Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Nio Tha Gift - H.i.p.h.o.p.


Nio Tha Gift - H.i.p.h.o.p.

Im a little late in reviewing this album even though I had put it in my top 5 rap cds of 2009. Sometimes reviews get done very fast and sometimes they take awhile to do, this was one of those cases. Overall this is one of last years best cds and a breath of fresh air for bay area rap music. There isnt many features, the beats are solid and Nio showcases his skills and talent on the mic with every track.

The album starts off with HIPHOP which is a great track to start this album off with. The production has a rock influence to it, some well done drums and overall a very dope beat. Nio does his thang over the beat as his flow is flawless and kicks some great lyrics aswell.

Unstoppable is a more laid back and chill track that has a real slapper of a beat. Dope bass and a dope voice sample bring the beat together and the hook is also very well made and a delight to listen to. Nio does a great job on this song as he speaks his mind and shows us his underated lyrics and delivery.

Dreamer is yet another banger, as Nio rocks a little faster of a flow and it works very well. The production once again is top notch as Nio rocks a beat that sounds like Kanye West jumped on the beat. Nio takes us on a ride with his lyrics on this song and shows us hes got a great ability at story telling and telling us about his life.

Flyin High is one of my personal favorite tracks on the album as Nio rocks another great chorus and displays his perfect flow and lyrics that are worth listening to. Nio destroys this track with lines like:
"Rappers take they note book/Fill em with alot of lies/live it then I write about it", this is a track that ive had on repeat since the day this album came out, great stuff!

Grateful is ridicolously dope, if you aint seen the video for this on Youtube then go check it out, its black and white and really fits the lyrics from this song. Nio yet again rocks another good hook here, and spits nothing
but amazing lines about life and whats going on right now. This is a real life track that really anyone can relate to, weither you from the USA, Canada, UK, Brazil or anywhere, this is feel good inspirational music right here on this song.

Angels and Demons is another one of my favorites as it features more uplifting lyrics, a great beat and Nios fantastic flow. You can really feel Nios energy and love that he phas put into this song and the whole album.
Yet another great beat aswell, and really proves you dont need million dollar producers to make a superb track.

"This is for the golden state, this is for the bay bridge, this is for the golden gate, this is for my weed smokers, choking on that grade A/ Light it up for 2pac, EazyE and Mac Dre!"
and
"My parents made a man, the streets made me a monster/ Got my ghetto on lock like a rasta" is just a taste of Nio on this song.

The Coldest has a excellent old school sounding beat that will bring you back no doubt. This track also continues the consistantly dope hooks that this album offers aswell. Alot of the time a hook or chorus can make or break a track if its to annoying or more of the usual bullshit that we get alot these days.
This track is a party track done right and has a old school "Put ya hands in the air!" type of feel for it. I can picture this track being a great track to play at a house party for the ladies, but at the same time is a track that the homeboys can appreciate aswell!

Amen is a track more for the hustlers, but is still a dope track. Nio sounds very confident on this track, as he spits some great lyrics and rocks a flow that could be compared to Jayz somewhat.

Paper Talkin features one of the albums best beats and once again Nio Murders the production as hes done for this whole album. Dont get the wrong idea from the name of this song, Nio spits bar after bar of exceptional lines with a flow that sounds like hes battling someone on the corner. As he spits on the hook "I got mine now get yours.. stop hating pussy nigga, get ya weight up/My paper talking and I aint got to say much"

Day And Night is a very chill and relaxing song which features Jimmie Reign on the hook and another well made beat that fits the lyrics in the song perfectly. Once again Nio shows his ability to do all kinds of tracks, as this one is accessible for the ladies but at the same time the playas can get down with it aswell.

You Are Everything is one of 2009's best tracks, the beat is crazy hot and the lyrics and flow from Nio are very nice. Once again its rare that a track will put shivers down my spine when I listen to it but this is a track that I can really feel and enjoy, this is heart felt shit right here. Nio shows how mature he is with lyrics like "Shoutout to independant ladies and the single mothers/ I wanna be your lover, your friend and your brother/ Beside every good man stands a good women, you are the guardian angels nothings above you"


This is hiphop at its best right here, fantastic lyrics, versatility, good beats and every hook on the album done well. If you have never heard of Nio then go onto Itunes and cop this ASAP, this is a very special album and one of the best of last year. Its rare that you get an album with so many meaningful and thought provoking tracks for people of all walks of life. Weither you are a hustler, a gangster, a single parent, a beautiful young lady at college, someone struggling with health issues or a 9-5 working man you can appreciate this album.

I look forward to Nios next album as he really shows alot of qualities for an up and coming rapper. He is hungry, has a breat flow, amazing lyrics and swag aswell. Nio proves that you dont need a millio big name features, big name producers or catchy radio tracks to make a great album, this is westcoast music at its best that I have a feeling people from each coast and every country can vibe with. I enjoyed all the songs on this album alot, there are no terrible tracks on this whole album and when I listen to this I dont skip any tracks, that is rare in this day and age.

9.5/10

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Krypto and S.B. - Covering Grounds




Westcoast rap fans use to get slappin mob albums all the time it seemed. You could walk into a store and cop the new project from Spice1, RBL Posse, B-Legit or E40 and you didnt even have to worry about is being wack. But lately it seems like you really gotta do your research and what not before you cop an album. Covering Grounds brings back that feeling I would get as a youngster while first listening to albums like Spice1 - 187 He Wrote and E-40 - In A Major Way. Slappin production and raps that where on point for the whole cd, when mob music is done right its some of the best around.


Tell me What You See starts the album off perfectly with the reggae sample (barrington Levvy?), hard drums and S.B.(Baby Coughnut from UNLV) and Krypto doing a great job on the mic. Light up some of your favorite blueberry, kush or what ever you got and enjoy this headknocker. Both mcs do a great job on this track as they sound very confident together, as SB spits with a flawless flow "Growin up I stayed in fights like the UFC/The streets is the octagon now who wanna see me/ I shut the block down so fast, we burn this mothafucka up with propane gas" and "We rock boys like coldplay/I keep a bad bitch ridin shotgun holding my yay".

Come With Us is another great track that also has a video done for it already. Once again its a slapper of a beat and both rappers rep the mic with tons of confidence and chemistry. Some rappers just dont sound right together or sound like they are each rapping on differnt topics, but Krypto and SB really come together nicely with this track.

All I Got On My Mind is one of my favorite tracks on the album and has had me putting it on repeat non stop. You know music is top notch when you get shivers while listening to it, feel good music that makes you feel glad to be alive and enjoying great music. Miles Davis, BB King, Scarface and 2pac (among others) are artists whos music always makes me feel good, and so far SB and Krypto are doing the same thing.

Breaking News is a track about whats going on in the world right now, basically the nightly news but with SB & Krypto speaking on whats going on around the world and in there community. Not the best production on the album but still well done, but its defiantly the lyrics on this song that steal the show.

We Mushh is my favorite song on the album and is an instant classic. The first time I heard this my head was nodding and shaking like crazy. The production is ridicolously hot and these dudes just tear into the mic perfectly. I dont know what there next video will be but this song here would be my pick. The hook is also done very well and will have you rapping along in no time. Did I mention these two sound perfect together??

Most of the songs on this album have both Krypto and SB rocking together but there also are a few solo tracks. On TURN IT UP Krypto does a great job of keeping the flow of the album on course, as he raps over another well made beat.

With Someone Else is a track that I wasnt really feeling the first few times I heard it, but it grew on me after awhile. Most of this album is on some mob shit, but this song is a track that females can really enjoy aswell. Both rappers speak on relationships and women and comes together really well.

This is a track that really anyone who has been in a relationship can relate to. Oleisha Brown sings on the hook and really does a good job. Like I said before, at first I felt like this song was out of place but after more listens I can relate to this track and had me thinking about past relationships, weither it was me messing around on them or being faithful. Instead of feeling out of place, this song just shows the versatility of these two mcs. The beat is also a knocker aswell and perfect for this kind of song.

Trust Me is a ladi back track with the talented, underrated and beautiful Deltrice on the hook. Is it just me or does homegirl have as much talent of say a Mary J Blige? The beat is also very good with some nice kicks and some nice keys being played.

Take Somethin Down is another of my favorite songs on the album and has a down south kind of beat on it that is hard as fuck. The lyrics are more on the club side to go with the beat but its a radio/club track done right. A good hook, a blapper of a beat and the rappers rippin it up without selling out or doing some lame trendy bullshit. Did I mention this album has a good variety of tracks and that the mcs show alot of versatility? If you aint up on SB or Krypto then get on ITUNES and cop this ASAP.

Hard Line has a slappin eastcoast type of beat to it and is a solo song from SB. The hook is addicting as hell and SB shows hes got flows for days on here. As SB spits "I go hard in the paint like Chris Bosh, Transport snow from Toronto" and "Cocksuckers want to rest me, put me in them shackles/ I leave em shook like West Brooks, Im hard to tackle/ Hard to guard like OJ MAYO".

Block Lit is a good way to finish the album as its got a ridicolous beat from Indecent the will shake your house or car if you got a good system. The hook is also dope and as they did for the whole album, SB and Krypto do a great job rapping together.

In all honestly I cant find a bad thing to say about this cd, other then it had to end. If you are fiending for some good westcoast music that is solid the whole way thru then definatly cop this. The bay area/westcoast has started 2010 off very well so far as Covering Grounds joins J.Stalins latest cd as my two favorite cds so far in 2010. I will be listening to this album for years to come and is a great addition to any hiphop fans music collection. With a new E40 double cd and Brotha Lynch's debut on Tech9nes Strange Music, is the westcoast looking to get back on top of the rap game? Lets hope so!

SCORE = 9.5/10