DJ Chong Wizard - Hell's Kitchen: Raekwon The Chef Vs. Mobb Deep

I know the real heads gon' crucify me for puttin this gem up so late, but at least I'm gettin around to puttin' it up at all. Considering that my schedule is filled to the brim tryin' to listen to all these new albums that have been droppin' and rippin' this week, the fact that I had time to listen to a mixtape/blend tape at all is a fucking miracle. Truthfully though, after bumpin Chong Wizard's "Hell's Kitchen", I am 100% happy that I took the time to pop this in the deck and listen. First off lemme explain a few things. If I sound like a total shitbag elitist that acts like his time is too precious to listen to a mixtape, don't blame me, blame the fucking shitty ass state of the mixtape game. It's fucking real boring out there kid, real boring. Every mixtape DJ is jockin' some other wack ass mixtape DJ's style and everything sounds the same; shitty. If it ain't some bullshit Lil' Wayne than it's some shit that's un-interesting and don't actually "mix" well. And that's the whole point behind everything....to make an ill mix muthafucka....an ill mix!! What drew me into this tape was the fact that yes, I'm a huge fan of Raekwon and Mobb Deep (early, not recent) but moreso that it was a blend tape. Now for all you newbie 88'ers lemme school ya. A blend tape is something that was started a hot minute ago in Harlem, New York by a guy named Ron G. He was taking R&B vocals and putting them over Hip-Hop beats. The trend grew and grew and all types of blending ensued, but Ron G is the muthafucka that started that shit first as 18 year old or some shit. He was the originator. I believe you youngin's call them shits "mash ups" now, but that's incorrect and lame as fuck.

Okay, so now that you have had your lil' history lesson and you understand how fucking ill this quasi-sub genre of hip-hop DJing and production is, wrap your head around the magnanamous idea of putting Mobb Deep acapella's from Thier cult classic "Hell On Earth" over beats from Raekwon's undeniably classic first few albums and vice versa. Sounds fuckin' nuts right? Well, The same guy that dropped "American Ironman", (a Jay-Z vs. Ghostface blend tape that had the internet heads clamoring for more) a cat named Chong Wizard (lol, I don't know if he's asian or not either) returns with this ill ass take on a few giants from the mid 90's and the unforgettable hardcore, NYC music they created.

While I'm not sure if many of you will check this out, all I can say is that those who do won't be sorry. Shit I bumped this all weekend while watching college and NFL (go Broncos!!) football, and it was the perfect backdrop. So "perfect" of a backdrop that I was routinely pulled away from intense, early season, grudge match action to run back tracks like "Shark DJ's (Biters)", "Street Wisdom" and "Coke Vultures". Don't be a herb, grab this while you still can and bump it. Pull yourself away from the over-marketed and over-hyped bullshit that is the corny ass mixtape game of 2008 and recognize real skill. Shout out to that man Chong Wizard too....don't kno much about you kid, but your an official head with mad skill.

-BIG D O




01 . Mobb Deep - Striving For Perfection 02:08
02 . Mobb Deep - Infamous Knuckleheadz 02:40
03 . Mobb Deep Feat. Das Efx - Microphone Knowledge 04:36 04 . Mobb Deep Feat. Big Noyd - Only Built 4 Queensbridge Links 03:53
05 . Mobb Deep Feat. Big Noyd - Incarcerated Prodigy 04:15
06 . Mobb Deep - Rainy Nightz
07 . Mobb Deep - Poisonous P 01:08
08 . Mobb Deep Feat. Big Noyd - All So Simple Then 04:41
09 . Mobb Deep - Shark Djs (Biters) 01:44
10 . Mobb Deep - Over Dose Music 01:35
11 . Mobb Deep - Corny Rappers (Interlude) 06:25
12 . Mobb Deep - Street Wisdom 01:00
13 . Mobb Deep Feat. 50 Cent - Ice Cream Man Outta Control 04:06
14 . Mobb Deep - Hells Kitchen 03:40
15 . Raekwon The Chef Feat. Ghostface - Heaven & Hell (Original) 04:55
16 . Raekwon The Chef - Hustler Instinct 02:32
17 . Raekwon The Chef - Drop A Blend On Em 01:28
18 . Raekwon The Chef - Drug Sport 01:36
19 . Raekwon The Chef - Young Poor Hustler's Theme 03:42
20 . Raekwon The Chef - Coke Vultures 01:20
21 . Raekwon The Chef - Gold, Oil & Drugs Pt. III 02:35
22 . Raekwon The Chef Feat. Inspectah Deck - O.G. Cream Team 01:21
23 . Raekwon The Chef - Give It Up Kids 01:09
24 . Raekwon The Chef - Still Cookin 01:34
25 . Raekwon The Chef - Apostle's Clientele 01:00

http://rapidshare.com/files/143229109/VA-DJ_Chong_Wizard-Hells_Kitchen__Raekwon_The_Chef_VS._Mobb_Deep_-_Bootleg_-2008-HooD.rar

Madlib - Madlib Remixes 2: Saturday Morning Edition

I really have so much respect for Madlib yo. If your a frequent reader of this blog you already know that I've written all there is to write about this guy and my appreciation for his tireless work ethic. Always releasing new and dope projects, Madlib is one of Hip-Hop's sorely unappreciated production workmen. Including a laundry list of retail and "official" releases, Madlib also is a pretty usual contributor to more underground endeavors like his heavily coveted remix projects (see the "Mind Fusion" tapes). I am not going to spoil this one by giving away too many details, but just know this, "Remixes 2: Saturday Morning Edition" is comprised entirely of the illest and most rare Disco and funk samples out there. Madlib never disappoints when it comes to flipping shit like that correctly, please believe this tape will become insanely addictive for all you vintage heads out there. Be sure not to miss ya favorite Disco and Funk breaks re-worked by Oxnard, CA's finest, the one and only Madlib.

-BIG D O




01 Remixtroduction
02 Mood Swing
03 Ghetto Dwellaz
04 Devils
05 Rap Niggaz
06 My Favorite Ladies
07 Movement
08 Disco Break
09 Likwidation
10 Rockin
11 Put Yr Hands Up
12 Blunt Break
13 Flyby
14 Bear Wizz Beer (Commercial)
15 Throwback
16 Nothin Lesser
17 Doomilla
18 Nasty N.
19 Game
20 Memory Lane
21 Public Disservice Announcement
22 On the Grind
23 Gitmine
24 Net Weight
25 Quarterlude
26 Ridewitus
27 Gog Was Wrong (Commercial)

http://rapidshare.com/files/133723309/Madlib_-_Remixes_2_Saturday_Morning_Edition.zip

Video: Q-Tip - Gettin' Up

Another brillant J Dilla production fuels Q-Tip's creative video return. Set against a white background Tip incorporates crazy fits', dope lighting, beautiful women and innovative set ideas to convey the ultimate hip-hop command; Get Up. A can't miss video that should be dominating television signals worldwide, unfortunately will most likely get swept under the rug for what? A new T.I. or Shawty Lo vid? SMH....I'm bout done with hip-hop videos man...not enough good, fresh ones like this droppin anymore.

-BIG D O

Video: Big Pooh - Plastic Cups feat. Chaundon and Joe Scudda

Nice lil' vid that finds Pooh, Scudda and Chaundon taking a scenic little jaunt through the NYC streets. Produced by the late great J Dilla (the track can be found on Pooh's new tape "Rapper's Delight"... see my post below) who dug up a great horn loop from somewhere to power the track. LOL, Joe Scudda sporting some rediculous Cazell shades, Pooh kickin knowledge and Chaundon rhyming in front of the train. A really fun vid, that looks like it was fun to make also. Simple formula that yields a great product. Damn shame in a sense that a couple of North Carolina natives and a guy from the Bronx who runs wit em' can so easily show a whole city how they should be gettin' down.....damn NY wassup?!?! Step that game up!!

-BIG D O

Video: Termanology feat. Bun B - How We Rock

Nice lil' joint from Term, produced by DJ Premier who mans some pretty ill glow in the dark turntables in this joint. Set in a night club, nothing too out of the ordinary for the formula, just two emcee's wreckin a set onstage...a few cameos, most notably from Lil' Fame, at the end of the day nothing super spectacular, but still pretty appeasing.

-BIG D O

Rapper Big Pooh - Rapper's Delight

Taking me completely by surprise and flying totally under the radar is the new release from our favorite plump, J League emcee; Rapper Big Pooh. Pooh's last effort the Little Brother group project "Get Back" that was released close to a year ago and was insanely good, despite my huge disdain for Phonte and Pooh leaving 9th Wonder behind as the in-house and main producer in the group. "Get Back" proved that The duo was capable of making an album without 9th's genius yet overpowering soul back drops, but rather with the help of an array of talented producers. Pooh aims to do the same for his new solo project entitled "Rapper's Delight" that I am bringing you today. This is the free download version of "Rapper's Delight" that's available on hallofjustus.com, so don't tear my fucking head off for putting it up. Also if you want the official version look for it around the beginning of November I guess.

"Rapper's Delight" picks up right where "Get Back" and Pooh's "Sleepers" albums left off. Providing the listener with lots of rich samples reworked to perfection with Pooh's light hearted, yet introspective and creative lyrics layered over the top. Fans of the rougher stuff might be wise to steer clear however, most of "Rapper's Delight" falls under the category I so lovingly refer to as "life-hop". Pooh is genuine and that shines through. It's a big part of the reason why so many flock to his projects. The brutha keeps it real and doesen't pretend to be something he's not. He's a college drop-out from North Carolina that loves to eat and loves simple things like new clothes and good hip-hop music just like the rest of us. Songs like "Regular Nigga", "Dumb It Down", and "Crazy" really sieze Pooh's best qualities as an emcee; honesty, relatablity and flow, which all resonate through these tracks and give you a much needed break from the guest-feature-a-thon that this tape somewhat is. The enormous amount of guest spots isn't all bad...Talib Kweli, Quan and Roscoe Umali prove that Pooh can successfully go outside of his ever-present Justus League collabo's and work with other highly touted artist's.

The production on "Rapper's Delight" is sensational, largely in part due to Pooh grabbing tracks produced by the likes of Interscope in-houser's Illmind and Focus, VA's finest Nottz, 9th Wonder impressionist Khrysis and of course the D's all-time best....J Dilla. If good tunes are all you seek, this will definitely be a great find for you. Khrysis pulls the majority of the load with only 4 tracks, so it's all pretty evenly spread out. There are a few new names on here contrbuting...nothing really ear catching in that department.

All in all for a free download this is something that you should not hesitate whatsoever to grab. Pooh's material is still as engaging as ever and his ear for production while slightly shifting, for the most part is still fully intact as well. I for one can't wait for the official version to drop in November, which will feature additional guest spots, among which will include Pooh teaming back up once again with his old friend 9th Wonder.

-BIG D O




01 Rapper’s Delight f. Chaundon (prod. Nottz)
02 Reality Check f. Big Dho, D. Black & Mykestro (prod. Khrysis)
03 Respect It f. Illa J & Bishop Lamont (prod. J. Dilla)
04 Hands Up f. Chaundon & Roc C (prod. Khrysis)
05 Text Me (Tha Bizness Alllstar Remix) w/ Talib Kweli, Parker Brothaz & Naledge (prod. Tha Bizness)
06 Oh Yeah f. Roscoe Umali & Stylistic Jones (prod. Focus…)
07 Roll Call f. Jozeemo, Chaundon & Joe Scudda (prod. The Co-Op)
08 Dusty f. O-Dash (prod. Nick Speed)
09 Crazy (prod. Khrysis)
10 Geez Like Deez f. Quan (prod. Illmind)
11 Regular Nigga w/ Ab Soul
12 Plastic Cups f. Chaundon & Joe Scudda (prod. J. Dilla)
13 Money f. Frank (of Frank-N-Dank) & O-Dash (prod. Young RJ)
14 Dumb It Down
15 On The Real f. E. Ness & Jozeemo (prod. Khrysis)

http://rapidshare.com/files/144569753/Big_Pooh-Rappers_Delight-2008.rar

Ill Bill - The Hour Of Reprisal

In the midst of all our American hub bub about the presidential election, natural disasters and so called "controversial" content in Hip-Hop and the music business in general, emerges a hip-hop masterpiece that will truly illustrate to the faint of heart just what "offensive" really is and can be. This "masterpiece" album I speak of comes from Ill Bill; one of my longtime favorite emcees from Brooklyn and it's name is "The Hour Of Reprisal". Over the past 4 months tons of different versions of this album have leaked, but now we will finally have the true article.

Ill Bill proves his status as an elite emcee on this project and delivers consistently throughout in the form of thought provoking rhymes that are spiked with raw realizations and scathing depictions of his early life. I'll be the first to admit that he often gets going and might lapse in and out of his flow and that he sometimes has a tendency to let his strong delivery turn into flat out yelling, but lyrically, Bill has always brought it on his solo albums and this might be the best one he's ever made. Showcasing his strong production skills on here as well, Bill will force many a hip-hop head to re-examine their best album of 2008 list's and work "The Hour Of Reprisal" into the top five.

Bill opts to incorporate some of the underground and independent scene's most talented emcee's and utilize his own production a lot more for this record. "The Hour Of Reprisal" is top notch across the boards, really insightful, powerful and un-afraid. Everything that I hoped Nas's new LP would be, Ill Bill's is. You'll find names like Immortal Technique, Raekwon, Vinnie Paz and B-Real all gracing this solid piece of work. The standout track on here to me is "White Nigger". While at first glance at the title I expected the song to be a cheesy, over blown, Jewish homage to black stereotypes, I was pleasantly surprised when Bill took us into his life story and broke down how he got into hip-hop, what it was like growing up Jewish in the Glenwood Projects in Brooklyn, NY and how he fought the labels that were thrown on him. Shit is a damn good record and the production (provided by Bill himself) for it was insane as well. Bill gets the pass to say the word because he put it forth in a really thoughtful way and wasn't trying to negatively attack anyone else. He'll catch some flack for it, no doubt, but I understand what he was trying to do. Good for you Bill, don't listen to the haters. Another huge highlight of the album is when Ill Bill teams up with the legendary DJ Premier for the track "Society Is Brainwashed", which finds Bill trading in his usual delivery for his 95' flow which is more streaming, fluid and technically precise. It is an eye opening glimpse into how talented Bill really is when it comes to pulling out old weapons and updating them for modern times. This whole album is full of contemptuous rhetoric, but this joint has Bill reciting his anti-American truths in such vintage fashion it makes you wanna go find all his early work really. The finishing touch is most certainly the Premier production though. Primo hands Bill a perfectly crafted boom bap gem, that supposedly Jay-Z in all his pop music greatness turned away. SMH, big surprise there right? At any rate, one man's trash is another man's classic joint. Bill has to release "Society Is Brainwashed" as a 12" single, it gets my vote as the album's most re-playable record.

All in all if your a fan of any type of hip-hop that means something you need to check out this record. Ill Bill's commitment to that hardcore and in your face brand of rap/hip-hop has finally paid off in the form of a stellar album. I loved most of this effort and I rarely feel that way about any project, especially projects that are droppin in the 08'. I didn't think that anything would drop this year that could fuck with Immortal Technique's mixtape "The 3rd World", but I was wrong. This album lives up to it's hype and was well worth the wait. Aside from a few very small mis-steps in the song theme department, this shit is flawless.

-BIG D O




01. Babylon (Feat. Howard Jones) (Prod. By T-Ray) 05:14
02. Doomsday Was Written In An Alien Bible (Prod. By Ill Bill) 03:03
03. Trust Nobody (Prod. By Ill Bill) 02:48
04. A Bullet Never Lies (Feat. Vinnie Paz) (Prod. By DJ Lethal) 03:25
05. White Nigger (Prod. By Ill Bill) 04:01
06. My Uncle (Prod. By Ill Bill & Sicknature) 02:45
07. Riva (Feat. Hr & Darryl Jennifer) (Prod. By Ill Bill) 03:51
08. War Is My Destiny (Feat. Max Cavalera & Immortal Technique) 03:11
(Prod. By Ill Bill)
09. Society Is Brainwashed (Prod. By DJ Premier) 03:44
10. This Is Who I Am (Prod. By DJ Muggs) 03:20
11. Too Young (Feat. Hero & Slaine) (Prod. By Darp Malone) 04:32
12. Pain Gang (Feat. B-Real & Everlast) (Prod. By Cynic) 03:55
13. U.B.S. (Unauthorized Biography Of Slayer) (Prod. By Necro) 02:29
14. Coka Moschiach (Feat. Raekwon The Chef) (Prod. By Ill Bill) 02:31
15. The Most Dangerous Weapon Alive (Prod. By Necro) 02:21
16. Soap 00:49
17. I’m A Goon (Prod. By Ill Bill & Sicknature) 03:24
18. Only Time Will Tell (Feat. Tech N9ne & Everlast) 04:37
(Prod. By DJ Muggs

http://rapidshare.com/files/144507326/Ill_Bill-The_Hour_Of_Reprisal-2008-C4.rar

Dre Boogs and DJ Kweston Present....King Magnetic - The Co-$ign

Today I bring you the music of a talented and hulking Hip-Hop figure that has truly added to Philly's underground scene in the most genuine and rugged of ways. When a lot of people see the 6'9", 300 pound frame of Pennsylvania native King Magnetic the first thing they think about might not be excellent hardcore rhyming skills or a talent for boom bap production. All preconceived notions aside, the monstrous figure is in fact a rapper/producer double threat and his size is only rivaled by his considerable hip-hop aptitude.

If you take time to learn about the ex-convict's life story you'll soon understand his music is some of the most authentic around. Utilizing a tough up-bringing through the Pennsylvania state jail and prison systems, and a million memories of his former hardcore lifestyle, Magnetic pens interesting and unique stories for the listeners to both relate to and marvel at.

Magnetic's music hasn't been an overnight success. Having first decided to try and jump in the game in the early 90's, Mag has cut many a demo tape in a shitty basement studio and was well schooled in the art of rhyming and production. He understands Hip-Hop's true virtues and routinely upholds and applies them in his ventures. He speaks his mind, never sells out and gets down with only those who hold the same morals. Speaking of who Magnetic has got down with, many of you undoubtedly will recognize him from some of his guest appearances on Jedi Mind Trick's projects as well as having collaborated many times with Philly rhyme artist Reef The Lost Cauze. This isn't Magnetic's first picnic and upon listening to his music, one of the things you'll recognize right away is the care he takes in delivering his verses and making coherent statements. He's a sharp cookie and he relays both his street and overall intelligence well, something that can be an elusive skill for hardcore artists. You wouldn't know it was so hard from Magnetic however, as he will routinely captivate your attention with his observant correlations.

What I'm droppin for y'all today is Magnetic's newest tape that is somewhat of a "best of" collection, with some new things sprinkled in here and there. Sure to please any underground head, "The Co-$ign" gives you some of Magnetic's more recent and spectacular collaborations. Featuring older names like Sean Price, El Da Sensei and Vinnie Paz as well as bright newcomers like Brooklyn Based Sha Stimuli and Philly soundman Scanz, this mixtape is a can't miss and an adequate warm up for Magnetic's upcoming opus "Everything's A Gamble", which is now available on itunes (go grab that!) for digital download.

-BIG D O




1. Dre Boogs Intro
2. Welcome To Shadyville
3. Patiently Waiting feat. Copywrite
4. Demoralizer feat. Esoteric
5. I'm Gettin Old
6. Goodnight!!! feat. Sean Price
7. I Don't Know You
8. Grew Up feat. Sha Stimuli
9. Believe That
10. Funeral Music feat. Outerspace
11. I Just Made Parole
12. King Magnetic/Scanz Freestyle
13. Adlib Freestyle
14. Ali Armz Freestyle
15. DJ Kwestion/Vinnie Paz Intro
16. Name Droppin'
17. Reef the Lost Cauze Freestyle
18. Words From DJ Premier
19. Street Cred
20. King Magnetic/Ugly Tony Freestyle
21. Daily Reminder
22. Shade Freesyle feat. Hakim (Channel Live) & Scanz
23. King Magnetic/Snowgoons Freestyle
24. Do You feat. Returners, El Da Sensei & Skyzoo
25. Black Xmas (Remix) feat. Nero & Army Of The Pharaohs
26. Life's On The Line feat. Reef The Lost Cauze & Godilla

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1O7DGZCV

Edgar Allen Floe - The Road To Streetwise"

Back with a long awaited new project is one of my favorite Justus League affiliates (I guess) Edgar Allen Floe. "The Road To Streetwise" is Floe's brand new mixtape that is dense with great production courtesy of Blunt, Khrysis, J. Wheels and of course his long time collaborator and soulful production genius 9th Wonder. Floe once again delivers the usual interesting and technically sound lyrical performance, falling into his old rythym with relative ease. While this whole tape overall is a triumph for the newcomer Floe, it is without question the highlight's of it are the three tracks produced by 9th Wonder.

"Mercy", "Untouchable" and "Shine" all successfully quell our collective yearnings for new 9th material, as he weaves intricate soul samples reworked over his trademark drums seamlessly as ever, while Floe dictates thoughtful rhyme after thoughtful ryme over 9th's thick sound waves. Floe isn't flawless on here, he makes a few turns down "I wouldn't go there lane" in the form of questionable song themes (see "The Swag") but in the end overcomes any silly mistakes through solid lyricism, good delivery and a well picked production lineup. Wish it was a lil', bit longer and a bit more introspective, but "The Road To Streewise" eventually does take you where you want to be with as few detours as possible.

-BIG D O




1) Floe Intro (prod. J Wheels)
2) Settle The Score (Floe Verse)
3) Raw Live (Floe Verse)
4) I Don't Know Why (prod. J Wheels)
5) The Dirt (w/Mal Demolish of The Undefined - prod. Erv)
6) This Is Your Life (w/Mal Demolish of The Undefined - prod. Blunt)
7) End Zone (prod. Blunt)
8) The Swag (prod. Aksim)
9) Money Money Floe Floe (Floe Verse)
10) Arkitekz (Floe Verse)
11) Confessions Under Fire (feat. Mal Demolish & Cazmere) (prod. Khrysis)
12) Walk These Streets Alone (w/Mal Demolish of The Undefined) (prod. Blunt)
13) Shine (prod. 9th Wonder)
14) Monumental (Floe Verse)
15) Show You Right (Shonuff) (prod. Blunt)
16) Your Eyes (prod. Prov P)
17) Live Live (prod. TymE)
18) Pressure (prod. Rick Gunnz The General)
19) Mercy (prod. 9th Wonder)
20) Untouchable (prod. 9th Wonder)

http://rapidshare.com/files/143797680/Edgar_Allen_Floe-The_Road_To_Streetwise-2008.rar

Video: Joell Ortiz - Memories

Crazy ass song & video from lyrical giant Joell Ortiz. Vid is funny and holds your attention. Well put together concept that I guess is supposed to be Joell on his death bed recounting memories in the form of a photo album. The young and talented Rik Cordero directs.

-BIG D O

Street Album Spotlight: J-Love & Meyhem Lauren - Acknowledge Greatness

For years those truly in the know when it came to excellent east coast Hip-Hop have clamored for underground DJ extraordinaire J-Love and his music. Through mixtapes, vinyl twelve inch releases and of course his un-rivaled boom bap production, the product of the Richmond Hill section of Queens, New York has established an impeccable resume. He has worked with some of the best emcees to ever get down in the big apple, building a name for himself and becoming one of the underground's most dynamic DJ's and beatsmith's. Becoming best known for his street mixtapes and an un-flinching commitment to the true school of Hip-Hop music, J-Love exudes an aura of authenticity. His rabid fanbase understands his primary goal over the past decade has been to uphold a type of hip-hop music that sadly has gone from being NYC's chief commodity to one of it's heavily ignored sub-genre's. Boom Bap is J-Love's trademark pursuit and no one other than DJ Premier and his good friend Large Professor, has elevated the art form more consistently.

For all that J-Love is, regrettably he's never gotten to do the one thing that so many of his founding Boom Bap fathers have done. That would be release an album with a single, ubiquitous emcee. The man has yet to find that reliable partner in rhyme. He hasn't discovered a C.L. Smooth to his Pete Rock, a Guru To His DJ Premier, a B-Real to his Muggs, an Evil Dee to his Buckshot. Until, maybe now.

Enter in fellow Queens native Meyhem Lauren. A relative unknown to most, but to those who keep their ears to the mixtape grindstone he's an emcee that we know is more than capable of handling the job. A seasoned veteran of both the Queens streets as well as Queens recording booths, Meyhem is primed and poised to become J-Love's go to guy. After dwelling for a time in the 718's mixtape purgatory, Meyhem started appearing here and there on J-Love tapes. More importantly he was making the most of those appearances. While Meyhem had previously worked with such established DJ's as PF Cuttin, there was little doubt when he started working with J-Love in 2004 who he worked with the best. The similarities between J-Love and Meyhem didn't stop with just a penchant for rocking Polo attire either. They both possess a love for real hip-hop and they both have that very matter-of-factly way of stating things. The two seemed to be overall very well suited to run wit each other and collaborate on music.
I don't know if they knew right off the bat that they had a compelling chemistry, but anyone who had a pair of fully functional ears most certainly did. A distinct voice and delivery all his own, combined with a dense vocabulary and razor sharp timing, Meyhem impresses with a fluent calmness. Splicing together hardcore imagery with small grains of knowledge and manifesting a presence on the mic that reassures the listener that he's much more than your average boulevard dreg...he's a guy that puts some true deliberation into his print and nine times out of ten, delivers highly diverting material.

Naturally, it didn't take J-Love and Meyhem long to realize that they needed to bring the world their allied vision of a boom bap album. In the form of J-Love's prolonged and elusive conquest the idea for a DJ/Producer double disc album was born. For all that had been waiting to see if J-Love could transfer that production magic that he exhibited with regularity on his mixtapes, here layed the answer. An answer and an opportunity for the young Meyhem who has been searching for a way to make noise through his no-nonsense and truthful approach to rapping. Finally, Here's what we have had to anticipate for such a long while. Here was something that was finally gonna be worth it.

From beginning to end "Acknowledge Greatness" forces you to concede to exactly what the title states. Track after track is something great, something old, yet new, and something that makes you whisper to yourself, "damn, that was nice". J-Love flexes his production chops like Arnold on the stage of the Mr. Universe competition. He absolutely outdid himself for this project and blessed the world of hip-hop with a heap of unforgettable, boom bap infused beats. Whether concocting upbeat, harp string laden joints like "Wartime" or taking the hardcore route with pounding kicks, over sinister piano loops and perfectly timed DJ scratches on "Major League", J-Love proves he is nowhere near losing a step in the "instrumental arrangement" department. While all the beats are to be marvelled at, the soulful and funked out sample work on joints like "Rockin Chair", "Stay Sharp" and "Change" are huge components of a stellar production effort and really added the icing to an already delicious multi-layered cake. I could literally write a book about the production on this joint. J-Love keeps you mired knee deep in endless and accessible beats that should earn him the ultimate respect amongst critics and his industry peers alike.

Even though the production serves as the glossy veneer that will draw you in to it, at the end of the day it's the lyricism that "Acknowledge Greatness" contains that will keep it in your CD rotation for years to come. Fans of classic albums with astonishing wordplay like "Capital Punishment" and "Only Built For For Cuban Linx" will definitely dig this excursion into the main emcee's J-Love and Meyhem Lauren's belief's and thought processes. Spitting lines like "I seen artists go and switch they plans/to get new fans, forgettin' about the ones they had." on the track "Change", it's no secret that Meyhem holds the current state of the game largely in contempt. The recurring theme of advocating the return to true hip-hop aesthetics rings out amid Meyhem's witty pop culture and clothing brand references. Hammering home a message that if you don't pick up on by the end of the second disc, well, maybe your just better off turning in your hip-hopper card. Meyhem is technically skilled yes, but he's far from an un-relatable geek on the mic. Intricate, yet street approved rhyme webs are weaved everywhere on this album when he drops brazen lines on the Tragedy Khadafi assisted "Runnin Around". Reciting "Saran wrappin', zip lockin', tag poppin', watch rockin'/....Snow coppin', blow choppin', street boxin'/Stay Alert cause' the D's Watchin'", he keeps it simple, but interesting. Meyhem achieves the common wave length when he keeps things pastoral but easily can switch it up and speak on any subject scholarly or otherwise. Perhaps his best moment on "Acknowledge Greatness" comes when he focuses on a theme and trades baseball war stories with J-Love. "Subway Series" is a brillant ode to Queens's love affair with the Mets and their rivalry with the Yankees. J-Love and Meyhem sound like two regular old sports fans as they go back and forth arguing why who's team is the superior. It's a performance that almost makes you forget about J-Love's incessant awkward delivery when rhyming. J-Love's ceaseless clumsiness behind the mic doesn't take away from the project much however. Basically because although what he's saying is sort of off beat, it's usually something that I can feel. On top of the saavy production and top notch lyricism, the A-List of guest emcee's is far superior to anything else that has been dropped in the past two to three years. Everyone from M.O.P., AZ, Kool G Rap, Ghostface, Theodore Unit, Tragedy Khadafi, Killa Sha, Roc Marciano, Thirstin Howl III, Animal, Cappadonna and Old Dirty Bastard all drop through and contribute to an excellent record.

If J-Love and Meyhem set out to create a classic album that is sure to be remembered as one of the most slept on projects from the east coast in 2008, then they have wholeheartedly and completely reached their goal. J-Love eclipsed any previous production load he's ever dropped and gained some ground in his new ventures in emceeing. Simoultaneously, Meyhem has officially arrived and now should be arduously considered as one of, if not thee brightest new hardcore emcee out of New York City. Anyone who longs for Hip-Hop in it's most cutting and seasoned form will undoubtedly feel quenched after running through "Acknowledge Greatness".

-BIG D O

Baby Sham - The Best of Baby Sham Mixtape

For all of us that dearly miss the super group Flipmode Squad, that was comprised of Rah Digga, Rampage, Lord Have Mercy, Roc Marciano, Serious, Spliff Star, Baby Sham and led by our then dreadlocked hip-hop hero Busta Rhymes here's something that should help you through your tough times. It was the late 90's. Busta had already experienced a heavy amount of solo success and had begun ushering his crew more toward the spotlight and tried developing them all into being more acceptable toward the mainstream. By Busta's direction or maybe an outside force the collection of polished and decent emcees began a deconstruction process. Before you knew it Rampage was out of the picture, Roc Marciano, Serious and Lord Have Mercy left the group, Digga was tryin to break into Hollywood and the young, promising, prospect known as Baby Sham was never really given an equal opportunity as the rest of his peers to show what he could do. For everyone like me that was a fan of the young man's wordplay here is something to smile about. The good DJ Sylent has decided to throw together an official "Best Of" mixtape for Sham, cementing what I had known for years; that he was a special talent that due to the cut throat nature of the business got the cold shoulder right when he was primed to make big things happen.

It might seem like I'm just hyping Sham up, but in all honesty I felt he was a more than worthy lyricist and a nice compliment to the Flipmode picture. A lil' bit more than a mixtape rapper and a lil' bit less than a great lyricist and song writer. He routinely found a way to stand out amongst his highly capable crew and had a tremendous flow. Mainly remembered for his dynamite verse off "Cha Cha Cha" (and his matador outfit he wore in the video, lol) Sham was considered one to watch from the jump. The youngster from Queensbridge with the distinct New York accent has done a little bit of growing up since the days of Flipmode's only decent group album "the Imperial". Sham has survived the dismantling of his once dominant team and managed to work his way up from a qualified 6th man, to a starting position. Sham is now one of the general's in the Flipmode army and has earned his keep quietly. While he's been busy many have slept, but just in case you aren't a huge mixtape connoisseur and your not on the net much, here's a new mixtape from Sham that contains everything duke has been working on. A nice mix of Sham's finest moments and some joints that prolly snuck by you at some point, this is sure to get you reminiscing about those good ole' days and what could have been had the original Flipmode Squad stayed intact.

-BIG D O




01. Intro
02. Golden
03. You Cant Kill Me
04. Match The Name Of The Voice
05. Salute Me
06. Against All Odds
07. Just For You
08. Do Somethin About It Ft Busta Rhymes
09. Where U Think U Goin
10. Got Damn Ft Prodigy of Mobb Deep
11. Hook It Up Ft R Kelly
12. Cha Cha Cha Ft Busta Rhymes
13. When U Come Round Here
14. Sham Shout Outs
15. In The Club
16. I Gotcha Back Ft Flipmode
17. We Can Take It Outside
18. Hit U With That Heat
19. Give It To Me Ft Busta Rhymes
20. Whatever U Want Ft Busta Rhymes
21. How I Feel
22. I Got U Open Pt 2
23. He's A Problem
24. What U Kno Bout Sham
25. Do Myself Ft Spliff Starr
26. Sham Shout Outs Pt 2
27. Set It Off
28. Shoot Em Up
29. What It Is Pt 2
30. Work Your Soldiers
31. Here We Go Again
32. Sham Shout Outs 3
33. Straight Spittin
34. Run 4 Cover
35. My Story

http://rapidshare.com/files/142624849/848Y5H4M-BOBS.rar

Gutta - Heads Will Roll

LOL!!! I doubt I've ever seen an album that was featured on so many people's blogs and the first words they uttered about it were either exactly "I Don't know who Gutta is, but Blue Sky Black Death Produced the majority of this" or something very close to that statement. I guess Gutta might be getting the short end of the stick, but I gotta keep it real too, I don't know shit about him niether. Still, I'm not sure that BSBD production has to be the selling point for this album. I know that I'm a huge, huge fan of the ultra cohesive production duo outta Frisco' that go by the name Blue Sky Back Death, But I think that people are in for a surprise with this new guy Gutta. But back to what everyone wanna hear; BSBD kills this album production wise! Their eerie loops and boom bap infused percussion is very reminiscent to that of early Rza and the two have already been flagged down by a few Wu-Tang affiliates to produce some projects here and there. I am much more familiar with them, then I am with their newest collaborator Gutta. I tried diggin up a little bit of info on Guts but I didn't find too much other than the facts (I think) that he's from Arizona and that he's been featured on A couple of J-Ronin mixtapes. The second fact I think bodes a lot more for him....J-Ronin is a crazy new tape DJ and doing anything with him usually means your nice....Another positive note about Gutta would be to say that he posseses an intense delivery and is a great match for BSBD's production. While many will dismiss him as just some joe blow from the desert, I think that mentality is a grave under estimation. Which is another reason why this CD is worth checking out. Everyone is gonna load this into they lil' MP3 player and be pleasantly surprised by how lyrically versatile the gun toting image on the cover can be.....make no mistake, I'm not saying that Gutta is gonna re-write Illmatic here, not at all, but I think that this is a quality debut effort and that he did a lot better than most cats do they first time putting somethin' out....

Okay, so now i'm done writing my review that tried intently not to make everything be about BSBD's production...lol, so you'll remember my review over all the others out there...seriously though, I think this was a nice move for all parties concerned. BSBD proves once again their about the music, not the big names and Gutta makes what should be a lasting impression. Check out "Reality Check" and "Missiles".

-BIG D O




01 - Thrashin'
02 - Beware
03 - Where I'm From
04 - So Much Shit
05 - Walk With Me (Feat. Vinnie Paz)
06 - Reality Check
07 - I Know
08 - It's Raining
09 - Riddler
10 - My Triumph
11 - Missles
12 - Gutzilla
13 - This Is My Life

http://rapidshare.com/files/142249368/guttamusic.rar

The Soul Assassins and DJ Nino Brown Present...The Joker Brand Mixtape

For years I've been a loyal follower and supporter of The Soul Assassins, Cypress Hill and Joker Brand....Some things I supported more than others, lol. While I didn't rock much Joker Brand gear, I did like and appreciate a few of the shirts Estevan Oriol designed, and I've always liked Mr. Cartoon's art man.....and being that those two are the driving force behind the brand I had to give em' they props. I've actually heard the brand is huge out in LA now....who woulda thunk it? I remember when the brand was in it's infancy. They had a whole bunch of lil' ads in the Source Magazine with Alchemist, Infamous Mob, B-Real, Muggs and random Chicano actors/personalities all rocking their Jeans, t-shirts and hoodies. It was ill man...a lil' grass roots clothing brand outta LA that spotlighted the fashion etiqquette within Chicano street culture. I liked that the esse's out there was doin they thing, trying to come up, but I never really thought that it would grow into something so large out there. I mean they took a small clothing line that specialized in Plaid shirts and dickies and now they're a multi-faceted business, specializing in not only fashion but top of the line Car rims, tattoos, profesional photography and of course music. Indeed, these cats surprised me. Glad to hear they're still doin it man...the west coast needs talented people like the Soul Assassin and Joker Brand families....

This right here is I guess a newer mixtape with a lot of older music on it. It's from DJ Nino Brown, who I am assuming is out the Soul Assassins camp or involved in the underground LA DJ scene. Anyway, the older music on this tape is pretty much a rundown of what type of music Soul Assassins as a clique is responsible for. Included are a grip of Cypress Hill classics as well as just some newer bangers from some of LA's finest like Omar Cruz's vicious "Gangsta Music" featuring The Game and Dago native Mitchy Slick's "Ain't My Fault". This also has a plethora of dope production on it from LA natives like Alchemist, Muggs, Rome and more. Cypress Hill protege's Sick Symphonies have a large presence on here as well. Mainly in the form of some of Sick Jacken's joints from his and Muggs's "The Mask And The Assassin" collabo album.

If your ready to hear some of LA's most talented, hardcore, street emcees's and producers then check this out. It's a can't miss. Hope these guys all keep going and making that real LA shit.

-BIG D O




01 DJ Nino Brown - Intro
02 DJ Muggs vs. Sick Jacken - Mask And The Assassin ft. Cynic
03 Cypress Hill - Stank Ass Hoe
04 DJ Muggs vs. GZA The Genius - Those That's Bout It
05 Dilated Peoples - No Retreat ft. B-Real
06 The Alchemist - Boost The Crime ft. Sheek & Jae Hood
07 Mitchy Slick - Superstar ft. WC
08 Omar Cruz - Gangsta Music ft. The Game
09 The Psycho Realm - The Big Payback
10 The Alchemist - Hold You Down ft. Nina Sky & Illa Gee
11 DJ Muggs vs. GZA The Genius - Smothered Mate
12 Mitchy Slick - Ain't My Fault
13 Cypress Hill - Killafornia
14 The Psycho Realm - Lost Cities
15 Cypress Hill - Southland Killers ft. MC Ren & King Tee
16 The Alchemist - Tick Tock ft. Nas & Prodigy
17 Mitchy Slick - Make Your Money ft. Xzibit
18 Cypress Hill - Cuban Neck Tie
19 Cypress Hill - A To The K
20 Cypress Hill - Killa Hill Niggaz
21 The Psycho Realm - Psyclones
22 The Psycho Realm - Needful Things
23 Cypress Hill - The Last Assassin
24 DJ Muggs - Third World ft. GZA & RZA

http://rapidshare.com/files/142693516/2008_-_Joker_Brand_Mixtape_The_Soul_Assassins__DJ_Nino_Brown_Presents_.rar

Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol 5. Dil Cosby Suite

Madlib is literally one of the most tireless guys in the hip-hop world...Jesus man...he churns out work at a breakneck pace constantly and the amazing part about that is that most of it is pretty decent, if not down right nasty. The man is a hard worker and talented....The west coast, hip-hop production world's version of Jerry Rice. I know hip-hop and I know hard workers and Madlib is the absolute definition of both. I never have to wait too long to hear something from duke and that's always a big plus in my book. While it sounds like it's an easy thing to just sit around and make music it's not. Repetitively droppin' ill shit to a fanbase of primarilly staunch, underground heads can get a lil' tricky. Madlib's early work with The Lik's was ill, The Loot Pack album was nice, "The Unseen" as Quasimoto was nuts, then he hooked up with MF Doom and the late, great J Dilla to produce and collaborate on wonderful albums....not to mention his Mind Fusion remix tapes are underground gold. So with all that and his Instrumental "Beat Konducta" series routinely spoiling his hardcore fans, the bar for his material is always set very, very high. Yet, he always comes through and manages to appease his followers and critics alike. Truly, I've never read a bad review regarding a new Madlib project.

The last edition of the Beat Konducta series was "Beat Konducta In India"; a thorough jaunt into some of the most precisely picked Indian music and movie samples ever, chopped, looped and re-arranged by Madlib in exquisite fashion. He out did himself and I thought for sure he was gonna leave it at that for a long while. Not a chance. Madlib has returned in the midst of producing more than a few new projects with "The Dil Cosby Suite". I don't know the exact science behind the title, but I know it has something to do with Madlib's old buddy J Dilla, whom these Instrumentals are dedicated to. Madlib does a few really worthy Dilla impressions but also fuses his style into the beats contained on here. It's magical man...I played this in the background all day while cleaning up my crib....it's just really good music. Madlib has begun to crossover into the realm of just overall "great music composer", rather than "good hip-hop producer". I urge all the Dilla fans to grab this. Few friends could have put together a more beautiful ode to a lost loved one. Props to Madlib for being a true hip-hopper and expressing his memories through his music and not a t-shirt, a shout out or anything else that lasts for about 2 seconds. I don't put up a lot of instrumental LP's these days, and for good reason. After hearing someone really put some time, thought and effort into one the proper way, it's tough to dish up one that lacks the excellence displayed here.

-BIG D O




1. For My Mans (Prelude)
2. The Mystery (Dilla’s Still Her)
3. Beat Provider (Through the Years)
4. J’s Day Theme #3 (Support)
5. In Jah Hands (Dilla’s Lament)
6. Get Dollaz (24-7)
7. The String (Heavy Jones)
8. Two For Pay Jay (No Dough, No Show)
9. No More Time? (The Change)
10. Do You Know? (Transition)
11. Dirty Hop (The Shuffle)
12. Floating Soul (Peace)
13. Infinity Sound (Never Ending)
14. Rolled Peach Optimos (Call Day)
15. The Main Inspiration (Coltrane of Beats)
16. The Get Over (Move)
17. Shades of Pete (Super)
18. King Chop (Top Line)

http://www.mediafire.com/?jyidykzvwyg

The Mad Rapper - Appreciate The Hate...The Mad Rapper Chronicles Vol.1 Hosted by Statik Selektah

I'mma start off the first of September by postin' up a new helping from one of my all-time favorite producers, emcee's and hip-hop alter ego's. The Mad Rapper AKA Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie has for most of his career been known as a member of Bad Boy Records's original Hitmen production team. Along with such great names as Chucky Thompson, Easy Mo Bee and Nashiem Myrick, The Hitmen personified the mid 90's east coast sound and D-Dot was an integral part of that team.

Many heads might not know it (partially due to the fact that Puff was so good at hogging the spotlight and the publishing credits) but D-Dot was solely responsible for producing a myriad of Bad Boy's biggest hits and some of the biggest hip-hop hits in general in the mid and late 90's. From Biggie's "Hypnotize”, Jay-Z's "Where I'm From", and of course the joint that was rockin' on everyone's radio all day in 97' "It's All About The Benjamins", D-Dot was the man behind the boards for too many of our dopest street joints that crossed over back in the day. No question D-Dot was a talented producer, no question at all....but it would be his gift for humor that would eventually put him in the spotlight. Utilizing a loud, foul-mouthed and high-pitched New "Yawk" accent D-Dot would delve into these hilarious skits on many a Bad Boy artist's album and would have you in stitches. Most of the time the skits would follow a cat named "The Mad Rapper", who was well, he was always pissed off. LOL, more specifically he was always pissed off about not having a record deal. It was golden...I don't care who you were or what was happening you couldn't help but crack a smile during those Mad Rapper skits....lol, but then the unthinkable happened; they gave the Mad Rapper a deal....

Yup...it happened, The Mad Rapper was finally given a chance to drop a record. D-Dot would name it "Tell Em' Why You Mad" and yes the central character was his alter ego The Mad Rapper. It was a move that I was tremendously excited about and even though most staunch hip-hop heads routinely down play how good it actually was, I think it's one of the most overlooked albums from the beginning of this decade. First and foremost "Tell Em' Why You Mad" would introduce the game to a brash young upstart from Queens named 50 Cent, who would put practically the entire industry in his cross hairs with the song "How To Rob". Not only that, but The Mad Rapper's lone opus would also be one of the first big work assignments for a then little known beat maker out of Chicago named Kanye West who was D-Dot's production protege. It was a compilation style album and featured many of hardcore hip-hop's best and brightest including Raekwon, The Beatnuts, Busta Rhymes, Black Rob and Eminem. It did fall short in some of the collabo areas...(who the fuck was Picasso Black, Rambo or The Leonards?) but for every relatively unknown emcee, there was an infectious, head-nodding beat to distract you. Production has always been D-Dot's strong point, and unfortunately, his reciting of verses in character only proved that fact tenfold. While we all love the raucus, swashbuckling street attitude that D-Dot channels through The Mad Rapper, the fact remains the stuff he delivers in character can get a lil' over done and veer into ridiculous land at times. Although most of his verses are very concise and his flow is on time, he would've been considered nothing more than just a gifted mixtapes rapper today. Still, when I saw this new project from him I rushed to it.

For whatever it's worth his only album wasn't a terrible disaster, nor was it a breakout hit. LOL, these days that could mean it was damn near classic! Seriously though, it was very memorable and many including myself have been eagerly awaiting somethin' new from D-Dot. So here we are...almost 9 years after he first introduced The Mad Rapper to the world, Deric Angellettie re-emerges with "Appreciate The Hate..The Mad Rapper Chronicles Vol.1". A collection of new material that he's either produced, rapped over or his new protege Frequency has produced. He makes a strong showing and has not lost his extensive connections either. This project boasts a host of up and coming artists including Papoose, Joell Ortiz, Wais P, DV Alias Khrist and my favorite Making The Band member of all time E. Ness. They all come through and bless D-Dot in his new endeavor and that's important if he's trying to mount a comeback. I liked how he reached out to the hottest DJ doin it at the moment in Statik Selektah too. That's a great choice because Statik is a legitimate talent as a DJ, not just one of these sorry ass new jacks spinnin CD's and loading up a laptop. His name holds weight with real heads and it proves that D-Dot has kept his ear to the grindstone as far as who out there is truly nasty. And Of course, what new Mad Rapper jumpoff would be complete without some skits? They all are hilarious and they all have meaning....just as they used to. Straight disrespectful status baby! lol, yeah, this is a fun mixtape and for good measure the back end is filled with a few joints from the previously mentioned "Tell Em' Why You Mad" album. A move that kinda had me displeased in a way, but I realize he has to educate the youngin's that don't know who he is. All in all this is pretty worthwhile...jam packed too; has a good 20+ tracks on it. Maybe we might be able to get another album out of D-Dot yo...lord knows it did my heart good to see that old Mad Rapper logo on the front of this as well as his Crazy Cat Catalog label imprint on the back. But ya never know. Best of luck to him anyway.

-BIG D O




01. Statik Who? (Intro) [01:09]
02. Where Are All The Mad Rappers At? (Interlude) [00:52]
03. Carried Away [01:44]
04. Eye For An Eye (Feat. D-Dot) [01:41]
05. Gun Shots (Feat. E.Ness & Aasim) [01:15]
06. And Them Some... (Feat. Cory Gunz) [01:49]
07. Blogs (Interlude) [00:58]
08. Incredible [01:26]
09. They Comin' (Feat. Wais P the Pimp) [01:49]
10. Disco Freestyle (Feat. D-Dot) [00:43]
11. Give it to 'Em (Feat. D-Dot) [01:43]
12. Gangsta Music (Lose It) (Feat. Ceion) [02:51]
13. Brooklyn Lets Go! (Feat. Red Cafe, Maino, Wais P the Pimp, Papoose & Joell Ortiz) [03:05]
14. Get Off Me (Feat. Ceion) [02:30]
15. Statik Selektah (Interlude) [00:14]
16. Baby [01:49]
17. Magic [01:14]
18. I'm From Brooklyn (Feat. D-Dot) [01:03]
19. Breather (Feat. D-Dot) [01:46]
20. The Corner (Crazy Cat Remix) (Feat. Wais P the Pimp & DV Alias Khryst) [02:49]
21. A Rap Story [04:00]
22. Live From The BBQ (Feat. D-Dot, Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., E.Ness, Black Rob & Aasim) [03:29]
23. What You Gonna Do? (Feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & 50 Cent) [02:31]
24. Bongo Break (Feat. Busta Rhymes) [03:22]
25. Stir Crazy (Feat. Eminem) [01:54]
26. The Ghetto (Feat. Carl Thomas & Raekwon) [04:24]
27. How To Rob (Feat. 50 Cent) [03:54]
28. Statik Selektah (Outro) [00:27]

http://rapidshare.com/files/141562641/The_Mad_Rapper-Appreciate_The_Hate__Hosted_by_Statik_Selektah.zip

J-Love Presents...Joell Ortiz - Who's Nice?

Well, here we are, another summer gone and we all brace ourselves for the impending winter months. Just in time for the fall doldrums and the painstaking seasonal chores of having to wear more clothing, waiting in the bitter cold for the ubiquitously late metro bus and staying inside entirely too often, J-Love drops a crazy ass new mixtape to help remind us that winter is still the best season for bumpin' good ole' New York, boom bap hip-hop. Yeah, sitting atop freezing cold plastic seats on the city bus while you try your hardest to ignore the vagrant who's in a drunken stooper across from you staring intently at your neck is definitely a hard thing to do. Luckily your an old vet and you know that nothing zones you out in tough winter situations like an interesting and talented lyricist. Joell Ortiz is just that lyricist and if you don't know who duke is, where the fuck have you been the last 2 years?

Joell's lyrics do provide a nice escape from the everyday bullshit that we all routinely endure, but even if I slept on bags of money, Halle Berry was the face I rolled over and woke up to every morning and life in general was fucking lovely, I'd still mess wit Joell's music. He's inexhaustibly talented and at times he displays flashes of brilliance. Flashes that many say are very reminiscent to the late, great Christopher Rios AKA Big Pun. While I am a lot more cautious when it comes to the incessant Pun comparisons, I will admit that Joell does have that great character and personality in him that does remind me a lot of Pun. For the most part however, they're two totally different guys and emcees, and Joell would be the first one to tell you that; Another reason why I like what he's about.

I'm assuming that Mr. Ortiz is looking to bounce back from his somewhat unfortunate Aftermath signing and subsequent release by generating what landed him a deal at Dre's label in the first place: Street buzz. Yes, Joell is very apt at shaping a nice niche' for himself in the minds of many a underground head as well as battle rap enthusiasts. His challenge now I suppose would be to maintain that oh so coveted status and maybe grab a few new fans. Well, I can attest that he's taking the hardcore approach and sticking to his roots. Anyone that's featured on a J-Love tape is going to get some well deserved attention from the real heads. We know how J-Love rolls and it ain't with no clowns or so-so rappers. He's a real DJ and he's done good by putting out a tape with Joell. It's not really surprising though....J-Love gets around to all of our favorites at some point or another....having done tapes with Tragedy, AZ, Kool G Rap, Cormega, Guru, The Wu and many others, J-Love has proven he's one of the guys that won't turn his back on the true school. That makes for a perfect marriage on "Who's Nice", because Joell is the modern day version of what many of us used to consider a "great" prospect and J-Love has always worked well with young, hungry and talented artists.

There's some great material on here and some of Joell's best joints ever like "125 Grams Pt. 5" and "125 Grams Pt. 4" lead the way. "Legend Of Pun" provides a nice tribute to an inspirational figure in Joell's life and the lives of so many other Latinos and displays Ortiz's humility. Coupled with some of his illest guest spots this is a worthy "best of" type of mixtape, but I can't hide my disappointment with the lack of exclusive material. In Fact, the only true "exclusive" that I heard on this was the insanely good "Night In My P's" Remix ft. Big Noyd that's produced by J-Love.

-BIG D O



01. 125 Pt 5 Man I'm 05:17
02. Memories 02:21
03. Night In My P's Remix (Feat Big Noyd)prod. by J-Love 02:42
04. Lil Fun 03:03
05. Hip Hop Remix (Feat Jadakiss & Saigon) 03:20
06. 4 In A Clip 04:28
(Feat Nino, Bless, Kool G Rap & Styles)
07. Stomp Thru (Feat Smiff & Wessun & Ruck) 03:12
08. Chyna White (Feat Kool G Rap) 02:31
09. 50 Shots (Rip In Sean Bell) 02:25
10. Relax 03:06
11. Ups And Downs 03:13
12. 125 Pt 4 The Finale 05:41
13. Letter To Obama 01:37
14. Here The Next 02:05
15. 125 Pt 1 The Bio 05:25
16. Chances 03:19
17. Legend Of Big Pun 05:57
18. Doing It (Feat Gloria Velez) 03:29
19. Warfare (Feat Joe Buddens) 02:43
20. Brooklyn Lets Go 02:55
(Feat Mad Rapper, Maino, Red Cafe & Papoose
21. Summertime In Bk 03:27
22. You Lose 01:26
23. Tag 03:13
24. We Run Ny 02:27
(Feat Tru Life, Tony Touch & Lumidee)

http://rapidshare.com/files/141473432/Joell_Ortiz-Whos_Nice_Hosted_By_J-Love-Bootleg-2008-.rar

Brooklyn Academy - Bored Of Education

Back again is one of the most fundamentally sound and purely well rounded groups from NYC; Brooklyn Academy ya'll!!

After so many underground mixtapes, solo LP's, shows and guest spots Brooklyn's magnetic trio from the Park Slope section of the borough comprised of Pumpkinhead, Block McCloud and Mr. Metaphor have finally released their debut group album "Bored Of Eduction". Coming complete with Pumpkinhead's witty lyrics, McCloud's special harmonization and Meta's healthy work ethic this effort is sure to please both the cats that have been following them since their subterranean emergence sometime in the mid-nineties and their new un-schooled fans....

The release of "Bored Of Education" is pretty well timed....in the next few days we'll see new albums from Tru Master, Termanology and Diamond D, that all of which I expect to be really good. This album belongs right beside the ones previously mentioned. I know this because like the rest of their rabid fan base I have been following each of these guys and their affiliates for some time and I know that they are firmly dedicated to the true and authentic sound of Hip-Hop.

Sprinkled amongest the raw, highly enjoyable production and the dynamic group framework is a modest but effective list of guest contributions. From longtime collaborators Jean Grae, Will Tell and War Bixby to newer and more recognizable affiliations like Killah Priest, Keith Murray and Ill Bill, every guest spot is well thought out and very relevant to the song. A nice consistency that adds to an already very strong presence that all three emcee's display almost effortlessly throughout.

While I do think that this album has a few weaker moments here and there, for the most part it's a full meal, coming complete with a healthy amount of meaty metaphors that you'll wanna replay over and again. The Dexterity that Brooklyn Ac displays on here is very cohesive and all three rhyme artists shine, but it's Pumpkinhead who steps forward and in my opinion, time and again proves he's the standout of the group. Not to take anything away from Block and Meta, lord knows they blessed us substantially this time around and also brought forth some insane production, but Pumpkinhead was on his "A" game. After you hear this in it's entirety you'll be forced to agree that the Puerto Rican wordsmith is un-rivaled on this go round' when it comes to clever 16's.

All in all this is a superior product. All newbie hip-hoppers need not grab this. You won't understand, and this is a University-level course in real NYC underground hip-hop kiddies. Those who lack the needed credits will be wait listed indefinitely. Those who have been studying up get ready for one of the illest classes you've ever taken, instructed by the most talented professors in their field....hope your not a visual learner!

-BIG D O



01. One (Intro) (feat. Jean Grae) 01:31
02. Raise Ya Hands (feat. Jean Grae) 05:46
03. We Don't Play 04:33
04. Message To Brooklyn (Skit) 01:34
05. This Is Brooklyn (feat. Ill Bill) 05:05
06. That's Brooklyn 04:22
07. The Growler 03:45
08. Hide (feat. Fresh Jones & Keith Murray) 05:22
09. Tear It Down 04:36
10. Blame It On The Alcohol (Skit) (feat. War Bixby) 02:31
11. Splash (feat. Killah Priest) 05:25
12. Black Out (feat. Jean Grae) 05:03
13. Suicide 03:55
14. Close Your Eyes (feat. Skam 2) 04:24
15. Back In Effect 03:55
16. What's The Buzz (feat. Will Tell) 03:40
17. Nothing You Can Do (feat. Jean Grae) 03:54

http://rapidshare.com/files/140432803/Brooklyn_Academy-Bored_Of_Education-2008-C4.zip

Video: Statik Selektah ft. Cassidy, Saigon & Termanology - Take It To The Top

Statik Selektah feat. Cassidy, Saigon & Termanology - "Take It To The Top"

Whoa...that's all I can say to describe this beat man...truly an ill production. The video has a nice laid back touch too. Got the whole round table effect goin'....shows three of the nicest new cats comin' up spittin they verse while they partake in a freshly rolled L and sit in a dining environment. I liked the footage of Statik cuttin' too.....That's hip-hop baby!

-BIG D O

A Night To Remember: Barack Obama Accepts The Democratic Nomination To Become The President Of The United States Of America

Tonight was simply history....Like millions of other Americans I watched in Awe as Barack Obama became the first African American to accept the Democratic nomination in my surrogate hometown of Denver, CO. He spoke eloquently and boldly while bringing many in the crowd to tears with his riveting speech and imperishable accomplishment. I've been a supporter of Barry's for awhile so I guess I'm bias, but nevertheless I must say that I thought that Senator Obama was magnificent. He answered his naysayers, he quelled his detractors and more than anything he showed a nation that if they believe in themselves they can in fact, create a real change. It was only fitting that it was forty eight years ago today that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington D.C.. A speech and a "Dream" that would forever change the way that millions of people looked at race, politics and the world. Today, the great King is surely smiling down on one Barack Obama, who's speech will surely be remembered for years to come as well.

-BIG D O