Review #7: MellowHype - BlackenedWhite (2011)

So this'll be my second Odd Future review, and it'll be for MellowHype's BlackenedWhite re-released version (or some shit. Whatever I downloaded has tracks from both versions). In my opinion Odd Future is the most interesting, if not best, group of rappers out there at the moment. They have charisma, stay in the news, and make good music. there's not much more you can ask from rappers. MellowHype is the combination of rapper Hodgy Beats, and producer Left Brain, two of the best in OF. So I'll get to it!

1. Primo
A nice slow track to start things off. The beat's like an A$AP beat mixed with Odd Future, I like it. A decent opening track.

2. Gunsounds
After an over-long intro a sweet beat picks up, and Hodgy kills it. Not much more to say, except Left Brain is a solid producer.

3. Brain (Feat. Domo Genesis)
I like the video game feel of this beat, and the under-lying bass, makes it sound kind of sinister. Pretty short track, but both verses are solid.

4. 64
This is deffinitely in the top 3 Odd Future beats ever. Like this shit goes HARD. The hook is catchy, and both verses go hard. Left Brain makes a nice cameo at the end of the second verse too, which is icing on the cake. Still, doesn't this sound like something Tyler, The Creator would absolutely murder?

5. Hell (Feat. Frank Ocean)
The beat's kind of cluttered on here, but it works. Frank Ocean's cameo is kind of useless, but I'll let it slide. Not the best track so far, but a funny ending, courtesy of Left Brain.

6. Loaded (Feat. Mike G)
This is pretty great beat, and Mike kills his part of the hook and verse. Hodgy holds his own, but Mike G deffinitely outdoes him on this track. This is a pretty great track.

7. Deaddeputy
Hodgy decides to speed rap here, and kills it. His flow's awesome here, and Jasper Dolphin's cameo is just gravy. Another great track.

8. Right Here
This track's alright. It's kind of like a long hook except the second verse. It's passable, but not overly good. Worst track so far.

9. Igotagun
Another speed rap, and the contrast from Right Here is crazy. Once again Hodgy kills, and the beat pretty sweet too. The "Left Brain is my Lex Luger, bitch I'm Wacka Flocka" line was genius. Pretty short but a good track.

10. Loco
Hodgy slows his flow down for this track, and does pretty well over a dope slow beat by Left Brain. Hodgy gets drowned out by the beat sometimes, but it still works. Solid track.

11. F666 The Police (Feat. Tyler, The Creator)
Left Brain, Hodgy, and Tyler destroy this beat, even though it's sub-par for Left Brain. Tyler spits one of his best verses ever...it seems like he really brings it for Domo and Hodgy, more than his solo shit. The dialogue with the cops is pretty great, and overall in terms of rapping, this is the best track so far.

12. Stripclub
Hodgy is pretty good on the best beat so far, besides 64. I'm not sure whether the hook was intentionally cheesy, but it's still a pretty good track.

13. Rico (Feat. Frank Ocean)
Frank Ocean's second cameo, and I'm still not sure why he bothered either time. I mean I like Frank Ocean, but shouldn't he be singing on Analog type shit with Tyler or something? Still, another solid beat, overall a pretty good song.

14. Chordaroy (Feat. Earl Sweatshirt & Tyler, The Creator)
After looking over the tracklist, this was the track I was most excited for. It wasn't a letdown either, as Earl opens things up with a verse that's up there with Tyler's on "F666 The Police" for best on the album. Hodgy also kills it, but doesn't even come close to Earl on this one. Must've been dissapointing for people who only got the re-released version without this track! But then Tyler shows up, and DESTROYS the beat, making this song the best on the album easily.

15. Gunz (Bonus Track)
Hodgy has pretty good flow on this, im not sure why it didn't make the original cut. Like, it isn't the best track on the album, but it's still good!

16. Gram
This is litterally a gram of rap. It runs for a verse and an outro, over a meh beat. Not terrible, but not great.

17. Circus (Bonus Track)
Another track I was excited about, just because I've heard of it. Left Brain's pretty great on this, but he's usually pretty great. The hook on this is pretty catchy too. Hodgy's out-rapped by Left Brain, but still good on here.

18. Based (Feat. C.Renee)
Well I've never heard of C.Renee, but she's pretty great on here for a female emcee. Hodgy also spits his best verse all album here, and it was interesting to hear him say Odd Future is the new Wu Tang.

19. Game (Feat. Tyler, The Creator)
Hodgy's alright on here, but Tyler out-raps him again, for the third time this album. Tyler closes out the album with another great verse...every verse on this album by Tyler was better than anything (except Yonkers I guess) on Goblin.

Best Tracks: 64, F666 The Police, Chordaroy, Game

Rating: 7.5/10

The album was actually really great, but the production, while awesome in small doses, got a little bit boring, as did Hodgy's rhyming. This could have been helped by more guests, although the ones that did show up were awesome. I'd deffinitely say this is one of the better CD's Odd Future has put out.

Review #6: G.O.O.D Music - Cruel Summer (2012)



 

For the first post in about a week, I'll be reviewing arguably the most anticipated album of the year, Cruel Summer, by Kanye West and his entourage. It's a good thing they decided to drop an album called "Cruel Summer" in Fall. But still, I've got decent expectations for this, especially in terms of beats, with singles like Mercy and Cold. So let's get this shit started.

 

1. To The World (Feat. R. Kelly & Kanye West)

R. Kelly sings for a long ass time over a corny beat. Like the first track on the album is 70% R. Kelly. The Rick James line was pretty funny, and Kanye spits some okay lines on his short verse. Not a good way to start though.

 

2. Clique (Feat. Kanye West, Big Sean & Jay Z)

A relatively star-studded song with an awesome beat. Big Sean spits, possibly, his greatest verse ever. Jay Z starts his verse off pretty badly, but recovers alright. And the boss, 3 Chainz, A.K.A Kardashian's Bitch, A.K.A Kanye West spits your average Kanye West verse, isn't bad. Overall a pretty great track.

 

3. Mercy (Feat. Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)

This is that song that's on the radio every other track, and we've all heard a billion times. Like even if you don't like the song, you know all the lyrics. To be honest, I really liked this track when I heard it on the radio, and put it on my phone right away. But now I've heard it way too many times, and it's easy for a track with a chick yelling as the beat to get old. Still, Big Sean's pretty good on this, Pusha T spits the most enthusiastic verse, Kanye decides he deserves a better beat, then spits the worst verse, and 2 Chainz is alright for being 2 Chainz, which is still bad.

 

4. New God Flow (Feat. Kanye West, Pusha T & Ghostface Killah)

Pusha spits two great verses to start things off, and it's over an awesome beat. Kanye then enters the house, makes another LeBron reference, then boasts a bit. Then the main attraction, Ghostface Killah. Ghost spits a pretty dope verse. But then Kanye decides to come back at the end and do some stupidness. It may sound like I don't like Kanye, but I do. It's just he tries my patience sometimes, and this was one of those times. Still, probably the second best song so far, behind Clique.

 

5. The Morning (Feat. Pusha T, Raekwon, Common, Cyhi Da Prince, 2 Chainz, Kid Cudi & D'Banj)

After the intro, Raekwon spits a solid verse over a dope beat. Although Kanye isn't on this track it still sounds like your typical Yeezy track. Common's verse is short, but pretty good, even though I don't like Common. Pusha then spits an okay verse, but not his best on the album. 2 Chainz A.K.A Titty Boi makes another appearance, and again, isn't very good. Cyhi Da Prince spits an okay verse, although I hate his voice. But wait, what's this? A Kanye appearance? It appears he appears even on tracks he doesn't appear on.

 

6. Cold (Feat. DJ Khaled)

This is essentially a Kanye solo track, as Khaled just shows up to introduce Yeezy. Kanye decides to say some pretty weird stuff on here, like how he only has respect for Wiz (Khalifa). Like didn't you just do an entire album with one of rap's greats, Jay Z? The beat's the best so far, and Kanye uses it well. There is an over-long outro by an uncredited DJ Pherris that's kind of annoying. Still a decent track though.

 

7. Higher (Feat. Pusha T, The-Dream & Mase)

A lot of this song sounds like Justin Bieber if he swore, which isn't too odd, as The-Dream helped write Baby. Pusha's kinda poor on here, but still better than Mase, who sounds like a worse, more slurred 2 Chainz. This is a pretty shitty track, especially the weird ass outro.

 

8. Sin City (Feat. John Legend, Malik Yusef, Travis Scott, Cyhi Da Prince & Teyana Taylor)

This track starts out with one of the dopest beats so far, but then calms down unfortunately. Still, great production on here, and Cyhi Da Prince spits my favorite verse overall on the entire album. And I HATE Cyhi Da Prince. Travis Scott starts things off well too, and the hook is decent on here. Malik Yusef also comes up with the best one liner so far in the outro with "I always feel like / I'm almost Phil like / Cause I could feel it in the air tonight".

 

9. The One (Feat. Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz & Marsha Ambrosius)

This sounds like something of My Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye's alright on here I suppose, but he's been sub-par this alum. Big Sean spits your typical "I made it" verse. 2 Chainz doesn't contribute much either. This is a pretty poor song.

 

10. Creepers (Feat. KId CuDi)

This song was pretty terrible. Plus why'd they give KId CuDi a solo track? Poor idea. Plus at one point he says "fuck making it rhyme". That's probably not the way to go.

 

11. Bliss (Feat. John Legen & Teyana Taylor)

For the last five tracks it's been almost all R&B, and while that isn't really a bad thing, the last three have been pretty bad (including this one, Sin City was pretty good). I could deffinitely do without this track.

 

12. I Don't Like (Remix) (Feat. Pusha T, Kanye West, Chief Keef, Big Sean & Jadakiss)

Well that's better. I Don't Like has one of the best beats out there, and Pusha, Kanye, and even Chief Keef kill it. As usual Big Sean is all flow, no lyrics, and Jadakiss is always pretty bad. But this song is the shit I do like.

 

Best Tracks: Clique, New God Flow, Cold, Mercy, Sin City, I Don't Like

 

Grade: 7.5/10

 

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The production's awesome, and while Kanye doesn't bring it, the guests do. Some tracks are awesome, but some are the worst shit I've heard in a while.



Review #5: Domo Genesis & The Alchemist - No Idols (2012)

The fifth review I'll be doing is one I was excited about; No Idols by Domo Genesis & The Alchemist. The Alchemist one of my favorite producers, up there with DJ Premier, while Domo consistently puts dope records together, even though he's not my favorite rapper in Odd Future. This is the first one that has potential to take away Relapse's title as top rating on the blog, so let's get to it.

1. Prophecy
I love the guitar riff on the beat, and Domo, despite having a pretty annoying voice, flows great on this, and drops a ton of dope punchlines. I really liked this track.


2. Fuck Everybody Else
Again, great flow on this, a pretty sweet beat, and also improved delivery. Feels pretty short though.

3. All Alone
I guess it was predictable, but I'm not sure if there's one beat I won't like on here. The grunting in the background is annoying, but Domo sounds great again, and has some pretty decent lines, despite sounding a little bit whiny.

4. Elimination Chamber (Feat. Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples & Action Bronson)
Possibly the track I was most excited for, being a major Earl fan and all. The beat's probably the dopest so far, and Domo sounds awesome. Earl sounds a little bit sub-par for him, but I'll give him a pass. Vince drops some sick ass lines, and probably drops the best verse so far. Action Bronson kind of sounds like he shoud be the best rapper in Young Money, just because of his delivery. He's okay on here, and it all makes for a really decent track.

5. Power Ballad (Feat. Smoke DZA)
Another dope guitar riff, and DZA sounds fucking awesome over the beat. Domo also drops his best verse so far, making this the top track so far.

6. Me And My Bitch
Domo's ballad to weed. This track is actually really well done, and Domo has his best flow so far over yet another awesome beat. Still doesn't break the record for best weed song however, which goes to Domo's "Smokemon" joint. The crying at the end on this is pretty funny too.

7. Till The Angels Come (Feat. Freddie Gibbs & Prodigy)
C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER. I don't like the beat on here, seems way too laid back to me. Like if Drake was underground he'd rap over this, on an album called "Lavender Queen: Scented Candles And Incense". I don't like Gibbs on here at all, and Prodigy isn't much better. Not my least favorite song of all time, but I didn't really like this.

8. Daily News (Feat. Spaceghost Purp, Earl Sweatshirt & Action Bronson)
I really like this beat by Alchemist, and the vocal samples actually sound pretty cool at the beginning. Domo spits fire to start things off, and got me laughing with a Kat Stacks reference. I'm not sure why they got Earl and Bronson to do the hook, that was odd. Purp's verse was meh at best, but the beat and Domo's verse save this one.

9. Gamebreaker (Feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
This is the type of beat I love to hear Odd Future rap over, cool different type stuff. Earl spits a pretty dope verse on here, so it's one of the better tracks already, and Domo's pretty good too.

10. The Feeling
Another awesome beat, althought the track ends up being nothing more than passable. I mean, it's pretty good, but just passable for Domo. The hook's pretty boring too.
11. No Idols (Feat. Tyler, The Creator)
Holy fuck this track was awesome. Tyler spits one of his best verses ever, and Domo holds his own with the OF boss. The beat switches up a ton, but is great overall. This is easily the best track on a great album.

Best Tracks: Power Ballad, Gamebreaker, and No Idols. Honourable mention to Elimination Chamber, which was good, but dissapointing.

Grade: 9/10

So, this ends up being on-par with Relapse for my favorite on here so far. Domo is second fiddle a little too much for my liking, but the guests are some of the best I've seen in a while.

Review #4: Lil Wayne - The Dedication 4 (2012)

And now, for the first time on this blog I'll do something that came out recently, The Dedication 4, by Yung Weezy F Baby, AKA Lil Wayne. I was kind of excited when there were rumblings he retired, but then he snaked out of that and released this mixtape, which I haven't heard yet, mainly because I hate Lil Wayne. But, I'm gonna review it, because apparently he's actually good on this. I doubt it, but we'll see.

 

1. So Dedicated (Feat. Birdman)

Weezy pulls a sweet beat from Rick Ross' "So Sophisticated". This is the best I've heard Wayne in a long time, but still not amazing. I wasn't a fan of the "and then I ___________ and then I ___________" flow at parts, but not terrible, which says something.

 

2. So Damn Tune

The beat sounds like something out of Runescape at the beginning, and the beat seems kinda cheesy all the way through, which doesn't help. Wayne's energetic on here at least, but the beat ruins it unfortunately.

 

3. Cashed Out

"It's a good thing nigga rhymes with nigga, or this rap shit would be hard!" can be heard from the crowd at the beginning of this one. Another cheesy beat, and Weezy just can't carry the track.

 

4. No Worries (Feat. Detail)

I like how bassy this track, and Wayne actually sounds okay on this. I actually heard about this track before I did the review, off a singles chart. I really don't mind this song at all.

 

5. Mercy (Feat. Nicki Minaj)

I've always loved this beat, but I'm not sure if Nicki Minaj is capable of spitting a decent verse. Like she's okay for a female MC, but she doesn't deserve the amount of attention she gets. Wayne kinda steals Kanye's flow on this too, which isn't a plus.

 

6. Burn

I actually like Wayne's flow on this. I'm scared. The beat's passable, but not a stand-out. Probably the best track so far.

 

7. Amen (Feat. Boo)

I like this beat a lot, and Wayne ,once again, isn't terrible. But Boo just sounds like a worse Lil Wayne, so there's that. He's too sing-songy for me, and he sounds like he's breathing his rhymes sometimes.

 

8. Get Smoked (Feat. Lil Mouse)

Well, I hate this beat. And Lil Wayne's flow. And Lil Mouse might be the worst rapper I've heard in a fucking loooong time. I think this song might be a joke, it sounds like it was recorded through Lil Mouse's laptop. Poor.

 

9. My Homies (remix) (Feat. Young Jeezy, Jay Mills & Gudda Gudda)

I love this beat, but I hate how terrible the quality of this track is. Everyone sounds okay I guess, except, of course, Gudda Gudda. Also Lil Wayne doesn't make an appearance here, which is kind of odd.

 

10.  Green Ranger (Feat. J Cole)

This is actually the first time I've heard Drizzy 2.0 rap, and I actually like it. Not a bad verse by J Cole, and the minimalistic beat works. Lil Wayne's at his best here too, this is a decent track.

 

11. I Don't Like

Not a fan of this voice by weezy, and his habit of making gun noizes is getting old. The beat is pretty hardcore, but this track is meh overall.

 

12. No Lie

I liked this track better with 2 Chainz. That should say something.

 

13. Magic (Feat. Flo)

Weezy out-raps Flo by a mile, and a couple lines made me laugh. This song's nothing special, but it's listenable I suppose.

 

14. Wish You Would

I actually really like this beat, which is bad because I hate DJ Khaled. Weezy's sing-songy flow works on this, but it's still just a meh track.

 

15. A Dedication

Nice! An Outkast beat for the last track! Wait. He's not rapping. Lil Wayne. What you doing. Lil Wayne. Stahp. Lil Wayne, you're not a skater. Stop. You're a rapper. A poor rapper, but a rapper. Weezy this is the best beat on the project. Wayne. Rap. Well fuck you Weezy.

 

Best Tracks: Burn, and Green Ranger

 

Grade: 4.5/10

 

This shit was mostly bad, but had it's moments. It was much better then The Carter IV, which doesn't say much, but there's that. I don't really think I need to explain myself on this one, because the general consensus is that Weezy's poor.

 

 

 

Review #3: Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)

Alright, confession time. I've never listened to The Chronic. Confession number two; I've never enjoyed old school rap. So, I figured I'd take a stab at reviewing a classic I've never heard, in The Chronic. It was Dre's first album, and was apparently revolutionary back in '92. Let's see how it is!

1. The Chronic (intro) (Feat. Snoop Dogg)
Wow, I love the beat on here. Didn't expect that. Snoop is funny as hell on here too. Especially the singing at the end, hooooly fuck!

2. Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everyone's Celebratin) (Feat. Snoop Dogg, RBX & Jewell)
It's amazing how different Dre sounds now. He flows like water on here, and the beat's pretty cool too. And Snoop Lion makes a solid appearance here, passing the mic with Dre.

3. Let Me Ride (Feat. Snoop Dogg, Ruben & Jewell)
A solid track, Dre's flow is pretty decent, but im not too fond of the disco feel on here.

4. The Day The Niggaz Took Over (Feat. Dat Nigga Daz, Snoop Dogg & RBX)
Nice funky beat, cool old school feel, parts are kinda eerie, but it adds to it. Also Dat Nigga Daz is pretty dope on here with a Reggae type flow.

5. Nuthin But A G-Thang (Feat. Snoop Dogg)
The first song I've heard of so far, because Eminem freestyled over part of this beat, which is dope by the way. Snoop is awesome on here, I don't mind he's featured on fucking every song. This shit's like Bad Meets Evil, Death Row style. Best song so far.

6. Deeez Nuuuts (Feat. Warren G, Snoop Dogg, Dat Nigga Daz & Nate Dogg)
The beginning was funny as hell, and it's another solid beat. For whatever reason though, this track doesn't stick out as good to me.

7. Lil' Ghetto Boy (Feat. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg)
This song's actually really funny, and Nate Dogg's hook makes me laugh every time. But for me this track's just comic relief.

8. A Nigga Witta Gun
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? A SOLO TRACK!?!? No way. Kinda a funny intro, Dre has decent flow on here, but again nothing special. Catchy hook though.

9. Rat-tat-tat-tat (Feat. Snoop Dogg, RBX & BJ)
Well Dre obviously got separation anxiety from that last track and brought in his buddies. But seriously, who calls themself BJ? I love the beat on here, and Dre sounds energized on this track. Another catchy hook, and we've got a good song.

10. The $20 Stack Pyramid (skit) (Feat. Big Tittie Nicki, The D.O.C., Snoop Dogg & Samara)
Holy fuck this shit was funny as hell! This may be my favorite skit of all time. On any album. I may just put this skit on my iPod, and nothing else.  This one's deffinitely going in the skit hall of fame.

11. Lyrical Gangbang (Feat. The Lady Of Rage, RBX & Kurupt)
Dre was too busy to appear on this track, but Kurupt spits my favorite verse on the album so far. Also a pretty funny intro, I liked the "residential street" part. RBX kind of ruins the track at the end though.

12. High Powered (Feat. The Lady Of Rage, RBX & Dat Nigga Daz)
Dre doesn't actually spit a verse on here either, although he talks a bit at the beginning. This is pretty much a RBX solo track, although he carries it pretty well. Also, a solid bea

13. The Doctor's Office (skit) (Feat. Jewell & The Lady Of Rage)
Well, we've got some sex noises here, doesn't really contribute much to the album though in terms of humour or story.

14. Stranded On Death Row (Feat. Bushwick Bill, Kurupt, The Lady Rage, RBX & Snoop Dogg)
Everyone gets on this song except Dre. That means he hasn't even rapped in 5 tracks, on his own fucking album. Kurupt spits another great verse, RBX doesn't, The Lady Rage is great on here, and Snoop is pretty impressive. Actually, this is a pretty good track.

15. The Roach (outro) (Feat. Emmage, RBX, Jewell, The Lady Rage, Dat Nigga Daz & Ruben)
I'm not a fan of this. Random talking, and a chorus every now and then. Plus Dre doesn't appear here either. Maybe he left after the skit $2o Pyramid skit?

16. Bitches Ain't Shit (Feat. Snoop Dogg, Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt, Jewell)
The last track on the album, and only the second track I've heard of, also because Eminem freestyled on the beat. Dre's back which is a good sign, and he spits his dopest verse all album. Snoop is great again, and so is Kurupt, while Daz's verse is passable. A good track, overall.

Best Tracks: Nuthin But A G-Thang, Stranded On Death Row, and Bitches Ain't Shit

Grade: 6.5/10...but before you hate me forever, im not a fan of old school rap, and this is probably my favorite album of all time, pre-1995. So not bad at all, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some.

So yeah, that's the review. Kinda feel like I should't be giving an iconic album like The Chronic such a low grade, but I didn't see it was amazing. It was deffinitely a ground-breaking record when it came out, and some tracks are really great. Just most aren'y my taste.

Review #2: MF DOOM - Madvillainy (2004)

The second review ill be doing here is MF DOOM also known as Madvillain's album, Madvillainy. I know absolutely nothing about MF DOOM, but I really liked the track "All Caps", which I came across from the beat of "Deerskin" by Earl Sweatshirt. So imma give the album a try. Also, i writing this as I listen to each track (except All Caps) for the first time.

1. The Illest Villains (intro)
Kinda drags on abit, but a nice intro for the comic book feel. Beat kinda interferes with the talking a bit though.

2. Accordion
I really like this beat, pretty sweet. Not a crazy fan of DOOM's delivery, but I'll get used to it. Some solid punchlines too, but a really short song.

3. Meat Grinder
Nice instrumental lead in. I also actually like DOOM's delivery here, and again, pretty decent punchlines. Kinda wondering how short each track is though.

4. Bistro (interlude)
Not a giant fan of this beat, even for a short interlude.

5. Raid (Feat. Medaphoar)
I'm not sure who Medaphoar is, but I really like him on here.  DOOM's verse is alright too.

6. America's Most Blunted (Feat. Quas)
I like the beat, even though it's all over the place, and some decent rhymes here. But the end made me laugh my ass off!

7. Sickfit (Instrumental)
This beat is doooope! I kinda wanted to start spittin on this shit. Possibly my favorite track so far, and it's an instrumental.

8. Rainbows
Not a giant fan of the singing, but i liked the beat in between, and at the end.

9. Curls
The beat doesn't steal the show here, which is odd. DOOM drops a couple dope punchlines too. Another one verse wonder though.

10. Do Not Fire! (Instrumental)
I might even like this beat better than the last instrumental. Another dope beat.

11. Money Folder
DOOM sounds okay on here, but I'm starting to get sick of the weird alternative beats, and long vocal samples. I get that it's a concept album, but it's still pretty sample heavy.

12. Shadows Of Tommorow (Feat. Lord Quas)
Well that was fucking dope. A sick beat, Quas sounds pretty awesome on here, and DOOM sounds his best all album. Favorite track so far.

13. Operation Lifesaver AKA Mint Test
Solid track, DOOM's picking up steam here. Beat doesn't get in the way, but nothing special.

14. Figaro
Wow, DOOM sounds awesome here. Beat again isn't overly attention grabbing, but DOOM's flow is dope as hell on this. He just goes on and on with a dope rhyme scheme, another one of my favorite tracks here.

15. Hardcore Hustle (Feat. Wildchild)
Wildchild out-rhymes DOOM here, still a decent track. A great string of songs now, although im not a fan of the beat on this.

16. Strange Ways
Would've been my favorite song so far, but it has an annoying ass long vocal sample at the end. DOOM's at his best in terms of flow, and the beat is one of the best so far, with good strings. I like how it slows down near the end.

17. Fancy Clowns (Feat. Viktor Vaughn)
Not a giant fan of this beat, but DOOM sounds good on this. I wonder why they fely every song needs a different retro sounding interlude at the end? It gets annoying.

18. Eye (Feat. Stacy Epps)
This is a Stacy Epps solo joint...I'm not a fan of the beat, nor the singing. Sounds like the back beat for an old 50 Cent joint.

19. Supervillain Theme (Instrumental)
I love the instrumentals on here. The only problem with this one is it's too short.

20. All Caps
And the moment you've all been waiting for, ALL CAPS. My introduction to MF DOOM, and one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time. The beat, in my opinion, is one of the best of all time. MF DOOM sounds the best he has all album, and even the interlude of retro music at the end doesn't bother me. A+ on this for DOOM.

21. Great Day Today
Not a giant fan of the singing, or the beat on here, but DOOM sounds alright. I think I've come to the conclusion I hate all singing. Better go listen to Channell Orange.

22. Rhinestone Cowboy
And DOOM finishes things off with the longest track of the album. His flow sounds great, and good one liners. They insert a sample on here, but it doesn't really ruin the track for me. A decent track, but not one of the best off Madvillainy.

Best Tracks: Figaro, All Caps & Every Instrumental.

Grade: 7/10

The record has it's bad sides, but a few gems. The samples wore out their welcome, and so did DOOM's voice. Still, one the better albums I've heard in a while.





Review #1: Eminem - Relapse (2009)

I decided to start the blog off with one of  my favorite albums of all time, Relapse. It was Eminem's return to the rap game, and generally considered with Encore as one of his worst albums. But I never bought into that. I think lyrically, it's Slim's best album, and it takes you into the mind of the character everyone loves, Slim Shady. On to the album!

1. Dr.West (skit)

Em starts the album on a darker note, with his doctor at rehab turning into a demon, leading him to relapse. A nice lead-in to track two, 3 AM, at the end with the alarm clock.

2. 3 AM

Not a bad horrorcore track, sets the tone nicely for the album, with a great non-stop flow. The hook gets a little bit annoying though. Although I enjoyed this track, I've overplayed it...also,the basic idea of the song gets redundant. Still, I get a chuckle out of the "I killed dem" line sometimes.

3. My Mom

Wow, this song was terrible. A little bit funny at some parts, but just another song about Em's mom, with a turrrible hook. And also at one point he says "I'm my mom!". Seems legit.

4. Insane

I like the shock-value on this track, and a couple of the refrences are pretty sweet. A lot of people were probably offended by this song, which I always see as a plus for Em.

5. Bagpipes From Baghdad

Another good track, hopefully putting an end to the whole Mariah Carey drama, which was getting a bit annoying. Em drops some good verses on this on a sweet beat.

6. Hello
This track kinda reminds me of I'm Back off The Marshall Mathers LP. Not a bad overall track, as Em has decent flow.

7. Tonya (skit)
A little bit of a creepy skit, fits in nicely with the album. Still, it covers the same content as Same Song & Dance.

8. Same Song & Dance
A great song, one of my favorites off the album, with a great flow over an eerie beat. Covers much of the same stuff as Tonya, although some nice refrences in this one too.

9. We Made You
A really funny track, although it doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. Slim's back to his old ways with poking fun at other celebs. Also, a sweet hook on this track too.

10. Medicine Ball
The beat straight up BANGS on this shit. A few of the lines about gays were funny (I don't take offense to stuff like that), and the Christopher Reeves cameo was prety funny.

11. Paul (skit)
Pretty funny, but I'm not feeling the amount of skits on here.

12. Stay Wide Awake
Possibly my favorite track on here. Solid rhyme scheme, and good imagery for a horrorcore type track.

13. Old Time's Sake (Feat. Dr. Dre)
Another track with amazing beat. The lyrics are kinda boring at times, but overall a nice track, possibly the best beat on here. Nice to see Dre make an appearance too!

14. Must Be The Ganja
This track was solid, the part where he list a bunch of killers was kinda dope. Nothing else really sticks out here though.

15. Mr. Mathers (skit)
Like I said, skits get boring after a bit. Like one or two is fine. This is the fourth.

16. Deja Vu
I know that has accents on it, but im too lazy. This track has an ok beat, and is some solid real talk from slim. The hook's kinda boring though.

17. Beautiful
I wasn't a fan of this. The flow reminded me too much of Encore, and always shitty to see em whining.

18. Crack A Bottle (Feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent)
Solid beat, and I like em's hook (you won't see that too much). Pretty un-inspired efforts from 50 and Dre make this track pretty skipable though, even though it was a single.

19. Steve Berman (skit)
And we've hit skit five. This is easily the worst part of this album.

20. Underground/Ken Kanniff
And we finish things off with one of my favorite Eminem songs of all time. Great flow, kinda overly dramatic hook, and funny lyrics make this up. I'm gonna count Ken Kanniff as our sixth skit, although it was my favorite so far, reminds me of Em's earlier stuff.

Favorite Tracks: Stay Wide Awake, Underground/Ken Kanniff

Grade: 9/10

And that was one of my favorite albums of all time. I'll be listening to way more stuff for this blog though, including mixtapes, underground releases, and the giant mainstream artists. If you want something reviewed, leave a comment on any post!