BEST 2010 Lists! (Movies, Rap Albums and Videogames)

BEST OF 2010 LISTS!


Albums:
- Known Associates Vol3
- E-40 - Revenue Retrevin
- Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot
- Devilz Rejects 2 - The Jacka and Ampachino
- Black C - 70s Baby
- Yukmouth and DJ Fresh - The Tonite Show
- SB and Krypto - Covering Grounds
- J-Stalin - Prenuptual Agreement
- Go Bots2 - Jacka and Lee Majors
- Eligh - Grey Crow
- Pimp C - The Naked Soul Of Sweet Jones
- Reflection Eternal - Revolutions Per Minute
- Moeses Soulright The 2nd - The Delicatessen
- Kno - Death Is Silent

Movies:
- A Prophet
- Black Swan
- I Saw The Devil
- Inception
- The Secret In Their Eyes
- Machete
- True Grit
- Toy Story 3

Videogames:
- Starcraft2
- Mass Effect2
- Grand Turismo5
- Fallout New Vegas
- NBA2k11
- Bad Company2: Vietnam
- Elemental
- Call Of Duty: Black Ops
- Civilization 5
- Halo Reach
- Red Dead Redemption
- Fifa 11

TV SHOWS:
- Boardwalk Empire
- Dexter
- NBA LEAGUE PASS
- Treme
- The Walking Dead

Compassion Club weed that has helped most with pain:
- UBC Chemo
- OG Kush
- Apple

Known Associates Vol.3 Review

DISC #1

The holidays are on the way and while you are out getting gifts for family and loved ones, you should get yourself a little something and cop this project here. If you are a old school westcoast/bay area fan who loved that Mob music from the 90's, you will feel right at home with both these discs from Bay Area vets Apt.3.

Disc one is my favorite of the two and thats what I will speak on first here for the review. First off the main thing about this disc right here is the production from Mob vet TC is amazing and as close to perfection as you can get for a Mobb album. There is not one bad beat on this whole first disc, which is 18 songs. The whole feel of the first disc is extremely well done and if you are a fan of mobb beats or just hiphop beats in general then you MUST check this out, TV out did himself on this shit here.

On "Sav Pt.2" SB of UNLV and RJ Boone spit over one of the best beats ive heard in a long time and drop that hard gangsta shit with flows that fit the production perfect. There are tons of quotables on this one here and neither rapper dissapoints, as SB spits his usual addicting flow and RJ Boone steps his game up with heat that could earn him some more followers. On top of the hot beat and the rappers bringing there A game, Levitti brings the track together nicely with a dope hook. If you love mobb music like I do then this song will probably be on repeat for awhile.

Next up is Cyanide and is another beat that will have you turning the volume up and reaching for that kush to roll up. You enjoyed the last beat alot? Didnt think this beat would be as dope did ya? Get use to that because like I said above, this whole disc is pretty much flawless in production. A slappin beat is ncie and all but what if the rappin is wack? Well Tony Francis of The Young D Boyz fits the beat perfect to and doesnt dissapoint

Illmannered Riders is one of my fav tracks on these two discs, C-Fresh just murders the mic and its another dope beat that is vintage mobb shit. Brotha Lynch sounds right at home over this type of beat and the great Cougnut(rip) blessing us with his energy and classic voice. What we have hear is a song that any rapper wanting to make mobb music should have to listen to. In a time when mobb music doesnt come out much, this is a breath of fresh air. Bump this track as loud as your system can go, sit back and smoke a fatty, fucking awesome song this one.

Revenge Is Easy features SB of UNLV again, as hes joined by Shag Nasty and Equipto. Another hard ass beat from TC and that nice lookign lineup each hold there own. SB sounds so at home over TC beats, would love to hear a SB album produced by just TC and Kev Knocks.

The Wicked Shit is one of my personal favorite beats on these discs, the drums, keys and just everything is done so well that I could honestly just listen to this beat alone and be good. With that said, Mad Insanity(Mars and J-Rz) and Triple6(SOS and ADR Levey) bring tons of energy and continue the streak of the rappers doing TC's amazing production justice and being part of a masterpeice. I am not a huge fan of Horrorcore rap, but definatly respect it, Mars music steady impressing me.

Fly Mar drops another highlight on the album with IM BACK AT IT (BALLIN NOW PART2). Hood tales, mobb adventures, A great hook and some great production from TC. Yes, yet another hot track, im tellin you, this whole first disc is fantastic.

They Fucked Up is another one of my top favorites on this cd as Og's Ad Kapone, SB and Tayday join forces and rep hard over another blappin beat from that dude TC. SB is crazy consistent, dope verse after dope verse dude been on a role lately. 3 of my all time favorite groups are represented on this song and it doesn't dissapoint like alot of songs with dope features do.

Roastin Pigs is a hard fucking a song, thats all I am gonna say here. Once again its Mars, SOS and ADR LaVey bustin violent raps over a murderous TC beat. This would be perfect on a horror or gangster movie this track here. Alot of variety as you have mobb legends and horrorcore heavyweights thru the first disc.

Gangsta Matic 2 is a more up tempo track, especailyl comapred to most of the other beats on this album, but its once again done very well. Hugh EMC was a perfect pick for this beat to, you know when an actor gets picked for a movie and its just a perfect cast? Well thats the same here, Hugh EMC does a great job with his signature style and rapping. Hugh EMC got an album in the works that I dont know about? Sure hope so.

You Better Belive is back on that mobb shit with SB and Baldhead Rick (UNLV) Dirty Work and Cellski, and its more of that mobb music. I could listen to UNLV spitting over TC beats all day, yet another dope song on disc #1.

"With some red Bull!" haha, this Highspeed track is the shit. Taydatay of 11/5 and Rappin 4 Tay take us on a ride that you swear brought you back in time. Vintage 11/5 and Rappin 4 Tay, rocking another ill beat from that dude TC. My head nods like a mothafucka when I hear this song here, the hook isn't annoying, the mcs are great and the beat slap.

SOS of Triple 6 rocks this track on his own and does a great job, another one of my favorite songs. Epic beat from TC and SOS gets an A+ for his flow and lyrics on this one, why cant we have more mobb songs like this shit here? Straight knockin the whole damn song you beeezy.

4151 OG's is up there with my other favorites, as Spice1, SB and Baldhead Rick drop a straight westcoast anthem, can we get a video for this song? I could see a dope video on this song here around the bay area. Is it a surprise that another one of my fav songs has a TC beat and SB on it? Does it get much better then those two? Add Baldhead Rich and one of my favorite rappers ever Spice1 and damn you got a dope fucking song. Can we get TC to produce something on that new Spice1 album? Please?

Paint The Town Red seems to be put on repeat often lately to, as Mr. Kee, Da Robba and SB all do a good job on this song, I cant really pick one rapper that did the best to be honest. The hook is nice and TC continues his A game with nothing but great beats.

The Grand Finale is over 9minutes long and its dope shit, lots of dope rappers on here like Cougnut, Dubee, Miami The Most, A-Wax, Woodie and many more. If you got a 9minute song you better have a great fucking beat
or im a turn that shit off with the quickness but as he did for this whole disc #1, its another slappin beat.

Overall Disc #1 is as close to a perfect Mobb album that you will get these days and it stacks up very well with old school classic mobb music. Do yourself a favor and buy both discs, but if your asking what disc is better? Then yeah this first disc is definatly my favorite of the two, but both are nice. We might not get many more classic mobb albums like this so if you love this mobb music like I do then cop these FASSSSSSSSSST!

SCORE for DISC #1: 10/10



DISC #2

Its always hard for a movie sequel or the 2nd disc of a double album to be as good or better then the one before it, but Disc #2 is well worth your money here. Yes I definatly enjoy the first disc more, but by no means is the 2nd disc dissapointing or bad at all, on its own its great.

Also the first disc was produced all by TC so im sure that is a reason why I like disc #1 a bit more, disc 2 still has some great songs and beats, just its more modern sounding, but still extremely high quality.

Illmannered Playa starts the second disc off with a bang as its a more modern beat, but still slaps and Mr. Kee, Cuddie Cut and Mateo on the mic. Great way to start off this disc with this song here with production from Vybe.

Lunatik Village is produced by Leo J and is another great song that features SB, Cougnut and Leo J on the mic. This track has a real mobb feel to it also, as Leo J did a nice job on the beat.

Friday Night has a very pimpish beat that C-Fresh from IMP spits raps over and also has Maka-Mill and the hook by Carolina. This track sounds like it woulda been dope on Boyz N The Hood or Menace II Society back in the day during a houe party or some shit, dope track.

Bleed The Streets I wasnt feeling all that much, the beat is nice, but I felt like at times some of the rapping just didnt do the beat justice. One of the few negative things I have to say about these two discs and its not even a bad song, just not on par with the others in my opinion and thats all this is really, is just one person's opinion.

EAST is dope as fuck let me say that right away, Indecent The Slapmaster cooped up a hot fucking beat right here and that youngster on the comeup Danked Out does his damn thang as he kicks that dope shit Vallejo style. Tragedy does his thang to, but its Danked Out that definatly steals the show on mic here, keep an eye out for this talented Vallejo artist. Dope chorus, slappin beat, one of hte best up and coming mcs rippin shit? Count me in.

On Site is another mobb slapper produced by TC and has ADR LaVey on the mic and is another good track on two very good discs. The hook could have been a little better, but that is a minor thing, nothing big.

Another one of my favorites on Disc #2 is Days And NIghts (Funk Season2), which has Young D-Boyz and BeBop over a beat from Dank Dunk. Yet another dope track, not much more to say.

San Quinn drops by for The Familia which has a slappin beat and dope rapping for the whole song. Turn the bass up on this one and grab the bong, as I said when I first heard this "Damn that shit go". Its San Quinn that steals the show on this track, Doc HOliday and Droop Tha Goon do a good job to, but Quinn just tear that beat from JS apart.

Thanks fOr Nothing is dope as fuck to, the beat from Dj Mark 7 is super dope, got a real old school feel to it and Malice does a great job of getting some shit off his chest it sounds like. A buddy of mine who doesnt even like rap music but he read this track when I was listening to it and he just loved it, dope track all around. This would probably be my pick for a video for Disc #2.

The Business is... well, The Mothafuckin Business to get to the point. A very well crafted beat that has had me putting it on repeat a bunch of times, does very well with legendary 2-11 and a dope hook. More great mobb music,
this shit here is slappin hard as fuck.

Dead Girls Dont Say No I was probably my least favorite song on these two discs but once again its not a badly made song or a bad beat, its just not a song I would personally put on repeat or want to listen to alot in the future. Just my honest opinion and nothing more here, just telling it how I feel. Might be just that im not huge on horrocore music (although I did enjoy a bunch of the other songs with horrorcore artists on em on these discs). I don't skip this song, I just dont find myself wanting to hear it again anytime soon, while most the other songs I cant wait to hear again.

Some of my other favorites on this disc are:
- Hidden Cougnut track at the end is DOPE AS FUCK!
- What The World Has Done is another one of my favs on Disc #2, really dope/deep shit!
- Talk That Talk with Cobra Abysmal, Agerman and L-Dubb, which has a
another slapper of a beat and entertaining rapping and a good chorus. Did I mention the beat was dope?
- Melt Your Bald Fade with Messy Marv, Droop Tha Goon and Taydatay, which once again has another beat that
I liked and each rapper does they thang, especially Messy.
- Bloodstains with Big Oso Loco has an intense nightmare type beat from Darkhill Productions
- Senorita... its Cougnut, not much more to be said, one of the best ever.
- Guce and Mr.Kee are dope on that ITS THE TURF song, Guce is so dope when he on these gangsta tracks.

SCORE for DISC #2: 9/10

Overall this is well worth the money to buy both of these discs here. If you only have enough for one disc then get the first one, but dont sleep on disc #2, its got some heat!

This is a perfect gift for any fan of Mobb music this holiday season, one of the years best albums no doubt about it. Some things are just perfect for some people... OZ and The Wire were two perfect tv shows for me, E-40s In A Major Way, IMP - IMP, Miles Davis - Birth Of Cool, Goodie Mob - Soul Food and Celly Cel - Killa Kali were perfect rap albums for me.. and this Known Associates Vol.3 is along those same lines as something that pretty much all I want in a cd.

Savs Pt.2 - S.B. and RJ (prod.Tone Capone)

S.B. and Apt3 with a new heater! This is that real mobb music that is the reason I have enjoyed Bay Area rap so much over the years. This song sounds like its straight out of the 90's, check it out.

Also the beat was done by legendary producer TONE CAPONE (TC), the beat is crazy dope. This is one of the years best songs and shows that Mobb music is still alive! Straight slap!

Be on the lookout for that new APT3 album dropping soon!

S.B. (Aka Baby Cougnut) - Bang 200

S.B. (Aka Baby Cougnut) - Bang 200

Kev Knocks and S.B. join forces for this track right here and its pretty much perfect. The beat will have you humming and nodding your head non-stop, while S.B. spits heart felt lyrics and that flow we have come to enjoy for years now.

How can people not love a song like this? It's got fantastic lyrics and a beat that not only knocks hard but is very creative and well put together for the whole song. More rappers need to call on Kev Knocks for production, dude is amazing.


The hook is also very dope to and will have you rapping that shit over and over once the track is done. Is it just me or should SB do a book for rappers about how to do a hook? Alot of times I'll be enjoying a track until the hook comes on and then its like "WTF was this dude thinking with the hook?". SB keeps it simply but to the point and his hooks seem to add to the track, not take away from it. There are alot of quotables in this track, so I'm gonna just say that lyrically SB is at the top of his game instead of listing a whole page worth of good lines.

The sound quality is also extremely high quality on this track and I hope that they rest of S.B.'s upcoming album is of the same quality. I really liked SB's last album with Krypto and his last solo album was good, but could have been better. This track right here is something anyone can bump and relate to as well, this is some world wide music right here.

If they rest of the upcoming record is as good as this song then we might just have SB's finest work to date. Its hard to top a classic album like the UNLV one him and Baldhead Rick did years back, but this song right hear is just as good. SB and Kev Knocks really show some great chemistry with this one and already have me fiending for more songs from these two.

Do yourself a favor and get a hold of this track and bang this shit all summer, its been on repeat since I got it and im sure ill have it playing the rest of the summer. Also if you have not checked that Krypto and S.B. album called Covering Ground, go check it out in stores or on Itunes.

This is when rap music is at its best, real life tales on the mic, told with some meaning and a beat that has some real soul to it.

Danked Out - The Takeover

Vallejo has a new up and coming MC by the name of Danked Out that has all the potential in the world. Give The Takeover a fair chance and im sure you will think the same by the time the last song id done.

On "Fear Me (100 bar Intro)" things start off with Indecent hitting Danked Out with a slappin ass beat that is put together perfectly with dope drums and the quality sound we have come to expect from Indo. And what about Dank's lyrics you ask? Dude does a lyrical onslaught with a bunch of quotables. This was a great way to start the album off, nothing but heat on the mic, no hook and a slappin westcoast beat, what more do ya need?

Easy is the second track and Danked doesn't dissapoint over production by Blak Ghost. Danked showed on the intro that he doesnt need a hook to rip a track apart, but on this track he shows the other side of that and his talent for rocking an enjoyable chorus. Vintage Danked Out on here as he spits with confidence and delivery that will have you swearing he a vet in this rap game.

Ain't No Tellin is more relaxed and laid back but still has a crackin beat done by then talented youngster Tony Lo. KOB and J. Minixx join the track and both do a nice job. Tony Lo on the beat stole the show though, with a chill westcoast beat that will have your head nodding the whole time. KOD and Danked Out also sound very good together on a track, looking forward to hearing more.

Tear It Up has an up tempo feel to it that I could hear on the radio or in the club. Don't get it twisted though, Danked Out comes off fresh to death on the track and doesnt water down his flow or lyrics to do this type of track. Grab some whiskey, Gin or what ever you sip on and turn the volume up on this and it will have you giggin' like Mac Dre was still alive. Jon Jon continues the great production that this album has as well, with a nicely done party beat. YEEEE!

Beast and a Monsta features another up and coming lyrical powerhouse, San Jose beast Stik Gilatine. These two dudes right here show that the westcoast and bay area are in godo hands in the future, nothing but high quality shit from both these dudes every time I hear em. Can we get a colab album from these two in the future? Blappin beat and two dude who know how to put the pen to that pad and drop lyrics for days. This song has tons of great lines that I could write here but here is one from Stik that picked: "These boys aint lyrically fit man, step up get stuck, yea drivin the quick sand/my city is leanign on my yea call me the kick stand"

"Do It Like This" is one of my favorite songs on the album as it has one of the best beats on the album that is done by the underrated Tekilla. Put this track on a nice system and pump the volume way up to fully appreciate it. Both Danked Out and especially Pody Mouf rip the beat to shreds like they
are sharks in the water following that blood. Is it just me or is Pody Mouf another extremely talented up and comer on the west? Dude drops some club shit, some gangster shit and also some lyrical stuff to. Definatly hope to hear more tracks from Danked and Pody together, both talented and seem on a mission to drop nothing but quality work.

Put It Down is yet another track that I can't stop bumping lately. Ive had this track for awhile now and it seems to always get played on the nice days when the sun is out so far this summer. Looe on the beat and Danked spittin fire, can't ask for much more! The quality of the recording shines on this track to and is dope the whole way thru! Yet another heater on Take Out! No features on this one, its just Danked Out doin his thang over a bangin slap.

Wuts Good is the only track that im not feeling on this album myself personally. Its not that the song is horrible or badly made, its just that it feels out of place on this album to me. Most of the other tracks go together well and feel like they are part of something, but this song feels like it was just tossed in there. On its own as a single I might enjoy it more, but in the middle of this album it just didnt work for me. The beat from Looe is another slap, the rest of it just aint slappin to me to be honest.

On Some Other shit to me is a soon to be classic, crazy ass beat from Scandal and so many quotables from Danked and Krypto. Indo does his usual dope hook on this song and it works very well in between these two setting the mic on fire. I already reviewed this track awhile back so I wont go doing a bunch of the same quotes or new ones, just listen to the song and enjoy hit. You know when Krypto, Indecent and Danked come together its gonna be quality and this is no differnt. One of my personal fav songs on this album and the whole bay this year, everyone came off correct no doubt.

Fire is on some lyrical flexing for Danked Out and is just him spittin crazy lines for the whole track. Scandal does another good beat, though not as nice as "On Some Other Shit", its still well made.

Goin' Gone is decent but compared to some of the other excellent tracks on this album it just can't compete. The production is fine and nothing really wrong with the lyrics, it just didn't do much for me or make me want to repeat the song like alot of the others on this album have.

Dank is another track that I was feeling alot. Danked Out lets yall know just who the fuck he is, rapping over another quality beat from Looe. He sound so hungry on this track, like he ain't ate in days and hes rappin to eat. Grab ya grapes, role that shit up and bump this Dank tracked from the playa known as Danked Out.

Wut U Talkin is another of the top songs on this album, which features great production from ERG. Krypto steals the show on this track with some slick lines and that ill flow we come to expect from the big dog. Beat wise, its yet another mothafuckin slap that Danked picked up.

No Problems with Tradgedy is dope as fuck to, with a well made hook and Looe dropping maybe his best beat on the album. Danked does a great job on tracks like this that have a really well made hook and a slappin beat. You will find yourself singing along to the hook and your head bobbing the whole way. Not much more to say other then, THIS SHIT SLAP and YOU DONT WAN'T NO PROBLEMS! This track should get a video for ya ASAP!

Generation X is a crazy lyrical slaughterhouse with some of the best up and coming westcoast mcs. Tracks with these man people usually dont work out and have atleast a few rappers who dont represent as hard as others. With this shit here though EVERYONE does a sick job spittin that swine flu.
Already did a review for this song awhile ago, so Ill jsut say this.. You wack rappers that ain't bringing dope music to the table better watch out, these dudes are: 1. Hungry 2. extremely talented 3. they have lyrics for days. I really hope that we get an album from these dudes together, this would
be the westcoast version of Slaughterhouse, except with many more. Its so hard to pick who did the best job on this song, one time it will be one and then the next listen it will be someone else.

I Get It is one of the best beats on the album, as Looe drops a classic westcoast riding beat. Danked Out is the best over these kind of hard ass mobb type of beats, he just rides that shit perfectly. Some songs are dope, but you dont feel like bumpin em over and over, but this track is addicting as hell. I can't say enough about the beat on this one to, slaptastic! On top of it all, Indecent grabs the mic and reps for producers who can rap on the mic, as he does his thang.

Show U Where Its At is another heater from Tekilla that Danked sounds right at home on. Lots of quotables on this song: "I stay loaded like the bases on a grand slam" is one of em. This track could also have radio or tv potential to, lets see how things go.

100 Bars is just Danked Out going in hard as a mothafucka over another ill beat from Tony Lo. Just bar after bar from Danked over a dope beat, the fuck else you need? Yes its another slick song that ends the album very well.

Overall this is a very good album from Danked Out, its got well made beats, some fantastic features and showcases a hungry, talented and confident mc in Danked Out. Its really hard to belive that this dude is just starting off in this rap shit, hes got his flow down perfectly and sounds like hes been
doing this for years already.

With someone like Indecent behind him and helping out, its only going to get better in the future. Keep an eye on this dude Danked Out, as well as the rappers on Generation X, this is dope music with good beats and new aged lyrical fitness. Definatly looking foward to seeing a few videos for this and Danked Out's next project.

Generation X - Danked Out, Pody Mouf, AG Cubano, Shill Macc, Ice Meez and Roach Gigz

Generation X - Danked Out, Pody Mouf, AG Cubano, Shill Macc, Ice Meez and Roach Gigz

For awhile there I was begining to think the Bay Area rap scene didnt have a ton of young talent like it has in the past. But with the rise of Livewire and all the quality stuff they put out, times have changed.

Danked Out has been impressing me since I first heard his music. Dude sounds so confident on the mic and sure of himself, that its hard to belive hes just started rapping the last year or so.

This Generation X track is crazy, the beat is hard as a mothafucka and each of the mc's do a great job at spittin crack on the mic. Its one of those posse tracks that is near perfection, its extremely hard to single out one mc that did the best job.

It seems like everytime I hear this track I am feeling one rappers verse the most, then the next time its someone else. How often do we get a posse track like this where EVERYONE on it spits fire? Usually you get a few dope verses then a bunch of crap and then some average spits, but this is all fire, the whole song.

I am hoping we get a GENERATION X album, each of these dudes got bars for days and shows that the bay area has young talent on the come up that is going to rep the bay are and the westcoast well.

I could go on and on about each verse and post quotables from each dude, but that would make this review a few pages long. Tons of dope lyrics, alot of swag, a slappin beat, mixed very well and overall just a fantastic track!

If this group of mc's ever come out with an EP or LP together you better cop it, these guys have tons of talent and this song is one of my favorites of 2010 no doubt. If there is a complaint its that the song had to end and that I would have liked to see Nio Tha Gift and Stik Gilatine on the track but thats just me.

$hots - $hots Is Here Get It Clear!

$hots is an up and coming bay area rapper that has a bucket full of talent to offer this rap game. Sometimes its hard for new rappers to get on and in the thick of things, even with alot of talent, but $hots looks like hes well on his way to making an impact on this westcoast rap game.

The first time I heard of $hots was on a freestyle video I think, and dude was rippin it up with tons of confidence and energy.

Things start off well with King Flow, as $hots shows his excellent flow and some good lyrics. Alot of rappers seem to be struggling or fighting there flow as they spit but $hots flow sounds very natural, like it comes easy and he aint forcing things.

We Here is more of a fast paced song and while not bad is a step down from the previous song and the next one.

No Brakes is slick as a mothafucka as $hots rides the beat extremely well. With more of a down south type of sound to it, $hots shows that he can do numerous styles of songs that people from every coast or region can enjoy.

Friend Role is my least favorite song on the album as $hots rocks the auto tune the whole time and im not feeling it at all. I dont mind Auto tune for a hook here and there, but when its used the whole song it honestly gives me a headache.

2010 Till is a knock no doubt as $hots does his thang over the classic SOuls Of Mischief beat from way back. Dope lyrics on here and his addicting flow are showcased on one of the albums top songs.

No Seatbelt is another enjoyable track that once again shows $hots versatility on the mic, charizma and swag aswell.

Money Money and I win are not bad songs but are not songs Ill be playing much or ever again. Just not that interesting to me for what ever reason.

Right Now is dope as fuck and gets things back on track after a few average songs. Showcasing his flow and lyrics again on here as he spits hood shit with convidence and personality.

Go Thru it is more of a deep track and it works wonderfully. I would like to hear more of these kind of songs from $hots, he rocks em very well. This track will be on repeat for the next while no doubt.

5 Star is a club slapper that homeboy sounds very confident on and would sound good in the club or in your ride on a sunny day while puffin on some grapes.

My Damn Self is a tight track but the quality doesnt sound right. The recording, the mixing, etc... just doesnt sound right. If more work was put into making this sound as good as most of the other songs it would be another ill track no doubt.

Dope n Guns has a dope chorus and dope lyrics aswell. $hots sounds slick when hes rockin storytelling shit like this and over beats like this.

Audio Crack is another one of the albums best songs as $hots spits that crack thru the mic and will have you pressing repeat numerous times. Is it just me or would J Stalin and Clyde Carson sound dope on this track with $hots? Had to cut up some Jack Hair bud after hearing this one.

Memory Bank got some excellent lyrics but is somewhat pulled down a bit with a wack hook. But overall its an enjoyable song and has $hots painting a picture with his tales on here.

Toe Up is on some Mac Dre party type shit that I was feeling as well. The lyrics are nothing that will blow you away but its a good track to bump before you hit up the club or smash on a breeezy.

Most of the beats are industry rap beats like alot of mixtapes but there are 4 tracks with original beats. Dex Beats really did a good job on Toe Up track, with some very good production, the other original beats are good but this one was the highlight for me.

Overall this was a good project from $hots and will have me interested in hearing more from the up and coming mc in the future. Keep your ear to the streets and remember the name dude has a bright future ahead of him. With some good production behind him from maybe Sean T, Indecent, Cozmo or other bay area producers, $hots could really be a force in years to come.

Big Koz - Weekly Masterpeice #1

Week #1 of my masterpeice rap albums posts. Each week I will be posting an album that I find to be a masterpeice and a MUST OWN hiphop album. Been listening to rap music since 1987 and this is just my personal opinion. It will be albums from everywhere, Westcoast, Eastcoast, Down South,etc..



CELLY CEL - KILLA KALI

This album is just simply amazing, raw street tales with great flows from Celly Cel. But the best part about this album is the production, one of the best produced hiphop records ever in my honest opinion.

With beats from westcoast legends such as: Tone Capon, Studio Tone, Ken Franklin and Sion-T.

If you are a fan of old school westcoast mobb music then give this album a listen its simply amazing. Or do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy of the real cd. I still have my copy from the day it came out, brings back great memories from 95 or 96 when it dropped.

Some albums dont age very well, they where dope back in the day but not so good now, but this cd is still just as good as it was back then, maybe even better. Maybe albums can get better with time? Like wine when its aged well? Dope album is dope!

There really is not one bad or average song on this whole album, its extremely well made the whole way! Killa Kali brings back tons of great memories from when this first dropped, every summer I have to bring this album out and bump it. Street tales over some of the best production that the westcoast has to offer, do yourself a favore and go cop this album if you can find it.

My Favorite songs =

- What You Niggaz Thought

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRv3ITxeP-w&feature=related

- Its Going Down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPv0o536V_g&feature=related

- 4 Tha Scrilla

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSflIbc2ZZg&feature=related

- Playerizm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSYE8ZtgY0

- Red Rum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9MgvRAeOgs&feature=fvw

TRACKLISTING:

1. "Round 2 (Intro)"- 1:47
2. "What U **** Thought"- 4:44
3. "4 tha Scrilla"- 4:09 feat. E-40 and B-Legit
4. "It's Goin' Down"- 5:25
5. "Can't Tell Me **** 5:18
6. "Tha Bullet"- 4:44
7. "Red Rum"- 4:27 feat. Spice1
8. "Skanlezz Call"- :45
9. "Scanlezz Azz Butcher"- 5:16
10. "Remember Where You Came From"- 4:16
11. "Killa Kali"- 5:02
12. "Playerizm"- 5:03
13. "Funk Season"- 5:17

Stik Gilatine and Tha Critic - Streets To The Sky

Stik Gilatine & Tha Critic - Streets To The Sky

The San Jose rap scene keeps pushin a hard line with this all freestyle album from Stik Gilatine and Tha Critic. Last year two of my favorite rap albums where The Enimegos cd and The Fly Guy from Stik Gilatine, both had great production and excellent rapping.

To me its always nice to see what rappers can do off the top of there dome, its a part of the hiphop culture and I wish more rappers would drop a freestyle mixtape or album once every few years.

My Click and Who's That are my favorite songs out of the first hand full as Stik Gilatine, Trey C and Th Critic show us there raw and uncut talent at this freestyle shit. No big name features, no gimicks, just straight freestyles for that ass.

Tha Critic is more on the gangster/d-boy side of things, while Stik Gilatine is more on a hiphop tip to me, but with both these dudes together its the best of both worlds. Both compliment each others style perfectly and are enjoyable to listen to.

Still Here is another slappin track that has Critic stealing the show with his street tales and confident flow. Stik Gilatine doesnt dissapoint either as he rocks a slick flow and his usual quotable raps.

From The Ground Up is another highlight as Stik delivers the goods lyrically and will have you swearing up and down that this was written, his freestyles are that good.

Blaze A 50 is straight heat as Critic, Stik Gilatine and 2 Left Feet destroy that Nas beat from a few years back. I remember having this Nas single on record years back and it was a favorite for freestyles or just mixing an accapella with, dope to hear it on here with these San Jose monsters rippin it up.

So Gone is one of the few tracks I wasnt feeling, but thats a small set back in an overall excellent freestyle project.

Streets To The Sky is another heater as Stik Gilatine steals the show with more consistant freestyles without messing up at all. 2 Left Feet also rocks his best freestyle on this as well.

Im A Ride is definatly the type of production that Critic shines on to me, as he drops some dope lines with confidence for days.

Do Your Thang has Playa Rae showing that hes still at the top of his game with his spits and will have you anticipating another solo from the San Jose vet. Super ill track with a dope hook, cant ask for much more.

Close is another blap that I had on repeat for awhile. I've always enjoyed this chill relaxing beat and Critic does the production justice as he spits a short, but fantastic verse.

In Love Wit A Rida is addicting as hell and a song ill be bumpin for awhile, dope beat, sick hook and top notch rapping. I cant recognize this beat and I know there is one original beat on this album so my guess is that this is the one, straight heater from start to finish.

My Life is on the storytelling side of things and shows the diversity of this mixtape as a whole.

Step it up has Playa Rae sliding by to lay a hand and some raps with Stik and Critic and once again does a great job. Is it just me or do these three have alot of charizma together on tracks?

Overall this is a very good project from Monstaville and 408inc, its nice that some rappers can still spit off the top with freestyles. Usually when I hear a freestyle album it gets boring half way thru or just isnt very consistant, but this right here from Stik Gilatine and The Critic was very well done. A lot of the freestyles are so well done that they dont even sound like they where
made up on the spot, excellent job from both mcs.

Only thing I would change would be a few of the beats that where picked and if im gonna nit pick then I might as well say having Gangsta Reese up on one or two songs woulda been nice to. I'm usually not a huge fan of freestyle albums but when they are done right like this one and the ones by say Cellski, Baldhead Rick and Mistah Fab they are good stuff.

Do yourself a favor and download this or cop the DVD and hard copy when it drops, the San Jose rap scene is putting out some awesome work people, time to take notice if you havn't yet. If you are still sleeping on Stik Gilatine, then go pick up one of last years best albums, The Fly Guy and check out The Critic killin it on So Sweet on that Enemigos cd.

SCORE = 8/10

Big Chill - Chill Pill

The only work I had heard from Big Chill in the past was on some comedy shit and while being entertaining and creative was nothing I'd listen to over and over again years down the road.

You cant judge a book by its cover, a movie by its trailer or an album by its cover these days. Some of the best foreign movies Ive seen have had weak covers or a bad trailer, but ended up being fantastic. This is the same deal with Chill Pill, when I saw the cover I wasn't sure if this would be more comedy stuff from Chill or a serious rap album. But the songs on here are nearly all extremely well made and a bunch of them will be getting play all this summer.

Wiggle is on some old school mob shit and works very well as Big Chill rides the slappin beat perfectly and reminded me of some old school Celly Cel or The Click music.

Crazy B is a track that I'm sure every male who been smashing for a minute can relate to. Its about crazy bitches and is not only a real life type of track but its got some comedy thrown in there as well as Chill raps about them Crazy Beeezies out there. Good storytelling, some humor in there and another solid beat.

Westcoast Retro is one of my favorites on Chill Pill as Big Chill slides thru to bring this westcoast rap music back to its roots. The production on here is nothing to crazy or complex but it fits this track perfectly, and the hook is on some classic shit aswell. Roll up some Kush or Hemp Star and bump this during a summer BBQ and im sure some of the old school west coast fans will be asking "Who is this? This shit go!".

Imagination is another great track that really shows Big Chills storytelling abilitys, over a relaxing chill beat. To me this track is some westcoast shit mixed with some Slick Rick type of storytelling, as Big Chill takes you along with some of his dreams, as his imagination run wild. For some reason I could see this song on a modern day Boyz N The Hood movie, would be perfect.

It Iz Chill really brings me back to the days when westcoast rappers would made enjoyable party songs. Entertaining production and Big Chill spittin good lyrics that people can vibe to, without selling out on some played out radio friendly Auto-Tune bullshit. Seriously, go make yourself a Gin n Tonic or what ever you drink and put some Ribs on the BBQ, light up a fatty and bump this song as loud as you can.

Murderers Row is totally differnt then the rest of the album and the songs before it. This song is on some crazy ass mobb shit, mixed with some Brotha Lynch flavor. Its tracks like this that show Big Chills versatile writing and talent. The beat is hard as a mothafucka and the lyrics are just as hard. Never been a huge fan of horrorcore music (other then Lynch and Mars), but
this track here is on some sick shit and I gotta admit I love it. A few tracks ago Chill was rippin apart some summer time chill tracks, now this track is on some Murder tip, but still done very well with storytelling at its best. Definatly one of the real highlights of the album for me personally, just straight heat.

Ohh Chill will have you starting up the BBQ or rollin up a spliff and then putting the song on repeat. What makes this song dope to me is that it sounds like a remake, but its got its own style and feel to it. Just do yourself a favor and check this song out, straight classic to me personally. Another good beat and great lyrics from Big Chill and the hook? Lets just say
that it will have you singing it for days to come "Ohhh Ohhh chill things are gonna get easyier, ohhh ohhh chill things are gonna get brighter". Alot of the time when rappers try to redo a really dope track it doesnt seem to do the original justice, but Chill did his thang on here.

House Party is another chill track that will take you back to the 90's type of westcoast party vibe. Once again its another song that would be perfect playing at a house party in the summer, layed back beat with Big Chill doing the damn thang.

The whole album is dope and I reccomend people give it a chance, there is something here for everyone. There really are no bad songs on here, IDGAF is the only track that could be better to me and its a bonus song, so its all good. Big Chill really brought his A game on this album and I hope it does well.

Big Chill did all the production on here which is pretty impressive to me for one person to do all these differnt kinds of beats. Not only is this dude spittin dope lyrics with an addicting flow, but he can produce some dope ass shit aswell! Not full of features to help him out, its all Big Chill on here and thats whats so impressive with this album to me.

Tracks like Westcoast Retro, Murderers Row and Ohh Chill are tracks I'll be bumping not only all summer but for years to come. I would have liked maybe one or two more of the crazy hardcore tracks like Murderers Row but in the end thats just personal preference. The production is on point for the most part, the recording quality sounds good, Big Chill's flow and writing ability is top notch and he really ahs managed to take it back to a time when westcoast music was at its best.

You remember when party/radio songs where not cheesy and gay as fuck? But instead well made tracks with dope production and lyrics that you could have playing at a BBQ or party? Well Big Chill has brought that shit back with Chill Pill. I think old school fans will really enjoy this record right here, anyone born in the 80's or 70's will want to cop this. Might be to 'old school' for some of these young kids, but for me personally this is quality project that brings me back.

SCORE: 9/10

A-Wax - Nightmare On Elm Street Vol.1

A-Wax - Nightmare On Elm Street Vol.1

There are only a hand full of mixtapes that I seem to enjoy each year, if that. Maybe its the DJ putting stupid ass gun shots or sirens in the background, djs who cant use turntables or just wack songs, but I just am not as big of a mixtape fan as back in the day. These days I seem to prefer the original production mixtapes from dudes like DJ Fresh or some of Dj Green Lanterns work. Or on some old school shit with good mixes and remixes by the likes of Dj Mark 7 or Dj Chong Wizard.

Awax has been on the grind the last year with a dope street album, a colab album with Regime member Gonzoe and now vol1 of this mixtape right here. All of which are enjoyable and worth your time and money to check out.

NFES starts off with a crazy track called NIGHTMARE which is produced by the underrated "Equivalent Exchange", which has a slappin ass beat that will have you looking over your shoulder the whole time. I love it when a producer can flip something ridicolous like this, one of the better beats ive heard this year. Im not 100% but I think there are samples from Nightmare on Elm Street on here and the way this was done from Equivalent Exchange is hot as fuck.

Sometimes a dope first track sets the tone for a great album or its a trick and the rest of the album sucks. But with this project right here its just a taste of whats to come.

Yes most of the beats (I think all of them besides the first one) are from other rappers songs, but there is a nice selection and Awax brings his A game.

First thing you notice after the first listen of this mixtape is that its album quality, the recording is good, the lyrics top notch and Wax is just spittin hard as fuck. There are some disses on here and they are no joke. Im not gonna lie here and be 100 with everyone, Mob Figgaz are one of my favorite groups, Smigg Dirtee is a beast on the mic who ive always enjoyed. So most might think that fans of those that I listed wouldnt like or listen to Awax, but I cant front the dude has lyrics, swag and lately great beat selection and a good flow.

Mic Down is another great track that has Awax just ripping the mic apart and taking no prisoners. Not only does Awax make good D-boy gangster music, but hes got some deep and complex lyrics at times aswell, can cover all areas it seems lately.

Stayin Up is that D-Boy music from the start to the end of the song. A song I could see on a movie like City Of God, Menace II Society or City Of Men. The hook is also enjoyable and will have you singing along or nodding your head in no time.

Against Time is on some more relaxed deep shit that anyone can enjoy or relate to. The last two songs are Awax at his best to me, either with the D-Boy shit or the meaningful deep tracks. And once again the chorus is well made and instead of being annoying or ruining the song like seems to be happening alot in rap these days.

Fair One is one of my favorite songs on the album as Bandana tha Rag joins
Wax for a hood as fuck track. Bandana The Rag shows he is improving with every track, he spits major heat on this song and steals the show, which is damn hard to do when Awax is on the track. Both mcs do a great job though, Wax holds his own and as usual sounds good when sharing a track with Tha Rag. Gonzoe gets a few shots sent his way as Awax spits vicious lyrics the whole time.

Passive Aggresive is another hard ass track that has Awax smackin rappers outside the face with hard lyrics. This is not only a dope diss but creative aswell, as Awax rocks some commentary inbetween his verses while his enemy is rapping.

Other songs I enjoyed are Soul, Up & Down and Obviously, which feature Awax at his best and very consistant. This mixtape is up there with the newest Jadakiss mixtape, Dj Mark 7's latest and the latest Jeezy as my favorites so far this year on the mixtape circuit.

The whole mixtape is a great listen and there really isnt many bad things to say about this album. Some songs are better then others but no songs that make me skip them. To me personally Awax has done some great work with his last three projects, call me impressed, this dude keeps getting better and better. Usually to many diss songs bore me or get on my nerves but I cant front, this shit right here is hot.


SCORE = 9/10

Moeses Soulright The 2nd/Dj Mark 7 - The Delicatessen

The Delicatessen starts off very well with an enjoyable song "I Know" that showcases Moeses Soulright The 2nd. Alot of soul comes thru on this track and the whole cd in general, as Moeses spits lyrical lines aswell as a good flow to go with a very unique sounding voice and style.

DJ Mark 7 really brings this project together nicely aswell as he lends a helping hand and is a reminder to other DJ's of what a DJ should be doing.



Hood Shit Ya Know is another standout track as Moeses feels right at home over the instrumental, aswell as rocking a great chorus. This song also flows into the next song very well to, which is called Gone With The Wind and has some extremely strong and jazzy production from Has, probably my favorite song on the cd.

As a huge fan of other genres of music and not just hiphop (Jazz, Blues, Reggae), I really enjoy how this project sounds, weither its original beats or just picking some good old school industry beats. You get a real soulful, jazz feel while listening to this here.

Another very good track is All We Do, which features Skee and also has some fantsatic original production, this time the slappin beat is done by Unkle Sam.

Roots Reggae is a mixture of reggae and rap and its done very well, and caused me to pause the cd and roll one up before listening to it further. This song shows Moeses can do not just hiphop, but also add a little bit of other
genres into his music aswell.

Frequencies is another shorter track, as the album keeps moving and flowing together. The average rap fan who wants more of a pop sound or club music might not understand or apprecaite this album, but for me its very unique as its got a little something for everyone and ALOT for people who like some other genres on top of rap music. In a time where rap music features so much copy cat crap, it nice to listen to someone like Moeses Soulright The 2nd who isnt scared to step out of the box a little bit and make world music and not just rap music.

40 OZ Of The Ocean is a feel track that has a real old school feel to it. Smooth track right here that features Skee and Des Real joining Moeses Soulright The 2nd. DJ Mark 7 does his damn thang as he connects this to the next track which has a really slappin beat once again from Unkle Sam. More great rapping, another good original beat, a good hook and DJ Mark 7 on the ones and twos, what more can we ask for?

Cold Pimpin once again has another slap from Has on the boards, which features a good backdrop for Moeses The Soulright to spit his lyrical tales and raps over.

Another personal favorite is The Longeliest as Moeses spits some great lines and is a track that has been played over alot since I got this project. Just another track on here that shows Moeses is extremely consistant and confident with his raps and the songs he is doing.

Get Cha is decent but probably my least favorite track on the mixtape. I wouldnt consider this a bad track, just when compared to the other tracks it doesnt do as much for me, despite a dope hook.

Filmore Nights is another good track as Moeses brings us to some nights in Filmore and is very enoyable. More good tales and raps, along with a well made hook.

Gone is super dope as the soul in Moeses Soulright The 2nds voice really shines over a classic beat, aswell as once again rocking a very good chorus. How many rappers out there these days can rock a song as smooth and soulful as Moeses does right here?.

Dude has his own style and the only rapper I could really compare him to is Charlie Tuna from Jurassic 5, mainly because of the sound of his voice. Although I will say that Moeses Soulright The 2nd has his own way of using
that deep, soulful voice and also seems a bit more versatile.

This cd was good the whole way thru to be completely honest. DJ Mark 7 once again does a great job as one of the best DJ's around and really could teach a bunch of DJ's a thing or two about putting together a project. There is no bullshit screaming, car sirens,etc.. like alot of DJ's use way to much, its just great mixing and doing things the right way. This whole work flows together very well and doesnt get boring or repetitive at all.

I for one will be looking forward to the next work from Moeses Soulright The 2nd, as he really brings a little bit of everything to the table with good lyrics, a flawless flow and one of the better voices on the westcoast at the moment. All of the original production on this peice of work are very well done aswell.

More rappers should call on DJ MARK 7 in my opinion, he has rocked some of my favorite mixes ever and he just knows how to get a project to flow well together. This work here starts off very well and finishes off just as good aswell. Dont sleep on Moeses Soulright The 2nd and DJ Mark7, get yourself a copy!

8.5/10

The Infantry Presents Mega Slap Vol3 Hosted by: Roach Gigz

Nobe and The Infantry are back at it again with the 3rd volume of Mega Slap for that ass. This one is hosted by up and coming bay area mc Roach Gigz who has tons of potential with his music.

Overall the mixtape is good and definatly worth checking out. The highlights to me personally are Danked Out - Put It Down, Roach Gigz - Magic Gas, Bueno - Chasin' Me, Eddie Projex - Wrong and Young Rebz - Fly Individual.

Other enjoyable tracks are Outta My Head by Skuba and Erk Tha Jerk, Break A Bitch Off by Young Mix,Dregs One - City Lights, The Katz & Nobe song and G-Mo - Brace Yourself. Another dope song is the World Trade Produced Doing My Thang by Local $tar which has a good beat and overall slappin.

There are not any really bad songs on the album, just some are higher quality then some of the others. The only song that I could do without on here is the song by Kai Straw which just gets a little annoying after awhile, mainly because of the hook.

To be honest I think I'll have Bueno - Chasin me and the Danked Out song on repeat for a good while, both those songs are ridicolously hot. The hook on Chasin' Me is fantastic and the production along with the lyrics are top notch. Danked Out also continues his onslaught of lyrical heat on here as he continues to prove hes one of the most talented up and coming mcs. Bueno and Danked Out both have my attention for future releases, these dudes have been dropping nothing but fire from what ive heard.

Do yourself a favor and go download this free mixtape, you wont be dissapointed. Weither or not you like the music that Inf Gang is doing, you cant deny there hustle and work ethic.

I was going to score this a 7/10 but after listening to it a bunch more times and having Chasin' Me and Put It Down on repeat for the last few days, its up to a 8/10.

SCORE 8/10

http://www.infgang.com for the download

Dekalog/Decalogue

Dekalog/Decalogue

Kieslowski is one of my all time favorite directors and Dekalog is a cinema masterpeice.
Its basically 10 short movies (1 hours each), that are loosely based on the 10 Commandements.

Each movie/episode has amazing cinematography and acting, along with a fantastic soundtrack to boot. There is so much more then meets the eye in Dekalog, that even after seeing each one numerous times, there are still things that you will relize and find later on.

None of the films are bad and everyone will have there own favorites, but to me film #1,#6,#2,#4 and #9 would be my personal favorite. Episode #6 is a shorter version of A SHORT STORY ABOUT LOVE, which is by the same director and 2 hours instead of one hour. The other film that has a full length version is A Short Story About Killing, which is fantastic aswell. The films each are named just by numbers and not by a name if you are wondering why im just using the numbers instead of names.

Some of the films here are very powerful and really pull the viewer in. The characters are great, the writing is top notch and the atmopshere the Kieslowski has created is simply amazing. Artur Barcis does a wonderful job as a nameless character who observes some of the main characters are they do things. He plays the role very well as he seems somewhat supernatural as he watched the main characters at key points but never intervenese.

Each film is directed by Kieslowski but he uses a differnt cinematographer for each film, which really adds a unique twist to each one. Stanley Kubrick who is another of my favorite directors once said that Dekalog was one of the most amazing peices of film every made and I definatly have to agree with that.

Some people might find Krystof Kieslowski's work a little boring but to me its a thing of beauty,
if you can find this box set do yourself a favor and get it. Definatly a MUST have for any foreign
movie fan. If you end up really liking Dekalog then please check out The Double Life of Veronique and the Colour Trilogy (Blue, Red and white), which are also classics from Kieslowski.

Weither you enjoy foreign movies or not, Dekalog is something that everyone should watch at least once in there lifetime. Cinema like this doesnt come around very often, maybe once in a lifetime so give this a chance if you see it at a store.

SCORE: 10/10

E-40 Revenue Retrievin: Day Shift and Night Shift

40 water is back at it once again with two new excellent albums full of vintage mob tales and entertaining production.

Its hard for rappers and musicians in general to stay relevant for as long as E-40 has been in the game. How many rappers from the late 80's are still spitting great lyrics with ridicolous flows like 40?

While I enjoyed the last two E-40 albums that he did on Lil Johns Label, they where probably my least favorite of his overall. Not to say the last two albums where bad, because they where still better then most the stuff out at the time, its just that E-40 has had some amazing albums over last 20 odd years and hasn't dropped what I would call a bad one.

Uncle 40 Water takes it back to the mobb shit on this album for old school fans like myself that have been listening since the late 80s or early 90's. The whole album is E-40 spitting nothing but game with tons of new slang for rappers to bite off of and its just amazing how he manages to still do stuff that no one has done before.

The Production is mostly handled by his son Droope and his partner in crime the underrated Rick Rock, and while 40's spits are the highlight of the album, the production is still very good and will have your car or house shaking from the bass and instense drums. At first I thought a few of the beats where a little basic but after letting both albums soak in for awhile I started to appreciate the beats alot more. Its more old school production mixed with a new aged mobb sound and it fits perfectly with E-40's unique flow and lyrics.

Day Shift has some amazing songs such as "Undastandz Me" which will have your head nodding non stop and have you rewinding lines or putting it on repeat numerous times. E-40 spits extremely hard gangsta/mobb lyrics on this song over a crazy slapping beat and an addicting hook. Not only one of the albums best songs but my personal favorite rap song this year.

The Art Of Storytellin is like a modern day tribute to Slick Rick, but with E-40 merking the mic on some real life mobb shit. The beat is another crazy beat that fits E-40's unorthadoxed flows. Its really a thing of beauty listening to this song as E-40 spits: "What you think we outta do?/We gotta out think them ni**as/See it takes a fool to catch a fool,Anybody got any pictures?/ Go to there myspace page bet you one of em rap/".

The Weedman is a track dedicated to those of us who get our weed from the canibus store and has a ridicolous beat that fits the lyrics very well. But its E-40s lyrics that make this song what it is, with tons of quotables such as: "I got that white widow, that sour diesel, the northern lights, that kush, that afghanie, that champagne, that purple haze I push, Indoor, outdoor either or it don't matter/Smoking weed is therapeutic/Inhaling Weed is a muscle relaxer/Its more right then wrong, it helped me write this song/You might get the munchies and eat a mothafuck out there house and home/Alot of us smoke da hooka, alot of us smoke the bong".

Everyday Is A Weekend features The Jacka and is classic bay shit from the start. E-40's starts it off with with a classic verse and then its another fantastic hook from The Jacka. Another one of my favorite songs on the album no doubt.

I Get Down is more mobb shit that features mobb vet B-Legit who rips the mic apart with his classic voice and flow and of course him and E-40 sound great together as always (Can we get another Click already with these two and Suga T?).

Dont get it twisted though its not just mobb/gangsta tracks on here, E-40 has been known to get really deep on some real life shit (Anyone remember Things'll Never Change? I wanna Thank You?), and he spits some great real life lyrics on Its Gotta Get Betta. Its songs like this that really show E-40s diversity on the mic, also Mike Marshall rocks a ridicolous hook that is classic Mike Meezy and will have you wanting to put on I Got 5 On It.

Night Shift isnt quite as consistent as Day Shift is, but its still a very good cd and worth your money aswell. Pick the best 15 songs on each album and then you have 30 extremely good songs, but for me I enjoy 99% of these albums.

Night Shift starts off with two slappers in "Over The Stove" which is the second song at the end of the "Bitch" video with Too $hort and the extremely hard "Nice Guy". One of my favorite tracks on NIGHT SHIFT is "Nice Guy", with its hard production and nothing but game being spit from 40 water on the mic. A video was just released for this track today, so hop online to check the music video out.

I was really feeling "Hes A Gangsta" Which has a super intense beat and has Messy Marv in on the song as well. As E-40 spits with passsion "Funk Master like Flex, Heavy metal weponry/Knock you out ya sucks, put ya out your misery/Homicide tryin to holla they wanna question me/ Cuz Im always into beef and smoke brocoli". This is that classic E-40 that we love right here, over a ill of a beat. Not to mention that The Boy Boy Young Mess spits a hot fucking verse as well that makes the song ever better.

Trained To Go with Laroo is another dope ass track that had me singing along to the hook and lighting up some sticky. The beat is Eiry as fuck and fits the lyrics extremely well, as E-40 murders the first verse he spits: "He trained to Go/Never judge a book by the cover, ya never know that sucker will stab you in the jugalure and your kidney or your bladder/Some of these n****s that you think is real is really fuckin not".

Stillettos and Jeans is one of the few tracks on here that is strictly for the ladies but its still a blapper no doubt. Bobby V is featured on the song and does a very pimpin job on the hook, I could see this song with a video in the future as well. Not my favorite song on the album but still a good track that is really how more radio friendly songs should be like. The other radio friendly song to me is Cant Stop The Boss which features Too $hort, Snoop Dogg and Jazze Pha dropping by to spit some of that playa shit. Its also got a summer time type of 90's vibe to it as well, why cant we get more radio songs like this?

Prepared is another hard ass mobb track with a beat that will have you wanting to whoop some ass. Its just amazing to me how E-40 rocks this track, as the beat gets going he just rides the beat to perfection with his own style and game.

Ahhh Shit is another highlight to me on Night Shift as E-40 rocks a ridicolous hook that will have you saying in an E-40 influenced voice "Shiiiiiat, ohh shiiiiiat". This track brings more of the mobb/street game from E-40, along with new slang and his unique flow.

How Im Feelin is another track that has a nice beat that will have your whole house shaking and neighbours calling the cops. Another of the better beats on the album is Spend The Night, that samples BJORK and is done to perfection. Laroo, Droope, The DBz and B-Slimm all join The Ambassador of the bay for this one.

Overall both albums are very very well put together, but like any E-40 album it takes some time to digest and soak in. But give the albums some time and smoke a bunch of your favorite green and you will be putting this cd on for hours on end over and over again. If you can only get one of the two albums then I suggest getting Day Shift, but I definatly have to advice people to buy both of them! There really are amazing tracks on both of these albums and I know for me that my top 10 favorite songs are spread out between both albums, I just think that Day Shift is a little more consistent, overall both slap though all the way!

E-40 has really outdone himself on this album right here, he shines on every single track. The production, while not the best every for E-40, still fits his style and lyrics perfectly. E-40 is one of the few rappers to still stay relevant after 20 years and hes spitting as good as ever on this cd. Its just amazing that after so man years he can still rip a part a mic like this and drop another mobb classic.

The albums are not perfect, but to me its a great addition to my E-40 collection and my favorite E-40 album in years (definatly his best cd since Grit And Grind). Not only the best album so far this year but up there with In A Major Way, Hall Of Game and Element of Surprise as my favorite E-40 albums. In all honesty, there are 38 songs on this album and Id say there is only one average song and the rest are slaptastic.

SCORES =
DAY SHIFT: 9.5/10
NIGHT SHIFT : 9/10

Dragon Age: Awakening

Bioware has really been on fire lately. First they drop Dragon Age: Origins which was the best RPG in ages and then they hit us with Mass Effect 2, which was another heater. Now it's time for the first official expansion pack for Dragon Age titled Awakening. If you loved the story, characters, gameplay and detail that Dragon Age: Origins offered, then you will likely enjoy Awakening. It's got more great characters, more weapons/items and of course you get more of the awesome storytelling.

You get your own Keep/Castle to get the Grey Wardens back on track and you have the option to pick people who you want to join up with you. There is also some cool additions to your character upgrades. There are also some new enemies for you to slice up and dispose of. Another high point of Awakenings is the epic soundtrack that fits the ****of the game perfectly. The voice acting for the most part is also very good.

I dont want to spoil the story for you, so let's jsut say that Bioware doesn't dissapoint. You will have some BIG decisions to make here. That's another thing I really enjoy about Bioware games is that you really have a say in how the story and game plays out, instead of just one path and that's it. Do you want to save this city or your keep? Do you want to have this criminal killed or join your team? The choices are your's to make!

I got about 30 hours of gameplay out of this, which is pretty damn good for an expansion pack. A lot of games these days only last ten hours for the whole campaign. Sure, you can run through the game in less time, but if you are like me and enjoy doing more than just the main quest, then this will last you a good while. This is something I never really understood with some people, why rush through a game as fast as possible and miss 75% of what the game has to offer?

I highly reccomend this to people who enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins. As far as expansions packs go, I couldn't ask for anything more! If you didn't like Dragon Age: Origins, then this expansion pack won't change your mind.

SCORE = 9/10

When I first heard of Duna AKA Baby Mac Dre, I thought dude might be biting a little to much, but then I listened to that first cd and there where some fantastic songs. The whole album wasnt perfect and had some annoying songs, but there was also some slappers that showed Duna had alot of talent.

Welcome To Candyland has a crazy cover that some will like and others will laugh at it. But since when should people just buy albums based on the covers? Lets get to the music!

Pimp, Rapper and CEO is slappin and features the great Mac Dre and Tae. Overall its a good song that has been listened to a bunch over the last few weeks over here. So far its a good start to this album, lets just hope the rest of the songs are dope!

Every Day I Go Hard is another good track as Duna rides the beat well and will remind you of Mac Dre at times with his similar flow. The hook is well done and the beat is good enough to go along with Duna doing his thang on the mic.

Black Brown and White is one of my fav tracks on the album as The Boy Boy Young Mess joins Duna and does a great job. The beat is also on some funky shit that im def feeling, its to bad Dre isnt still with us as he would sound GREAT on this beat. So far so good, the album is blappin and seems consistant!

Never Been a Bitch is another solid song with good rapping and a tight beat, but the hook is a little annoying and kind of brings the track down a little. Still good stuff but would have been better if the hook was better.

Go Stupid Go Dummy is ridicolous slap, this song has been on repeat since I got this album. It starts off with vintage B-Legit ripping the dope production apart and has me fiending for a new B-legit album. The hook is dope and also Duna does his thang over the beat aswell, straight crack! Studio Ton did the beat on here and shows that hes still got them dope beats in him!

Whats Haaatinin is another song with Messy Marv and is once again another cool ass track that has another ill beat. I wouldnt mind to hear a Messy And Duna album one day, they sound confident together and fit together on a track nicely.

Come Here Hoe has the legendary Celly Cel and has a crazy ass hot beat from Syko who shows these young producers how to put a dope beat together. Could we get a new Syko album already? Duna does a good job on the beat and makes me wish the whole album was produced by the dude Syko.

Can U Say (Thizz Mix) is another nice beat from the legendary Syko and will have your head rocking back and forth the whole time. Dubee and Mac Mall hop on the track and do a good job, not to mention the hook is tight! Did I mention this beat is crazy? Syko is a mothafuckin fool for this one right here mang!

I Talk Money (Thizz Mix) features San Quinn and T-Pain and is a good song but not as dope as the top notch previous tracks. Still cool stuff and San Quinn rips his verse, but its just not as dope as the other songs and the hook just annoys me to be honest.

Baby What You Sayin? Is a cool laid back track which features Syko and Lil Jim Cole. The beat was done by Bass Head and is cool but its Syko and Duna who rip the track apart and make it enjoyable.

Freakin Day And Night is another excellent beat from Syko, as Duna rides the beat. This track would be a dope song for a music video aswell, I could see it done in Hawaii or Brazil! The hook is also well made aswell!

Thug Relations has a good hook from Rochelle and a good beat but just doesnt do much for me personally. Duna sounds a little out of it or lazy on this track, but its definatly not a horrible or bad song, just the rest of the album set the bar so high. I would like to hear Rochelle on more hooks, homegirl does her damn thing on this one.

Syko once again goes all out on his last beat for the album and its just nuts. The way this dude puts his production together is just un-real at times, fucking genius at work here. Duna also soundsat his best over this beat right here as he spits with confidence:
"I pimp bigger then Jayz and Bun B/Rim hats off to my nigga Pimp C"

Got A Nigga Goin Crazy has a dope hook but im not a big fan of the beat to be completely honest.

Overall this is a dope album with some amazing production on it and is more consistant them Dunas two previous projects. Some say Duna is bitting to hard on Mac Dre and not doing his own style or what ever but I cant speak on any of that. I have no clue if Duna was cool with Mac Dre or if hes biting Dre, its non of my damn business. What I can say though is that this album here is slap, period.

Duna has stepped his rapping game up as of late and its good to see him improving. There was songs on his previous work where his flow or voice was annoying at times but with this album hes def stepped his rapping up.

Do yourself a favor and cop this album is you enjoy dope beats or Dunas previous work. I had my doubts about this album before I heard it, but I was plesantly surprised. Not the best album ever or the best of this year so far, but its worth checking out. Sure Duna sounds like Mac Dre on alot of songs, but the songs are dope and he does a good job rapping, not much more needs to be said. Even if you done like dudes rapping, check out this cd for the beats, there are some crazy slaps.

SCORE = 8.5/10

I havnt heard much from DJ JG or DJ Blaze but they do a good job here on this mixtape, same goes for the rapping aswell. Errelevent and Trey C I have enjoyed in the past and they rep on here, as do the other rappers.

The first song is On The Grind and is cool but not the best way to start the mixtape off. The rappers rock the beat well enough as far as lyrics go, but the flow could be a little better.

Rockin That Thang is a dope track that women can bump aswell as the playas. Im not a huge fan of these types of songs usually, but this is done well and enjoyable.

Best I Ever Had is another good track as Errelent and Nesra do a great job over another club/radio type of track. Once again its another song that both a dude or a beezy can listen to. I usually dont like the whole Auto-tune but the rappers on here do a great job and its great to hear Errelevent showing his versatility doing a club track.

Throw It In The Bag has Nesra and MDash doing they thang over another club radio friendly beat.

Magnificent is one of the better tracks on the album as Errelevent and Nesra once again do a good job and show that they have some great charizma together. It would be nice to hear an album or mixtape maybe with just these two dudes. Both rappers do the damn thang with lyrics and they flow, dope track!

She Is Back is not as dope as the last few tracks, as the track sounds a little forced and not as natural as some of the other tracks.

Right Like That is another track for the ladies but is more fast paced and it works very well. Like I said before im more of person who loves Mob music, jazz, reggae and blues music, but I can appreciate other stuff aswell. Probably the 2nd best track on the album right here as KDinero and Nesra do a nice job on the mic.


Halo goes hard and is solid the whole way thru and Mista Cane, Kap10 and Nesra sound comfortable together and over the beat.

Knock Me Down finishes the mixtape off and isnt bad, but doenst make me want to put it on repeat again either.

Overall this is a very solid mixtape that is more geared towards the ladies and the clubs, but I cant hate at all, these dudes went out and did the damn thang as far as club songs and songs for the women out there go. As 2pac said, you gotta have some stuff for the ladies out there aswell as the gangster shit and this mixtape shows these dudes can rock more then just complex lyrics or hood shit. Also one more thing, the recording quality and mixing is very well done for a mixtape, good shit.

If you get a chance check this mixtape out! Especially if you are looking for a cd to play while at a party or some ladies are over!

SCORE = 7/10

Battlefield Bad Company2

Battlefield Bad Company2

Battlefield has been around for many moons on PC and it has always been one of the best online shooters around. While Battlefield 3 is on the way for PC, gamers get another console version of Battlefield with Bad Company 2. Sure it's not as huge or insane as the older PC Battlefield games but it's still a lot of fun to play online with some friends.

To me personally, this game right here is much better than the Call Of Duty games online, and mainly because it's more team oriented and really rewards people who work together instead of acting like Superman and trying to do everything yourself. You can do a lot more than just killing here. If you are like me, then you will be playing Medic or Engineer a lot and helping out your teammates instead of just going for kills. Also, capturing or defending bases is a part of Bad Company 2 as well. Overall the action here is makes it the best online FPS since Team Fortress 2, in my opinion. Great level design, good team-based gameplay, and some of the best sound deign ever in a video game!

Whether you are playing Rush Mode (which is basically an attack and defend mode), or the classic Conquest Mode (in which there's three bases that both teams fight for), you are guarenteed a ton of fun. This game does take a little getting use to though, it's not as easy to pick up and play as say Halo or Call Of Duty, but with a little practise you will get the controls down and be rewarded with some very satisfying gameplay.

The single player is not the best around but then again, this is an online focused game, so the fact that they even did a decent campaign is a nice bonus. You will travel to all different parts of the world in this mission and the play really pulls you in as the sound and graphics are top notch.

I know I said it above, but the sound for this game is really amazing. Bullets whistling by, sirens, tanks; they all sound so realistic you can close your eyes and you're there. Bad Company 2 really has upped the ante as far as sound design, and while it's not an aspect that a lot of people appreciate or notice, it's something that I am just blown away with here.

Bad Company 2 is improved in nearly every way from the first Bad Company and is a must-have for online FPS fiends.
SCORE = 9/10

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

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