Tuesday 13 September 2011

Upcoming Releases To Look out for

After appearing on MTV for his brilliant “Sucker Free” Freestyle, Chris Webby has some big moves being made before the release of his debut album. The album is to be released in the early winter and should be his most successful work to date. A notable collaboration might be in the works as Webby was seen tweeting with XXL freshman Cyhi Da Prynce. I would personally love to see their styles of music clash and it will be a true.
California native Hopsin will also be releasing his next album “Knock Madness” sometime this fall which should be a huge success. After calling out Tyler The Creator on his hit song “The Ill Mind of Hopsin 4” his fan page on facebook hit 80 000 likes and his name is buzzing around the continent
After touring on the “Vans Warped Tour” Yelawolf will release his first album under Shady Records. The project will be called Radioactive and is to be released on September 27th. The biggest single released on the album is “Daddy’s Lambo” which was terrific. In an interview Yela also hinted towards a feature by the legendary Slim Shady.
On September 25th Florida native Hi-Rez will release his third Mixtape “A Walk to Remember.” I love this kid and I believe it will be his best and most successful work to date. Don’t sleep on him!

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Lil Wayne :The Cater IV Review.

After releasing his critically acclaimed Mixtape Sorry 4 the wait, YMCMB leader Lil Wayne now also knows as lil Tunechi released his fourth studio album, the Carter IV. There was a lot of anticipation for this album and with the success of the single 6 foot 7 you would think this album would go down as one for the ages... Unfortunately it really did not. The project includes collaborations with many rap Heavyweights such as Rick Ross, Bun B, Tech N9Ne and Nas.
Wayne is definitely an interesting rapper to quote on your facebook status but he has no content or variation between many songs. Besides a few stand out songs it seems that all his rhymes are similar.
Ex: “Fuck these pussy n!gga’s”
“Life’s a bitch”
“Karma’s a bitch”
Lil Wayne DOES have clever lyricism but honestly has no originality whatsoever. I guess it was cool for one or two albums but now it’s completely overdone. If it was not for his image as a thug or a legend and for the rest of Young Money, Wayne would be washed up today.
To be honest, Tunechi should quit while he’s ahead, maybe one more album and he should hang up the microphone. I guess that’s what happens when you show up in a Jennifer Lopez song...
The album also received a lot of hate on twitter, including from Wiz Khalifa saying that Watch The Throne was much better than the Carter IV.
Favourite Song: John ft Rick Ross
Lyrics: 9 /10
Beats and Production: 10/10
Originality: 4/10
Content: 3/10
Final Rating: 6.5/10
It’s definitely not a bad album but it’s really not worth all the hype or even be close to calling Wayne one of the best of all time. If you have some extra money, I would buy this album, if not, there’s a lot better stuff out right now.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Gucci Mane - Writtings on the Wall 2

A well known figure in the Hip-Hop figure Gucci Mane released another Mixtape entitled Witting On the Wall . The “trapper” has been accused on several occasions for having weak lyricism and weak content. I must say on this tape, this is some of the most meaningful and truly clever lyrics to ever be recorded... I’m absolutely kidding, this Mixtape is absolutely pathetic and if it was not for some incredible production I would personally send Gucci a letter recommending him to quit. This Mixtape is Brrr-utal!
Favourite song: Brr
Lyrics: 3.5/10
Meaning: 4 (Beeing a thug)
Originality: 6
Production: 10
Final RatingL 5 /10
Maybe If I went to prison I would appreciate this masterpiece to a larger degree

Saturday 16 July 2011

Lil Wayne - Sorry 4 the Wait

                In anticipation for his 4th studio album C4, the rap heavyweight Lil Wayne recently released a 12 song project that included many freestyles and a few collaborations, notably from the TRUE lyricist Lil B.
In all honesty, I am not the biggest Weezy fan due to his mainstream projects such as songs with Jennifer Lopez or Jay Sean, his inconsistent lyricism, and that pathetic freestyle he delivered on Tim Westwood.
On the other hand, on this Mixtape we see some classic Wayne style beats comparable to the sounds on the Carter 1 which was Wayne’s most successful work to date. It might be fair to say there was no commercial sound or auto tuned choruses’ with some pretty decent lyrics.
The downfalls on this Mixtape is that just like in most of Wayne’s work, the 12 songs are just about him banging girls, smoking pot and his money. This definitely got very repetitive and started to annoy me a long time ago.
All in All, The project was really not bad from Wayne and probably gave me a reason to buy his upcoming album. If he can stay away from a commercial sound and a mainstream look it might be Wayne’s BEST work to date.
Favourite Song: Rollin (Freestyle)
Lyrics: 8.5
Beats: 10
Meaning: 6
Originality: 7.5
Final Rating: 8/10

Sunday 26 June 2011

Good Morning SwizZzle - SwizZz

Funk Volume member SwizZz recently released a long time anticipated Mixtape titled “Good Morning SwizZzle” The 13 song project is definitely worth the wait due to SwizZz’s incredibly interesting wordplay and originally high pitched voice that many of his fans have learned to cherish. He put his own adaptation on many industry beats such as “Hard in the Paint” and “Kush” which were great, and mostly better than the original versions. The project also included one feature from his Funk Volume brother Hopsin, whose styles collided very nicely on the track “Bang Bang Boogie”
Lyrics: 9.5
Beats / Production: 8
Meaning: 8.5
Originality: 10
Final Rating: 8.5/10  You should definitely download this Mixtape and look forward to his album which will be released sometime in the next year.


Favourite Song: GMS Loyalty

Friday 24 June 2011

Bad Meets Evil – Hell the Sequel

          
     
The most successful rapper of all time, Eminem teams up with Slaughterhouse member Royce da 5”9 to create an 11 song EP titled Bad Meets Evil. Honestly, there’s not much to say about this, it seems there was a lyrical competition between these two artists and it seemed to pay off. As always on any Eminem song the production was absolutely astonishing. Although I did find that a few songs were too mainstream like the single “Lighters” which included a chorus from Bruno Mars. On the other hand, I personally loved the originality on many tracks such as “I’m on everything.”

Favourite Song: Echo
Lyrics: Solid 10
Production: 10
Meaning: 8.5
Originality: 10
Final Rating: 9.5/10 
It`s well worth the price!

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Daydreamer by Kid Ink

                Los Angeles rapper Kid Ink has been buzzing around the internet after releasing his first Mixtape Crash Landing, he now returns with his sophomore release Daydreamer. The 22 song project includes features from Young Money members Gudda Gudda and Corey Gunz, Meek Mill and Sean Kingston. A strong point of this Mixtape would definitely be the instrumentals. The beats that I personally love came from Jahlil Beats and Young Jerz. A couple songs I loved included some samples that were wonderfully incorporated like the track “FastLane” or “Cali Dreamin”. Although Kid Ink does not show much originality, most of his songs are about his love for money and women, he still has some clever lyricism and incorporates some nice metaphors. One flaw of the release was that very few songs really stood out. Honestly, 15 songs on the tape sound exactly the same to me and have no different meaning to them. It is apparent Ink has some mainstream potential considering his songs with Sean Kingston and other artists who sing some hooks sound very commercial. I see Ink absolutely blowing up and teaming up with Young Money due to his selling capabilities.
Favourite Song: Blackout ft Meek Mill
Beats/Production: 9
Lyrics: 8
Meaning: 5
Originality: 4
Final Rating: 6.5/10  If you’re looking for some mainstream rap this is a decent download, the average Hip Hop fan will not enjoy the entire Mixtape.




Tuesday 21 June 2011

Webster's Laboratory Review




Connecticut’s prize possession, Chris Webby released his 6th Mixtape “Webster’s Laboratory” on June 1st. The anticipation for this project was sky-scrapping considering his last release Best in the Burbs shut down the DatPiff servers and notched reached the silver status for over 50 000 downloads. For this new release Webster had hosted by the DJ heavyweights Ill Will and Rockstar which included industrial beats from songs like “Opposite of Adults”, “Romans Revenge” and “N 2Gether Now”. One thing I really enjoyed on this Mixtape was the samples that were applied such as the song “Just Can’t Kill the Beast” which was a sample of the legendary song Hotel California by the Eagles and “The Joker” which was off the Steve Millers Band’s 1980’s version. To me, this really shows that Webby has a large diversity in the music he listens, and appreciates true musical talent in all forms. The 17 song tape including features from underground legend’s such as Freeway and Apathy as well as Gorilla Zoe who now has a huge notoriety on the mainstream circuit. The originality in this work was pretty impressive considering the diversity of topics that are exposed which differentiate from Marijuana in the song “Sunny Afternoon”, his anger issues in “Temper Temper” or simply partying like in the song “W.D.G.A.F” (We don’t give a fuck.) A serious issue brought up is that Webby is considered a “gimmick” or just not respected simply because he resides from the suburbs. That topic was the most evident on the song “Block to the Burbs” where Webby basically says that Hip Hop exists everywhere and if you’re nice, you’re nice.
                What Webby has done is simply incredible, I’ve been following him for a long time now, and considering all the legal problems, and financial difficulties he had to face, he still pursued his dream and now if finding his triumph. Considering Chris has released 6 Mixtapes before he even turned 24 and just announced his 2nd Tour this summer is absolutely amazing considering he’s still unsigned!
Favourite Song: Success
Beats/Production: 8
Lyrics: 10
Originality: 9
Meaning: 9
Final Rating: 9/10
Definitely a recommendations for anyone who appreciates true lyricism.


Monday 20 June 2011

Raz Fresco – MCMXCV


                Raz Fresco, a rapper out of Toronto recently put out his third Mixtape MCMXCV last week. This is pretty amazing considering Raz is only 16 years old! There are a few features on the project, the only notable one being Taylor Gang member Neako who collaborated to make the song “Real Nice”. The Mixtape has amazing production by Don Cannon which definitely was a great addition to this up and coming Canadian’s tape.  put The release had incredibly original beats that really compliment Raz’s style. I find that this combination, of Raz's style and production really make them standout from ALOT of other artists. The beats also let Fresco show off his biggest skill, making hook’s which I truly appreciated through the whole tape. His lyricism differs from song to song, some tracks like "Og Raptor 7's" were incredibly strong and other songs were not as strong, yet still better than the average MC. The point I’m trying to make is that Raz is not yet attaining his full lyrical potential. The 17 song project was mostly based on Raz’s social life notably females which he was able to make somewhat original. A few songs stood out like “MJ Feeling” which consisted of Fresco wanting to be one of the greatest, and the song “Donald Trump” which is mostly based on Raz being successful. I have a feeling that consistency will come with time for this teenager and in a couple years he will find himself as a rap heavyweight.
Favourite Song: Happily Ever
Beats/Production: 10/10
Lyricism: 7.5/10
Originality: 8.5/10
Meaning: 8/10
Final Ration: 8/10
I have a feeling his next release will really make a name for himself around the worldwide Hip Hop scene.
P.S I still have no clue what MCMXCV stands for or means...




Saturday 18 June 2011

Tech N9Ne – All 6’s and 7’s Review

 The largest independent Hip- Hop artist of all time, the legend Tech N9Ne released his newly highly anticipated new project All 6’s and 7’s which included collaborations with rap giants Lil Wayne, T-Pain. The Song “Am I psycho” including collaborations with B.O.B and rising underground artist Hopsin. The 30 song project showed us an in depth look at Tech N9Ne’s life and his others sides showing that he’s “different” from “normal people”. The album has one of the deepest meanings of any album I have listened to in the past year! (There was not one song about popping bottles in the club or fucking bitches while making money.) Tech also includes the fact that there is no chance he is turning into a mainstream artist just because he made collaboration with Wayne and also put out the song “Cult Leader” which he is giving his message about his views that are completely against rape and molestation. As always Tech N9Ne has amazing production and his hooks are wonderfully rehearsed. Listening to this album from start to finish in order really made me appreciate REAL rap music in the way that it should be expressed.
Favourite Song: Mama Nem
Beats/Production: 10
Lyrics: 9
Meaning: 10
Originality: 10 (As always for Tech N9Ne)
Final Rating: 10/10
For only 15$ this album is a great recommendation for all lovers of Hip Hop and especially for older Tech fans because this is definitely is best work to date.

Hi-Rez - Early Release

Hi-Rez - Early Release Review
Around a month ago, an unknown rapper by the name of Hi-Rez released a Mixtape on DatPiff titled “Early Release”. Hi-Rez is a 17 year old Caucasian coming out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With a fan base of about 5 thousand, Early Release raked in 8000 downloads in only a month. Hi-Rez has opened shows for artists such as Chris Webby and Mac Miller, and is soon awaiting his turn to step into their spotlight.

For this Mixtape alone, he’s put out three music videos and has one in the works. The music videos were for the tracks “Gettin Started”  “The City” and “All I Have”, collectively gaining almost 200 000 views on YouTube.

Hi-Rez’s flow is above average, spitting some nasty verses in every song, making this a Mixtape a very pleasurable listen. Hi Rez is also able to make great hooks and choruses’ which are incorporated with many samples that his growing fan base seem to appreciate.

Final Analysis:

Favorite Song: Open House

Beats/Production: 9/10

Lyrics: 9.5/10

Originality: 8/10

Meaning: 8/10 <-- Talks about his life in general, school, parties, etc.
Final Rating: 9/10 A great up and coming artist, being compared to Webby and Mac, definitely should be on the lookout for his next Mixtape.




Friday 17 June 2011

CyHi The Prynce - Royal Flush 2

Cyhi The Prynce – Royal Flush 2 Review
XXL Freshman Cyhi The Prince recently released his highly anticipated third Mixtape titled “Royal Flush 2” Cyhi has made a name for himself and created buzz for himself thanks to his freestyling talents and clever lyricism. Although, this 20 song project showed that Cyhi was able to put stronger meaning into his work, something that was not much apparent in his last two tapes. Cyhi is giving the message that he has the capability to get huge amounts of females and he can treat them favourably, unfortunately the tape shows that Cyhi simply can’t find anybody that meets his standards. This was very apparent on his song “New Girl” which was actually collaboration with mainstream artist Trey Songz. Another wonderful song was “Made Who I am” which was a look back at his past and showed appreciation toward his fans. It was safe to say that Cyhi had amazing wordplay on the Royal Flush but on the Royal Flush 2 the Atlanta resident brought his metaphors to a whole new level. The album was very well produced and had wonderful samples such as in the song Bulletproof. Some of the appearances on the album were from Yelawolf, Pill, Pusha T and B.O.B and Big Sean. One week aspect of the Mixtape is that Cyhi is unable to create strong hook’s and depends on his producers, other artists and even auto-tune such as in the song End Of the Night which I found was originally weak but once again his powerful lyrics salvaged the track to make it respectable.
Final Analysis:
Favourite Song: Sunday Morning
Beats/Production: 8/10 (Cyhi worked with different producers who did a great job although the style of beats changed too abruptly at moments.)
Lyrics: 9/10
Originality: 8/10 (A few too many songs about “bitches” but still amazing)
Meaning: 7/10
Final Rating: 8/10 A Great Mixtape for all Hip Hop Fans!