-How I Got Over (June 2009): One of my favorite groups of all the time, The Roots are back with another album to follow the excellent "Rising Down" that dropped in early 2008. Saying that it is a celebratory album that talks about all the years of touring and work being done on the Jimmy Fallon Show, you know The Roots will not disappoint. I have been thirsty for some original Black Thought lyricism ever since "Rising Down" dropped. One of the most underrated MCs will once again get to prove his worth once June hits.



Wale-Attention:Deficit (June 2009)-June is shaping up to be an amazing month for music. Personally my most anticipated album of the year, my man Wale comes through with his debut album after dropping four mixtapes (with a fifth on the way this month) and plenty of guest spots since 2005. I first heard Wale on "Rising Up," the last song off of the previously mentioned Roots album, "Rising Down." Following Wale for over a year now, his talent with wordplay and ability to address issues makes him one of the best in the game, and I hope this album will be his "Illmatic." Although I was a bit disappointed with the single, "Chillin," just because I know Wale can come so much harder with the lyrics (still a damn catchy song), I know the rest of the album with be dope. If there is one new artist to check out this summer, make sure it is Wale.

Tony is coming through tonight with a review of MIMS news album, "Guilt," which dropped yesterday.

We Made You

Sorry for the wait...I was just too damn exhausted yesterday to write with the brilliance that I usually do...ha ha ha. Anyway, I am back.

So, yesterday marked the return of Eminem and his ridiculous music videos with the second single off of his highly anticipated new album, "Relapse" after his 3 year hiatus from the rap game. His video premiered at 6 a.m. on MTV yesterday, and it seems like Em is following the same formula that brought him so much success with all his albums besides "Encore." What is that formula you ask? Releasing a single where he dresses up in ridiculous outfits and pokes fun at celebrities. Pokes seems like to soft of a word, Em doesn't really hold much back when he is talking about people he is not very fond of.

"We Made You" is reminiscent of "Without Me" and "The Real Slim Shady." All three videos contain our bleach blond white boy (although he has gone back to brown for now) dressing up as a celebrity, this time taking on Brett Michaels and even Ellen Degeneres. Following suit, each album proceeded to move from playful to very serious, with Em taking on issues in his own life and outside of it. That formula of success worked until "Encore," where Em followed up "Ass Like That" with more of the same, and people were not feeling it. It was his worst effort to date.

So the question is, where is "Relapse" headed? Although Em's video is very humorous (employing Mad TV's Bobby Lee and dressing up Dr. Dre in a Star Trek outfit) and his satirical juices, not matter how unorthodox they are, still flowing, I am getting extemely tired of the weird accent he has been putting on his voice since "Encore" came out. Em's voice is already high and a bit whiny, and putting that accent on it only heightens the annoyingness. I have read and heard that the rest of his album is going to address more serious issues, like the growth of his daughter and his family and his experiences since leaving the rap game in 05. But this song worries me a bit, I am not going to lie. It has been a long time since Em has just flat out rapped, and I hope "Relapse" will allow him to get back to that. Leave a comment and let me know how you feel about the song and the album!

What's On The Menu

Just wanted to let all you loyal blog readers out there know that on the agenda today we will have:
-What to think of Eminem's new video
-Is MIMS new ablum actually good?
-And Much Much more!

....Now if only I could be done with classes so I could start blogging....sigh

FREE Rhymefest Mixtape!

New Mixtape by Rhymefest, Courtesy of HipHopDX

01 Who is Che? [Intro] 02 Coolness (Rhymefest) [prod. by Scram Jones]
03 Native Tongue Medley Pt 1 (Rhymefest) [prod. by Scram Jones]
04 Native Tongue Medley Pt 2 (Rhymefest) [prod. by Scram Jones]
05 Native Tongue Medley Pt 3 (Rhymefest) [prod. by Scram Jones]
06 Deal's A Deal (Rhymefest ft CL Smooth & Haffa) [prod. by Blick & Scram Jones]
07 Rhymefest vs Big Daddy Kane [prod. by Scram Jones]
08 Think About It! (Rhymefest ft Sadat X) [prod. by Scram Jones]
09 Tender Thug (Rhymefest ft Mike Payne) [prod. by Animal House]
10 SuperSonic (Chucky Cheese) (Rhymefest) [prod. by Scram Jones]
11 Wup Your Ass (Nice Peter) [prod. by Nice Peter]
12 Pulls Me Back (Rhymefest) [prod. by Matrax]
13 Party 4 Free (Rhymefest ft Gregg Nice) [prod. by Scram Jones]
14 Overpaid Lover (Rhymefest) [prod. by Scram Jones]
15 Exodus 5.1 (Rhymefest) [prod. by Animal House]
16 Goin In (Rhymefest ft Queen Latifah) [prod. by Dub Sonata]
17 Memory Lane (Doo Wop, Scram Jones & Nature) [prod. by Scram Jones]
18 Rhyme Slow, Rhyme Quick (Rhymefest ft Scram Jones) [prod. by Scram Jones]
19 Prove Myself (Rhymefest ft Haffa) [prod. by Scram Jones]
20 RNQ (Rhymefest) [prod. by DJ Premier]

[CLICK to DOWNLOAD]

History Lesson

A brief description of what hip-hop is and how it came to be given by Chuck D of Public Enemy. It's worth a listen.

website hit counters

I present to you Cory Gunz. I first heard of this kid when my blogging partner Jordan bought the "upcoming freshman" copy of XXL Magazine. Though he didn't really give him a second look, I went and downloaded one of his mixtapes entitled "The Apprentice Mixtape." This tape, to be honest, has alot of material that sounds sorta similar. He has a beat and raps with a quick flow that is sometimes just mediocre. Also there are a ton of skits in this 30+ track mixtape. However, there are definitely some flashes of genius by this kid. He can put out some lyrical fire if he wants to, and he shows that in a recent video entitled Bad Freestlye Pt. 2. Take a look and listen for yourself courtesy of Nahright.com.


Corey Gunz -BAD FREESTYLE (PT2) 2009 from Radio Planet on Vimeo.



I like this kid the more I see him and hope to hear some more hot lines from him soon.

I'm A Perfectionist

Today we find more evidence that Asher Roth's album is going to be dope. Featuring Philly's own Beanie Sigel and Rock City, nahright.com gives us "Perfectionist", a bonus track if you buy Asleep in the Bread Aisle on Itunes. There is just something about Asher's flow that I love. His ability to use alliteration and rhyme words not just at the end of each line, but within the line as well (this is bringing me back to high school English) shows me the talent that Asher has. He may be the face of MTV right now, which usually is not a good sign for a rapper, but the kid has talent. Peep the song and pick up that album on 4/20. Here is the link to the song: http://www.zshare.net/audio/58148105d9c8e2bc/

Artist Spotlight: Big Sean

Props to http://www.heartandsolesneakers.com, my dudes from the Heights, for allowing me to stumble across this video. The man's name is Big Sean and his wordplay is quite ridiculous. Recently signed by Kanye West and hailing from the Mo Town, Sean just dropped "Finally Famous The Mixtape," produced by Cleveland's very own Mick Boogie. The kid can flat out spit, and while his lyrics don't address much more than being the shit and trying to make it (I am sure he will improve with time), his similes and metaphors are some of the most creative I have ever heard. Peep this video of Big Sean rapping for Kanye West and Common at the recent South By Southwest concert series.
"So fuck a boyfriend and whatever they on, if they trying to collide you can call me State Farm/Made for the head-on, got your bitch logging on/Cause I'm all over the web like I got eight arms."-Whaaaaat? Haha check out the video and download that mixtape!

A Love Supreme

As I was searching through the blogosphere earlier this week, I came across an intriguing post on nahright.com. The post featured the California hip-hop duo U-N-I and their free CD they had just released. Calling it one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of the year, I of course had to pick it up. Now, I was not very familiar with U-N-I, one of the major reasons being that I reside on the east side while U-N-I chills on that left coast. Their music had not traveled the thousands of miles cross country to my ears. Really the only California rappers I listen to are The Game and Blu. I decided I needed some geographical diversity in my music and downloaded their CD entitled "A Love Supreme." I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard. Their sound is very different, with heavy synthesizer-type beats on most of their songs. Some of the beats became a bit repetitive to me, but that was the only downside to the album. "Halftime" is one of the coolest songs I have ever heard, with U-N-I spitting over an extremely eerie piano riff. "Pulp Fiction Part 1" finds the group taking their audience through a story of drug deals and everyday life. Anyway, this album is definitely worth picking up, especially when it is free. You can download it here: http://www.yothurz.com