Get To Know H.E.R.

Alright, alright. After putting it off for days and day, here it finally is. The long awaited official review of Three 6 Mafia’s latest effort Last 2 Walk. Last 2 Walk is titled as such, because after changing their lineup seemingly every album (sorta like the Southern counterpart to Slum Village eh), they’ve been reduced to just two members, DJ Paul and Juicy J (well, if you don’t count Project Pat as an official member). Hence, two..to…2…Last 2 Walk. Not the most orginal album title in the world but I’ve seen far worse. Now to be completely honest, I don’t know much about Three 6 Mafia and have never listened to much of their music. There’s no southern bias or anything going on, it’s just I’ve never been able to get into them. Take that statement as you want it, and lets get started on this album with an open mind.

1. Intro - There are only so many rap intro tracks that I’ve enjoyed out the the millions and millions I’ve listened to. This one made me laugh the first time through, but I’ll be skipping right to the second track from now on.

2. I Told ‘Em - With every Three 6 track that I’ve heard in the past I remember being thoroughly impressed with the production but thinking that they could stand to bring some more of their A rhyme game into the booth. No exception here.

3. Trap Boom (ft Project Pat) - It’s a decent enough track but I can’t stand that hook.

4. Playstation - I really can’t stand hooks that repeat the same 2, 3 words over and over and this is the king of annoying 3 words at a time hooks.

5. I Got (ft Pimp C) - The song sampled here is an interesting choice. I remember it being really overplayed by my friends when it came out. So I’m surprised that I felt more nostalgia than annoyance when I heard the beat. Although, in this blogger’s humble opinion the song really doesn’t kick in until 2:20 when the beat changes in favor of a darker feel.

6. I’d Rather (ft DJ UNK) - Stupidest hook I’ve heard in a while. Being that it’s only been two days since I reviewed the Immortal Technique album, this really sounds juvenile and pathetic. But what did I expect from a song featuring the ever annoying DJ UNK.

7. That’s Right (ft Akon) - I used to think that Akon had some potential but now dude’s been reduced to freaking T-Pain hook status. And just like with T-Pain, don’t find any of the songs he’s featured on to be very enjoyable. The beat on this is pretty damn good though.

8. Corner Man - An alright song about a subject that’s been beaten to death in hip hop.

9. Weed, Blow, Pills - Considering DJ Screw (allegedly) and now Pimp C have died from syrup overdose, you think rappers would’ve stopped rapping about drugs by now. I guess it’s hard to change old ways.

10. DXS Talk - Interlude..Skip!

11. Hood Star (ft Lyfe Jennings) - Considering I don’t usually enjoy most R&B hooks that have come out recently, this song isn’t bad. I’m not cosigning more of this stuff, just saying it’s not bad.

12. Get Ya Rob (ft Project Pat) - It’s not the worst song so far on this album, but I’m not gonna feel the desire to listen to it again any time soon.

13. On Sum Chrome (ft UGK) - Hook is unbearable as usual, but the rest of the track is pretty darn good.

14. Rollin (ft Lil Wyte) - Don’t these guys rap about anything else? I should just copy and paste my Weed, Blow, Pills paragraph onto the end of every track.

15. Click Bang - Probably my favorite track so far on this album. The production on this is really amazing. I’m not even paying any attention to the lyrics.

16. My Own Way (ft Good Charlotte) - It’s an unlikely collaboration, but rap/rock collabos have worked really well before and I actually like some of Good Charlotte’s stuff. It’s pretty good, but I wish there were some guitars on this. Then it’s an actual rap/rock collabo. Walk This Way anyone?

17. Dirty Bitch (ft Project Pat) - Almost ties with I’d Rather for the award of the most idiotic hook on this album. Lyrics aren’t much to write home about either.

18. First 48 (ft Project Pat, Al Kapone, DJ Spanish Fly, 8Ball and MJG) - The piano in the beat really distracts from the actual rapping. I’m sure they’re not really rapping anything mindblowing but still, you never know.

19. Outro - Just a bunch of advertising made into a track. If actually sits through the whole talk other than for reviewing purposes, I’ll be thoroughly impressed.

20. Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body) Intro - Exactly what the title is.

21. Lolli Lolli aka Pop That Body (ft Project Pat, Young D, Superpower) - I’ve been wary of any track containing Lolli ever since that damn Lil Wayne single. This song isn’t much better.

22. My Own Way remix (ft Good Charlotte) - If there was anything that the original lacked, it was an exciting beat. This song remedies that and I can say that the remix is superior to the original.

Final Score: 7.5

For what it is, it’s an enjoyable album and it’s exceeded my expectations of it. The production is probably its strongest point and I find myself wishing that these guys would just stick to producing so that other, more talented rappers with more things to talk about can rhyme over their beats. Seriously, bitches and drugs are overused as it is, an entire album full of that is not the more refreshing idea in the world. Still, it’s an enojoyable album. It’s not groundbreaking material and it’s not a great album by any means. It’s just a solid album that you’ll put in when you get tired of the new Immortal Technique.

I know I’ve promised you the Three 6 review, and I promise it’s coming. But for now, I just wanted to draw your attention to a couple of artists that I think may be worth your time when they come out. I mean, there are lots and lots of emcees set to release an LP this year, and in the chaos of it all, some dope but low key rappers just seem to fall through the cracks.

First off is Tame One, who was formerly a member of the Jersey based rap duo the Artifacts. I know what you’re thinking. Tame One is relatively well known, yadiyadi yada. Well known or not, most people are unaware that his new album, Da Ol Jersey Bastard, is set to be released in exactly a month on July 29th. Here’s a track off of his album featuring a much more focused since the Eleventh Hour Del tha Funkee Homosapien. If the rest of the album is consistent with this track, we should have a solid release on our hands.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/14416763bca85304/

Next on the promotion list is Vordul Mega. His Cannibal Ox rhyming partner Vast Aire’s recent release  was pretty darn good and he’s set to be featured on 2 tracks (giving hope for another full blown Cannibal Ox album), so along with that and the strength of the first single, I’m expecting a lot out of Vordul Mega’s sophomore effort. Here’s the link to the aforementioned single, Megagraphitti.

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=8A4B4AD944F283D1

The third artist isn’t exactly releasing new material, but it might as well be, because it never saw a proper release (similar to Jean Grey’s Jeanius. July 9th. Go get it). The long anticipated (by fans of the Perceptionists anyway) solo album by DJ Fakts One, Long Range, is finally going to be released July 22nd. If your a fan of the Perceptionists’ Black Dialogue album, I strongly urge you to pick this up. Fellow group member Akrobatik’s release earlier this year has been a top quality album and I’m about 99% certain that this will be just as dope. Here’s a track off the album featuring my favorite trio turned duo, Little Brother.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1441753873a0fd75/

The last artist I’m gonna promote in this entry is actually a duo and is a personal favorite of mine. Common freaking Market. Their debut album is still in rotation to this day and their Black Patch War EP from earlier this year contains some of the best tracks I’ve heard all 2008. So when their sophomore album, Tobacco Road, hits stores sometime in September, make sure you get your hands on a copy.

First off, damn I’m backed up a lot as far as album reviews go. Sorry for not getting to this and Three 6 Mafia’s albums sooner, but I was out visiting a couple of friends and was more busy than I thought I would be. But enough of that.

I’ve been waiting to review this album since Tuesday. The mP3s have been patiently waiting in my iPod and now that the time has come, I can’t wait. I’m a big fan of Revolutionary Vol 2, so even if this isn’t the Middle Passage or Revolutionary Vol 3, I’m expecting a lot out of it. Well, we all know hype can be a dangerous thing (a la Digi Snax), so I’ve spent the whole day trying to clean my mind of it as much as I could. I’m gonna add that I failed miserably at it too, so if I’m a bit harsh on it, understand that my personal disappointment is being factored into this.

1. Death March - I actually still don’t understand just how Mr. Evil Genius Green Lantern started to work with Immortal Technique, but I’m glad he did. The dark, grand production on this matches Technique very well and we have a great first track.

2. That’s What It Is - It’s a good feeling to realize that 5 years of absence hasn’t dulled I.T. much at all. His voice has changed a bit in that time but dude’s lyrics are on point as they always have been.

3. Golpe De Estado (Veneno and Temperanto) - It’s been a long bus ride back home, so I may be wrong here but the beat here is taken from the same sample that Black Republican uses on the intro of the track. That being said, it’s a pretty hot beat and I really wish I knew what the hell the emcees were saying.

4. Harlem Renaissance - If there was one thing I had a problem with as far as Revolutionary Vol 2 went, it was the production on some tracks. So far, this album seems to have addressed that problem and if this continues, I think we’ll have a great album on our hands. As for this track itself, it’s great.

5. Lick Shot (ft Crooked I and Chino XL) - It’s not the epic madness I expected when I first saw the guests, but it’s still pretty darn good. Fun fact: Chino XL is a member of Mensa. Tell that to anyone who says rappers are all idiots, then laugh at their faces when they don’t even know what Mensa is.

6. Apocrypha - Nothing to say here, just a typical interlude.

7. The 3rd World - I remember going nuts when I first heard this track a couple of months back and I realized that this album/mixtape was actually going to come out. Listening to it now, it’s still a very solid track.

8. Hollywood Driveby (ft Psycho Realm and Street Platoon) - Hollywood Driveby isn’t a bad track, but it’s totally destroyed by the hidden track, Watch Out (remix) that comes on at the 4:10 mark. The Star Wars sample on it is just ridiculous. Damn, this should’ve been a separate track.

9. Reverse Pimpology (ft Mojo) - R&B and I.T. never mixed very well, and I don’t think this track is much of an exception. Not horrible, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.

10. Open Your Eyes - Holy crap the production on this is creepy as hell. I don’t think this would sound out of place on Pharoahe Monch’s Internal Affairs, which should give you some idea of the general feel of it. Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not saying it’s as good as any of the Internal Affairs tracks, just that it the overall production reminds me of how I felt listening to them.

11. The Payback (ft Diabolic and Ras Kass) - This track leaked a while back, but I forced myself not to listen to it until I was doing the actual review. All I can say is DAMNNN. And it’s great to hear Ras Kass sounding more or less back to form.

12. Adios Uncle Tom - Interlude. However, it is interesting enough to be worth hearing at least once.

13. Stronghold Grip (ft Poison Pen and Swave Savah) - The production sounds a bit chaotic at times, but that’s not too big of an issue, because that mostly happens around the hook anyways.

14. Mistakes - I had to listen to this track again to believe what I was hearing. The production on this is actually really light as far as I.T. goes. Good track and it actually kinda reminds me a lot of Atmosphere.

15. Parole (Evil Genius Mix) - It’s alright. But compared to the rest of the album, it falls a bit short.

16. Crimes of the Heart (ft Maya Azuenca) - The official ending track is good enough, but the hidden track (Rebel Arms) that comes afterwards is just crazy. Great way to close the whole thing.

Final Score: 9.0

All that talk about hype being dangerous for nothing I guess. Immortal Technique has really improved his flow in the past 5 years and the production on this is for the most part better than Revolutionary Vol 2. As a whole package, it’s a little bit under Vol 2 though, if only because it sounds unfocused at times. Still, I do think that this album is one of the better albums to come out this year so far. As for where it will stand by the end of the year, we’ll have to see since some big names are still due to release in the remaining 5 months.

Yesterday I decided to watch MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew at a friend’s place. I don’t think MTV has too many great shows, but this show is one of the better ones. Well, at least the first season was. The second one thus far is shaping up to be a disaster in my opinion, but that’s not the point of this entry. The point of this entry is just to bring into the forefront the “official” dance of the hip hop culture. Strictly speaking, that will have to be one of the four essential elements of the game, and the only form of dance that I’ve ever been amazed by (aside from ballroom dancing strangely enough), breakdancing, or b-boying. A lot of people these days don’t think that b-boying is considered as a legit form of dancing, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. If you’re gonna call that grinding and booty shaking dancing, you can definitely recognize breaking as such. But what I write isn’t gonna prove that, so for your pleasure, I’ve put up some clips from three of my favorites from the Red Bull BC One 2005 (my favorite so far).

First up is Lilou from France. Dude is one of the most creative breakers I’ve ever seen in my life. And especially for those who think that b-boying is all tricks, watch the boy Lilou do it. The way he rides a beat is just incredible.

Next up is Sonic from Denmark. Sonic is just real fun to watch. His footwork is nasty and you can tell he’s having a freaking blast out there on the dance floor.

Finally we have Pelenzhino from Brazil. Honestly, I like him because he reminds me of Eddy Gordo from Tekken 3. And he is a great dancer as well.

This is probably old news to some of you guys, but in less than a month, the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival is upon us. That’s right. The program actually starts on July 10th, but the main performances, which honestly is all people care about, is on July 12th. Take a quick glance at the lineup and you’ll see that this is gonna be one hell of a show. Why? Well, first of all, even if NONE of the performers except KRS-one show up, it’s going to be banging. So just with out first performer, it’s going to be great. Then add freaking DJ Premier, Black Moon’s Buckshot, legendary rookies Blu and Exile, and all the rest, and it’s guaranteed to be a blast. One thing I will say though is that I feel last year had a slightly better lineup (Freaking they got Ghostface, Skillz, Sean Price AND Jeru Tha Damaja!). But that was then and this is now so get yourselves ready. Besides, I forgot the best part. The event is technically free. They only strongly encourage a donation of at least $10 (kinda like the Museum of Natural History) but it’s not required. Although, if you truly and really loved hip hop, $10 is nothing to see a performance like this. I mean hell, Rock the Bells is at least 5 times the price of this and people go to that. So, to sum up this whole rant of an entry, get off your bottoms and mark the calendar. July 12th baby. Be there.
http://www.brooklynbodega.com/index.htm

It’s Tuesday and as always, that means it’s time for a bunch of new records to officially be released. This past Saturday, I got a head start on the week’s albums by reviewing, and then forgetting about Digi Snax. RZA’s album might’ve gotten the low low grade of 5.5, but there’s still four more records released today that are going to be reviewed right here on this site. The first of these four is the second solo album by Vast Aire, a rapper who, let’s be realistic, not many of my readers will have ever heard of. Which is a damn shame. The first time I (and probably everyone else) heard Vast Aire spit, it was along side his rhyme partner Vordul Mega as part of the incredible underground duo, Cannibal Ox. Their debut album was risickulous. Yeah that’s right, I’m using made up words to describe it because it was that good. But enough of that. We’ll save the Cannibal Ox love fest for the actual Cold Vein review. As for the album in question, I’m more than a little wary going in. Why, after all the praise I gave the group, am I skeptical? Well, that’s cause the first solo effort Vast Aire gave us more or less sucked. One classic album and one crap album, let’s hope that this one’s at least average.

1. You Know (You Like It) - The first thing to keep in mind when listening to any emcee that’s ever been on Definitive Jux is that the beats are going to be unorthodox to say the least. I’m torn as to what I feel about the beat on this track. On one hand, it sounds freaking epic. But the problem is that the beat sounds like something off paranoia’s sountrack. All in all though, it’s a decent enough track to kick off the album.

2. T.V. Land - As Vast Aire strings together as many pop culture t.v. references as he can, I can’t help but think of the “Labels” off Liquid Swords. Labels is by far the better song, but to be honest, it’s not fair to this song when it’s being compared to a track off one of the best hip hop albums ever. Since it’s short enough to be interesting, I give it an ok.

3. Take Two - The beat’s pretty bleak and Vast Aire’s rhymes don’t add much to the track either. They can’t all be winners, right?

4. Dynamic Duo (ft Geechi Suede) - I’m telling you. Hip hop loves comic books. That’ll make a good entry someday when I don’t feel like writing an album review. Anyways, Vast Man and his boy wonder do a good enough job of ripping this track up.

5. Gimme Dat Mic (ft Copywrite)- I’ve seen Copywrite’s name pop up in various blogs but have never been interested enough to listen to anything by the guy. After this song though, I may have to dig a bit into some of his stuff.

6. Mecca and The Ox (ft Vordul Mega) - Ahh, the Cannibal Ox reunion track I’ve been looking forward to. And the icing on the cake is that this song is produced by the great Pete Rock. A great track, even if the squeaking sound on the beat starts to grate your nerves a bit by the end. On a side note, I always thought that CL Smooth was Mecca and that Pete Rock was the Soul Brother. Hence, Soul Survivors vol 1&2, no?

7. Back to Basics - Relative unknown, Melodious Monk, provides a dark backdrop for Vast Aire to rhyme over. Solid track.

8. Lunch Room Rap - I think Oh No is an extremely underrated producer, especially considering the underground star that his brother Madlib is. As such, I always get excited when I see his name come up on an album. And more often than not, I’m rewarded with a pretty nice song. This is an example of the more often.

9. When Stars Fall (ft Double A.B., Thanos, Swave Savah, and Karneige) - Despite being full of relative unknowns, the song is not bad at all. I do think that it’s a bit long, and that they could’ve shortened it by just having Thanos and Karneige on the track.

10. The Crush - I just listened to this song three times, and I just can’t get into it…

11. Shu (The God of Aire) - …not that I care much anymore, since I’ll probably skip it to get to this track anyhow.

12. Graveyard Shifht (ft Genesis) - Good song. But it sounds like I’ve heard this song before. Probably because almost all the songs on this album has that same dark foreboding feeling to them.

13. The Man Without Fear - Not a bad track to close out the album. That’s all I can say about this track.

Final Score: 8.5

I’m thoroughly impressed. It’s actually a pretty damn good album. However, it’s not an excellent album because while most of the tracks are solid, almost none of them really stand out. Aside from Mecca and The Ox, I can’t remember specifics from any song, and all of them seem to blend into each other. I literally could’ve just copied and pasted the overview of track 7 for the entire album. The beat is dark, and Vast Aire stands his own. But all complaints aside, it really is a good album. Congratulations Vast Aire, you’ve successfully proven Cold Vein to not be a fluke. Now, if we could only get a new Cannibal Ox album…..

Eric B and Rakim. Quite possibly one of the most influential emcee producer duos of all time. And for no small reason either. Production wise, Eric B popularized James Brown samples and soul samples in general in the making of beats. On the emcee side, Rakim literally tore down lyricism as it was and rebuilt it into a whole new monster. That’s one of the reasons I get so mad when I hear songs on the radio these days. It’s almost like they’re trying to undo what was done for lyricism and make hip hop go backwards. But that’s for another entry. This one’s wholly devoted to the widely considered classic, the legendary duo’s debut, Paid In Full.

1. I Ain’t No Joke - The intro is nonexistant here. The album wastes no time revolutionizing hip hop with this great track. As much as I appreciate old school pre Golden Age hip hop, I’m not gonna lie. It’s refreshing to hear this and I’m glad we’re in 1987.

2. Eric B Is On The Cut - The token DJ cut. It’s pretty good, but I’ve heard better and I’ve never really went nuts over too many straight DJ tracks to begin with anyways. I prefer rhymes over my beats.

3. My Melody - Contrary to popular belief, Eric B did not produce the entirety of Paid In Full. This track is actually produced by legendary Juice Crew producer Marley Marl and really, it does kinda stick out compared to the rest of the album.

4. I Know You Got Soul - One of the duo’s more famous tracks, I’m sure most people have heard this track at least once, even if you don’t recognize the name. IMHO, easily one of the best songs on this album. It absolutely rocks.

5. Move the Crowd - The beat is an absolute masterpiece and Rakim’s lyrics don’t trail too far behind. Five tracks in and not a weak song yet. This feels good, especially after reviewing RZA’s Digi Snax.

6. Paid In Full - Another song everyone’s heard at least once. Even if don’t remember anything else, I know you’ll recognize the bass from countless other hip hop songs. Quite the beauty of a track, it’s Coldcut remix is also quite the crazy song. I may place a link to it this weekend if I’m in the mood.

7. As The Rhyme Goes On - I always appreciate Beastie Boys vocal samples, and this is no exception. Contains a couple of Rakim’s more famous rhymes. Actually, scratch that since I can say that about damn near every track on this album.

8. Chinese Arithmetic - Another DJ track, I actually think it’s better than Eric B is on the Cut but did we really more than one of them? I could’ve used some more tracks with rhyming especially considering the album is only 10 tracks long.

9. Eric B. Is President - I remember back when I first heard this album, I thought that this would be another DJ track because of the name. I remember being really glad when Rakim started rhyming and ripping it up.

10. Extended Beat - I also remember hearing this and thinking “WTF they decided to end this with another Rakimless track?” I still think that today.

Final Score: 9.5

If they decided to remove one or two of the Eric B solo DJ tracks and replaced it with some more actual songs, this would be a 10.0 no problem. As it stands, it’s still a good fucking album (I’m pretty sure it’s not my favorite by the duo either). I’m sorry if this sounds like some strange Paid In Full lovefest, but this is one of the few albums that actually deserve it. It’s influence is undeniable, especially in the lyrics department. Listen to this thing straight through and I’ll guarantee you that in almost every song you’ll be like, “O! Rakim said this? My favorite rapper says this all the time.” Listen and be blown away.

Alright…after procrastinating for weeks and weeks (I exaggerate just a bit), here we go. The moment you’ve all been waiting for. When rap was flipped upside down and leaped forward to evolve into what we know it as today. 1987. Well, technically, not 1987, since artists who released albums at this time had released singles beforehand. But as these guys released their actual albums at this time, it’s all good. The three critically important albums I’ve picked out for this year are Paid In Full by Eric B. and Rakim, Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions, and Down By Law by MC Shan. Good choices right? I would agree.

Alright, I promised you guys an album review, and here it is. This album actually doesn’t come out until this Tuesday, but since there are four new albums including this one coming out, I wanted to avoid the feeling of being rushed. The album in question is RZA’s fourth solo LP, and his third under the Bobby Digital alias. For those who don’t know, the RZA is the legendary producer of the Wu Tang Clan, whose rapping abilities are, let’s face it, not nearly as legendary. RZA’s solo ventures are usually hit or miss for me, and I’m especially wary of his Bobby Digital name. RZA as RZA tends to rap about a bunch of 5 percent philosophy and all in all weird but enlightening science. RZA as Bobby Digital however, seemingly raps about whatever the hell he has in his mind that day, and sometimes the results are straight crap. Still, RZA seems optimistic about this album, so hopefully, he’s made a post 2000 Wu Tang classic with this one. Hopefully.

1. Digi Snacks Intro - It’s been a while since I’ve listened to the man, and I’ve forgotten how much his voice gets in the way of my interpreting what he’s saying. Freaking speech impediment. This is decent as far as intro tracks go though.

2. Long Time Coming (ft Danny Keys) - Maybe my standards for the Wu Tang has gone down over the years, but this track is not bad at all. So far so good Mr. Bobby Steels

3. U Can’t Stop Me Now (ft Inspectah Deck) - Fans of MF Doom will automatically recognize the beat as coming from the same sample as the song Anti Matter with Mr Fantastik. They’ll also realize that the MF song is far superior to this one. Disappointing, especially considering it’s the only track on the whole damn album that actually features one of the core Wu members.

4. Straight Up The Block (ft David Banner) - Remember two entries ago I mentioned that I heard a gawd awful RZA track on hiphopdx? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is that track. Even the Jay-Z voice sample doesn’t save this one. I’m starting to lose hope.

5. Booby Trap - After a shaky beginning where he sounds like he’s rhyming off beat, the track picks up. Not excellent, but after the last track, I’ll take anything. Although, the hook does involves the phrase, “would you rather have a digi or a scooby snack.” What the fuck RZA?

6. Try YaYaYa (ft Monk and Thea Van Seijin) - I’ll be honest here. I didn’t listen to the lyrics at all throughout this track. I was way too occupied with the annoying ass beat.

7. Good Night Kiss (ft Rev William Burk, Crisis, Thea Van Seijin) - RZA is the freaking de facto leader of the whole Wu Tang Clan. I refuse to believe that he could only get the Wu B-Team weed carriers to contribute to this album. I mean, the album doesn’t have Ghost and Raek. After 8 Diagrams, understandable. But to not even have your own cousin GZA on a track?????

8. No Regrets - I feel close to tears at this point. Seriously, this might be the worst thing I’ve ever heard from the almighty Abbot.

9. Money Don’t Own Me (ft Monk and Stone Mecca) - Man, the Black Knights are all over this album. No opinion on this one.

10. Creep (ft Black Knights, Northstar, Thea Van Seijin, Dexter Wiggles) - The hook is creepy as hell (no pun intended. I just couldn’t think of a better word). Decent, considering it features a who’s who of Wu Tang b-teamers.

11. Drama (ft Monk and Tha Van Seijin) - A reworking of an old as hell GZA track from even before he was known as the GZA. Considering that the GZA himself has probably forgotten the original, it’s actually pretty good, and I’ve wiped my tears for now. Still, you’re gonna do a GZA dedication track and not even feature him on a single track.

12. Up Again (Beretta 9, Rev William Burk, George Clinton, El Da Barge) - The production on this is very nice and the track comes out to be one of the best of this album.

13. Put Your Guns Down (ft Star) - I know I’ve heard this beat before. But for some reason or another I can’t place my finger on it. Damn. By the way, my obsession with figuring out this beat is the only reason I listened to the track all the way true. It’s really nothing special.

14. My Lovin Is Digi Pt 2 (ft Beretta 9, Crisis, Thea Van Seijin) - Boring. But thank God, it’s pretty short. Crisis comes off damn nice on this track though.

15. O Day - Has the tiniest bit of that old Wu Tang sound I miss so much, so I’m gonna give this a thumb up. Just one. Anyone else think that he sounds little bit like Rodan of MIC on this track?

16. Don’t Be Afraid - The bonus track, which means, finally, we’re done. And what do you know? This track is straight banging. This is what the whole album should’ve sounded like. Damn.

Final Score: 6.0/5.5 (I can’t make up my mind)

Man, it really kills me to give the RZA a lower score than Weezy, but the album was just unbearable for the most part. Honestly, even giving it a 6.0 might just be out of respect for the man. Which I do. I have and will always have the utmost respect for the RZA and will always hold him in high regard as one of the best producers ever. But this is not an example of that fine work. Most of the beats are nothing special, and the guest features are way too numerous. Not to mention that besides being numerous, the guests here for the most part suck. I’ve been calling them Wu Tang b-teamers the whole time, but that’s an overstatement. They’re more C-team and actually I would prefer the Wu Tang b-team over these guys any day if that means Killah Priest, LA the Darkman, and the likes will be on it. Sigh, at least we still have Vast Aire and Immortal Technique to look forward to. And Three 6 I guess, but I’ve never been much of a fan so whatever.

I swear, I’ll do album reviews again tomorrow. But for now we have this.

That’s Souljah Boy’s youtube video response to Ice-T’s eat a dick comment I wrote about yesterday. After watching it, I can say that any good will I felt towards the dude and my thoughts that he didn’t
deserve a comment such as eat a dick is all gone. Damn clown deserved every word. This was his chance to prove himself mature. Hell, if I were Souljah Boy and a damn legend dissed me, I’ll be mad to be sure,
but at the same time, I’ll be thinking to myself where the hell I screwed up to have someone like Ice-T say I killed hiphop. Instead of that, this guy responds back with insults that don’t have any validity and further shows how ignorant he is of the rap game he’s supposedly a part of.

The reason I say his insults have no validity is that Ice-T’s age has nothing to do with this. Ice-T called you out on your negative influence to hip hop and all Souljah Boy can do is call him out on his age? I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet but everyone gets old someday Souljah. The difference between you and Ice-T however, is that when you get old, noone’s gonna remember you or give a fuck. Which brings me to this. These days, with all the Lil Wayne best rapper alive talk going on, I hear a lot of people say that people like Big Daddy Kane, Raekwon, Lord Finesse, etc. are irrelevant and washed up and because of that people think it’s fine to disrespect them. What the hell is wrong with hip hop fans? In no other genre of music do I hear people shitting on legends because they’re old and/or not recording anymore. Hell, if a modern day rocker went on stage and started shouting that Pink Floyd and the Beatles are irrelevant because their music was years and years ago, he’d be crucified on the spot. So why is it that it’s so different for hip hop? Sure Ice-T hasn’t released anything in years. Fact remains that any one of his albums are still greater than Souljah Boy’s whole career. I honestly don’t buy all this talk about how people are living in the past and not embracing the newer “hot” rappers of today. If we’re living in the
past, that’s because the present is giving us nothing to live for. Hip hop should be evolving and getting better every year. But with cats like Souljah Boy not even knowing anything about the legends that paved the way, mainstream hip hop’s back to page one.

Which brings me to my point of his showing his ignorance on here. First off, he had to wikipedia Ice-T to find out who he is. Then he talks about Fuck the Police. That’s NWA’s song and if you don’t know
who NWA is, there’s no hope. Lastly, he talks about putting a lot of hard work into his album and I can respect hard work. However, you gotta wonder why the album sounded like shit after all of that supposed hard work. And the “o, he’s still in his teens give him time to grow” is not gonna work here. Nas was 19 when he recorded Illmatic. Prodigy and Havoc were 18 when they dropped the Infamous on us. Real talk.