Showing posts with label Record Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Record Reviews. Show all posts

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Lil' Mama and the dillemas of the female MC

Despite the hype surrounding Lil' Mama's album because of the single "Lip Gloss", she put out an album that is suprisingly more hip hop than people think. I assumed that Lil'Mama was some kind of gimmick, but I was wrong.

Not that you would confuse her for Public Enemy or anything, but unlike other artists, Lil Mama knows who she is speaking to and chooses to speak to them to either to make them dance or make music that is uplifting and thought provoking. From an artist with a name Lil'Mama, you say? Well, when was the last time you heard some of the premier female MCs we got today talk about such things as females having self respect (like in "L.I.F.E"), or condeming men who refuse to grown up and girls who throw their lives away(like in "Stand Up")? Or how about the song "College" about a girl who visits her father in jail, showing how the "thug life" and its consequences breaks up families? I'm not naming any names, but I haven't heard that subject matter come from the any stripper turned rapper female artists out! But suprisingly, Lil' Mama touches on this and more on her CD.

Also, the album has many varying hip hop sounds from DC go-go, to dance pop, to straight up hip hop. The response to this album (sagging record sales and people not really feeling her)reflects the dilemmas of female MCs and how they are marketed by the record companies. Its the record companies and major corporations that have for years dressed up the female MC as a rapper/stripper. However, when they marketed Lil'Mama, it was as a gimmick, with the whole "Lip Gloss" and all the radio songs on here. The album packaging alone is a put off; guys wont buy it the way they would buy a Lil'Kim or Da Brat album because its too "girly", and females in the age range the record company is going for want to buy the latest R&B pretty boy thug. The record cover doesn't even reflect her image; she's not a "Barbie Doll" of rap like the packaging suggests.

When I got this album I thought Id just put it to the side, but then I listened to it, and after I did, I found myself wanting to see this young MC who speaks for the young people, as she says, grow as an artist. Wherever she ends up, since she'll probably be dropped for low record sales, I look forward to seeing what she does next.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

THE HUSTLE GROUP!

I got this CD called "The Compilation" from this group called The Hustle Group. Who is The Hustle Group"?The Hustle Group is a group of young brothers making a comeup in the music industry. It consists of three artists. Rotimi is the cool R&B singer, Dre Dub is the cocky, grimy, blunt MC, and J Loonz is the lyrical, creative rhymesayer.

What I like about this group is they got variety. Dre Dub makes the club bangers, J Loonz does hip hop reminiscent of mid 90s "Golden Age" rap, Rotimi is the type of singer who though you could hear him on the radio, he's not commercial R&B and evokes soul in such a way he could be a "neo soul" singer. In what each of them do, they show their skills and truly shine on their respectable tracks.

From what I heard on their album titled "The Compilation" include J Loonz "Igniter". J's got skills and it shows on this excellent track. Some may object to the subject matter (smoking weed)but the tracks tight. Another track which stands out is "Alerp At Ya Boy!" where Dre Dub rips it up on this club track. Rotimi is soulful on "Heart Saying".

This is a compilation which seems to serve as a demo of this groups skills. Only thing I can suggest is that they each should do an album. Out of each of these stellar artists, I'm waiting for what comes next!

Monday, May 05, 2008

MICEVE "FROWNS"

I got a CD from this young MC named M.I.C.E.V.E and it’s pretty tight. Though he’s got an array of influences which you can tell from his flow and the music he uses, he brings youthful energy and a hot delivery along with an awareness of the realities and corruption in the hoods of America.

Even though he’s real when he tries to show where he’s coming from, there is a certain intelligence that he brings with it. He’s not just trying to “wild out” or “get crunk”, he’s talking about prostitution, crooked police, and even entertainment and its influence of black youths.

Coming out of Dayton, Ohio, the home of many legendary funk artists, he’s reppin’ a new generation of artists with hip hop. I liked his sampling of souful slow jams on the first two songs of his CD “Frowns”. With his various beats and styles of music, he creates powerful anthems of ghetto angst and anger.

Though some of the production is low budget and pretty rough at times, I still found some songs I liked, such as the “Pimps Commodity” and “Copland”. I’d like to hear what this MC can do with more resources. Most artists who got the big budget record deals got the beats but no skills on the mic. Plus, he talks about stuff most of these MTV cats won’t even touch. Check out his CD on his site, he’s also on Myspace!

Friday, January 25, 2008

The YMD:Excuse Me, This is the Yah Mos Def

The YMD is an alternative/punk/hip hop group from Philly. This music reminds me so much of the Beastie Boys when they started and this other group called the Bloodhound Gang. One of them sounds like a young Ad-Rock! The tracks are basically very rough around the edges but great to listen to; simple yet catchy. This album brings me back to the 90s when there was that whole era of rap/punk/alt rock mixtures. If you want something different, new, energetic and fresh, check out YMD on EMUSIC, Amazon and on Myspace!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Mr Rashad-Mind State


Real hip hop doesn't come easy that much anymore. Just seeing the "BET Notarized" a couple days ago, the top 100 videos of 2007 only had one real hip hop artist, Common. The rest were the usual hip pop stars and starlets that permeate the radio stations in every station owned by the same company in every city in the USA.

So, when I find something real and underground, I expect something that will have me thinking this is some real music. Thats why I decided to check out Mr Rashad.With a cool album cover like this of a boombox radio as a head, I knew this had to be interesting. Here I thought that this was going to be some music that would be so unlike all the stuff on BET.

However, this album was good. What this group delivers is straight up beats and rhymes. There is alot of sampling and elements of blues, jazz, soul, and funk. The dudes can definately rap, and the tracks, though they sound low budget, bump.

There are a couple of items I would suggest as feedback. Some of the songs on here are good but end abruptly. I was getting into such songs as "Success", "The Stretch" and "Say A", but they would end, making me think that this was a promotional sampler as oppossed to a real album.

The album did have some high points which I enjoyed. There was the sample of one of the songs from "The Mack" soundtrack on "Can It Be" and the bangin' beat on "Live It Up". All in all, if you like an album of just straight up hip hop to just chill out to, then this is for you. I would personally put "Can It Be" and "Live It Up" on my Ipod.

You can get this album on Emusic.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Jay Eff Kay-America Suicide Notes Vol 1

Political and "experimental" rap is not easy to pull off. Wise Intelligent and Public Enemy do it well with their firm black radical/Nation of Islam/5% beliefs. Other rappers like Talib Kweli and Mos Def are political but don’t put their music out in such a way that makes you think they are. The problem with political rap is that it can be boring. Hip Hoppers don’t like to be preached to, and its like pulling teeth to really get something like voting or protesting done if the audience doesn’t give a damn in the first place. Back in like the early 90’s or so there were groups like The Consolidated, The Goats and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, which put out good albums and did good shows, but they produced nothing more than a collective yawn from hip hoppers. The reason they were not successful was not that the music wasn’t good, it was just too serious, and nobody but a very small audience cared. Presentation is everything, and rapper Jay Eff Kay raps and reflects on politics and life in the crazy suburbs and shows and proves that you don’t have to be from the hood to be wild and crazy; Middle America is crazy enough!

Jay Eff Kay is wild, and he’s what I would describe as Eminem if he only had a brain! When I heard Eminem’s song “Mosh”, hyped up to be such a political song because it was anti-Bush and was supposed to coincide with the 2004 presidential election, I was disappointed by how mediocore it was! Jay is somebody who did everything he thought he was supposed to do. He went to college, got a job, but then he got fed up and decided to rap. Jay had a high paying job too, but rather than beating the crap out of his boss, he uses music to unleash all his rage that experience produced. He can talk political, but Jay doesn’t just talk politics. His album is divided into the 3 acts: the superego, in which he talks about politics and current events; the ego, which has some personal reflection on who he is and where he’s been, and the id in which he goes wild with songs about sex and wanton violence.

Jay Eff Kay has metaphors and tons of punchlines and a wicked sense of humor. I’ve listened to tons of MC’s, but Jay is one of the rare instances of a rapper so in tune to current events, who can spit it all out in one song and make it sound interesting. He touches on the religious right, immigration, Amy Fisher, Facebook, paranoia in the age of terror, and everything that defines living in post 9/11 America. My favorite song has to be one called “Den of Rats”, in which Jay raps about the corporate takeover of the world. He makes the point that the political parties are all the same and they are owned by the same companies and people. Though I like everything Jay raps about, the music is good but the production is alright. With every change from id to ego to superego, the music changes and fits his every mood.

There’s an audience for this music, and if given a chance this album could do really well. For anybody who’s ever been pissed off at the system, or anybody who’s pissed about everything going on in the world today, this is for you. Vulgar, cynical and sarcastic, this is good music.

Check Jay out on his website. He's also on Myspace!

Monday, September 03, 2007


Public Enemy:How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?

I think it’s the truest thing to say that this hip hop generation, which was born when Public Enemy first came out in 1987, looks at Public Enemy the way that people my age (I started college when PE’s second album came out) used to look at the Last Poets. Despite Flavor Flav and his antics on the VH1 channel, I think the kids today would listen to PE and have that reaction when I first heard the Last Poets and think “What Is This?” I couldn’t accept this brand of rap at first even though it was a major influence on Public Enemy and many other artists of the time. Rap has changed in many ways, but when you listen to this album you realize that Public Enemy has not changed.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I started listening to Public Enemy back in 1987 when their classic album Yo! Bum Rush The Show came out. At the time, this album and the group was the cutting edge of hip hop. Chuck D is quick to remind people on this album that they have been 20 years in the game. In 1988 they dropped the bomb on the Hip Hop nation, “It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back”. This was hands down the most influential record in rap history. So much changed after this record came out, and it ended a lot of careers of artists who came before. Of course I had to buy “Fear Of A Black Planet” the day it came out. That was in 1990, and I remember they did a memorable concert that year for the Howard University Homecoming.

Then along the way PE started trying to “expand” their audience. They had always put rock music in their music like Chuck D’s favorite rap group RUN DMC, but with the record Apocalypse ’91, they took things to a whole other level. I like rock music, but I think going on tour with Anthrax was okay, but they just got swept up in all the commercialism that went with that. Also, the crowd that liked PE started to change, and a bunch of people wearing “X” caps to advertise the Malcolm X movie would’ve sat well with me if I knew that these kids really knew who Malcolm X was and weren’t following some fashion trend. It was starting to look bad; the fall of PE was inevitable.

After Apocalypse ’91, shortly after I graduated from college; and moved on to focusing on buying into some of the newer stuff that was coming out. I didn’t buy the next album; I hated the title and the first single. I didn’t bother buying the next album, or the one after that. I got the “He Got Game” soundtrack from a friend who gave it to me. So this album is the first PE album I have brought(through Emusic) in like 15 years.

This is my impression of this album. It sounds like PE was in a time capsule for like 10-15 years, came out and released an album. The old days of the Bomb Squad production team and their layers of sound on top of sound is long gone. Now, the production that is used includes simplistic funk music sampling used by rappers in the early 90s, rock guitars (of course!), generic rap beats and tracks and even some techno/industrial sounding stuff. Maybe the emphasis is their message, or maybe it comes down to the simple fact that anybody who is still listening to PE doesn’t really care about the production; and it’s a given that PE wont be calling Timbaland or Jazze Pha for ideas! My problem with this approach is that for me, it simply doesn’t work!

What about PE’s politics? PE has not strayed at all from what they used to say in the old days of rap. The black male is still under attack, black men are still part of the prison population, and PE is still harassed by the Feds. Maybe there is some things I don’t know about this album, but why does PE seem so oblivious to the realities of 9/11 America? Why say the same old things when its not the same time or the same situations? Then there’s Flavor Flav. He raps as though “Flavor of Love” never happened. Maybe this album was made before “Flavor of Love” #1, but I thought before I listened to this that Flav had some explaining to do, but I heard nothing. Flav is a very good rapper, and he has some classic songs under his belt, like “911 Is A Joke” and “Can’t Do Nothing For Ya” from the House Party soundtrack. I would’ve loved to hear something like that on this record.

But on a lighter note, one thing can be said about PE’s aging pro-black message. Even if you’ve grown and you aren’t thinking about these type of issues PE addresses like you did in the past, PE is still here to say that all this is still relevant and important. That’s why I could stick with PE; despite the mistakes Chuck and Flav have made, you will still have to respect their conviction. Some might say that especially Flav is phony and a one man minstrel show, but I really think that these guys are for real.

So who will buy it? I think that there will always be a market for PE; aging rap fans who remember when listening to PE was “cool”. Most of these people can’t like today’s rap no matter how much they try; for them T.I. might mean “Totally Ignorant”. There’s many other types of PE fans, and there will always be PE fans all over the world who, despite the simplicity and inconsistency of their music, message and actions, will always want to hear PE remind everybody how messed up things still are for black people in America.

Favorite songs: "
How You Sell Your Soul...
" sounds like that ol'school PE I was used to, one of the better songs on the album
"Black Is Back"great to hear a James Brown sample being used, and its great to hear a rapper say Black Is Back; I havent heard that in a long time.
"Harder Than You Think" I like the guitar and the soulful feel of this one
"Amerikan Gangster"liked the guest rappers flow
"Escapism"-like the funk sample in this, Chuck does a spoken word routine where he touches on the Iraq War, black males being under attack, and knowing your history.
"See Something, Say Something"-favorite beat on the album, Chuck raps about the Panthers and black politics of back in the day and how PE fits into that and its relevance for today. He also gives an interesting twist on what a "snitch" is.
"Eve of Destruction"-great song that wraps up the album; kinda sounds like a techno/industrial/rock spoken word piece.
Download off EMUSIC, or buy from Amazon. Check out Public Enemy's site.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The Pack and "Hyphy"

I've been promising for a long time to do an entry about the "Hyphy" group The Pack. Now this Hyphy thing at first I thought it was merely a bunch of Bay Area rappers trying to revive their careers, but when I picked up the latest issue of Murder Dog I found out that this is big in the Bay!

That brings me to this group called "The Pack". I've had this CD since January and I am finally doing my review of it. Being in Washington DC, I can tell you right now that hyphy isnt to popular here. Its not on the radio, and people dont take it all that serious. The average kid will look at you crazy if you talk about hyphy. I mostly get any Hyphy off Emusic, thats my #1 source, which has the whole Thizz Nation catalog. One funny rap that I found which talks about Hyphy is MC Lars "White Kids Ain't Hyphy"

But anyways, The Pack is the real deal, hyphy wise and even just as a rap group. These guys look like the bad azz kids I see hanging out at the local Mickey D's. Their music is about as Hyphy as it can get. Some of their songs remind me of that ATL bass music I heard on the radio when I went to Freaknik back in '94. They got mad energy, style (they made Vans cool!)and talent.

On their first EP entitled Skateboards 2 Scrapers, we are introduced to the Pack with such songs as Vans, Shining, and Freaky Boppas. Throughout the CD there are nice tracks with slow beats and they bump. The "Shining" track reminds me of the old school Electro stuff. Freaky Boppas would sound great in the club! Too Short lends a rap to the Vans Remix. The lyrics are pretty raw, so if you are offended by the use of the "B Word" and the "N Word", this group isnt for you.

The success of the EP has led to them being able to put out a full length album. They are the next generation of this Hyphy thing, and after E-40 and Too Short retire, they will rep the Bay Area to the fullest.

Check out the video for "Vans" on YouTube! Their website is The Pack Online!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

BEST OF 2006 (at least in my opinion)

The whole concept behind Nas' album Hip Hop Is Dead set off a bunch of reactions and debates in the hip hop world and pissed off alot of artists like Young Jeezy.

I've come to the conclusion that hip hop is what it is depending on what people are looking for and where they are looking. Hip hop is dead if your only sources for it are mainstream radio, BET and VH1 reality shows.

The mainstream hip hop which they are talking about the same old stuff is what is pushed by major corporations. For other types of hip hop music you might want to try a site I always promote, EMUSIC.

Here is a list of my personal favorites from that site:

My personal favorite is "The Death of Willie Lynch" by Black Ice. Black Ice is part spoken word artist, part MC. On songs such as "The Ugly Show" and "Take Ya Time" (ft. Musiq Soulchild), Black Ice mixes social commentary with real street stuff. On "Take Ya Time", Black Ice raps about how women should wait for having sex, and on the Ugly Show, Black raps about the whole New Orleans/Katrina fiasco. Who says that rap can't be positive?



This great album by Jay Dee aka J Dilla was a compilation of the passing producers unreleased joints. It does sound dated, but this should be getting more radio play still. This record has real hip hop jams like EMC2 with Common. Most of it will sound like the sound of the 90's. They even have D Angelo on this album, and it sounds so new.

The essence of hip hop is the freestyle and for those who like freestyles you all should check out 4ourty 4our Freestyles, a collection of some hot freestyles by artists capable of doing it. The best freestyles were by Canibus and Supernatural.

I don't expect radio to play MF Grimm, but with such songs as American Hunger, he addresses issues related to black youth and how they are affected by racism. He seems real popular with backpackers and young white lefties, but he is the embodiment of anti-corporate, straight up NYC street rap, but he can still talk to a more broader audience than Saigon or Papoose.

Akir to me is a hot MC that reminds me alot of Talib Kweli. On his record called Legacy, He has many radio songs or songs that could be hits, but he's just too real, and he can actually rap unlike the artists on the radio and he raps about real stuff you can relate to.

I've gotta give props to M1 of Dead Prez for putting out a solid record, Confidential! Check out the song "Dont Put Down Your Flag". For obvious reasons, you wont hear him on the radio! But it is more than worth hearing.

I know many people have a problem with the Holy Hip Hop movement, also known as Christian rap or gospel rap. People say that its fake, and that religion and rap cant mix. However, with MCs like R Swift (Revolutionary Theme Music) and Rob Hodge (Born King), it's getting harder to ignore the HHH movement! Pigeon John is thought by some to be more or less a Christian rapper, but I think that he's been doing what Lupe Fiasco is trying to do now. He's a hot MC, he's talented, very laid back, but no radio airplay! Check out "Welcome to the Show".

Another movement in rap is the Chicano rap movement. The Mexican rappers of Los Angeles and San Diego are practically taking over and picking up where Death Row records left off. The formula is simple; the textbook is Dr Dre's "The Chronic", the godfathers are Frost (formely Kid Frost) and Mellow Man Ace (the first Latino rapper with a hit) and the innovators are Jay Tee of N2Deep and Cypress Hill. Two impressive MCs in this are Shadow (Hustle by Blood) and Wicked (formely of Eazy E's Latino supergroup Brownside) (One Out of Many). Check out their records for some Cali livin'.

My personal favorite is the album by the group 40 Watt Hype (Strong Feet On Concrete). This truly impressive Latino/salsa/hip hop/funk group put out a brilliant album. This genre bending, innovative album is just too good for radio.

In conclusion, I like what Nas is saying, but its not so much that hip hop is dead as it is that nobody is buying real hip hop, but its available! The limited exposure that real artists get is the real problem, and points to bigger issues that are bigger than hip hop itself.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Record review: Ras Kass "EAT OR DIE"











Ras Kass 2007 to me is different than Ras Kass 1996. Before, he was the MC I knew for deep thought provoking material like "Soul On Ice" and "Nature of the Threat". But,a brotha gotta eat(hence the name of the CD), so Ras Kass is a lil subtle, not really putting out that deep Chuck D type stuff. He's more about NWA (Niggas with Attitude), not really NWO (New World Order). This record he put out is kinda a mixtape, kinda a freestyle mix, but its all Ras Kass!

Review of each song: Intro: This has samples from various drug flicks, echos, and a british voice talking about drugs, and another voice talking about guns. Drugs and guns, the Ras Kass of 2007!

Mange ou Maurir: Ras is doing his bit of boasting and talking about crack, along with a sample of the movie American History X; this sets the tone that its all about money and murder on this CD!

Eat or Die: This song is a real banger here; talking about robbery, sex, hustlin' to get paid no matter what. HOT!

KOTW-Songs got a cool chorus, talking about being the hottest MC in the West Coast in some lines. I think this is the song that set off his beef with rapper THE GAME. It's alright.

She Choosin-Alright song that talks about being at the club.

It's A Beautiful Thing-Very NYC East Coast type beat; I like this because this song got the hottest lyrics!

Better feat Jay 211-Ok beat, wasn't really feeling it, rhymes are typical of Ras Kass, and another NYC beat. Alright.

Whip It-An alright song with a sample of Rick Ross. Not really feelin' it.

Brains In the Mud-Ras is talking about shootin' in the chorus; kinda tight.

Realness freestyle-Ras freestyles are off the hook! HOT!

The Perfect Woman-You can skip this one. Wasn't really feeling it.

Medusa (featuring Nas)-I expected this to be a duet with Nas, but it turns out to be a sample of Nas on the chorus. Chorus was funny, though.

Capital P (w/Mobb Deep)-Average. Mobb Deep just arent as good as they used to be.

Get It In (featuring Alchemist)-Finally, a really hot beat on this CD by Alchemist! This is a real pick up for this CD.

Transferred (featuring 40 Glocc and Spider Loc) This was the song that reminds me of Ras Kass 1996; where he is talking about the plight of the black male. Plus, I always wanted to hear 40 Glocc and Spider Loc, hearing about them so much around the net. Excellent track!

All Day (featuring TQ)-This is hot, had me nodding my head, and he's basically rhyming about being locked up and not having anything to do all day. Nice beat.

Playboy (featuring Lloyd Banks)-Why is Ras Kass not a member of G-Unit by now? With all the features by Aftermath and G-Unit soldiers, and the beef with THE GAME, I guess its a moment of time?

My Blog (featuring Whoo Kid, Coach PR)-Too funny; makes fun of Myspace gangstas and people (females especially)posting pics on sites that aren't them.

Homey, Lover, Friend- Talkin' about that ghetto luv!

Fed Up-Ras's final is just letting off steam about how both white folks and black folks are messing up his career, so who can he trust?

Staying on the IPOD: Eat or Die, Jungle Love, Its A Beautiful Thing, Transferred, All Day

Check out the CD on EMUSIC and AMAZON!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

NAS-HIP HOP IS DEAD
Nas's "Hip Hop Is Dead" is quite a stellar collection of hardcore NYC tracks. What I liked about it was that it was typical Nas-gritty urban drama laced with an updated version of the 90s Queensbridge gangsta sound. Its the musings of one of the last men standing in a day and age when rap is dominated by alot of non NYC corny MF's who are making monotonous commercial crap rap.

A review of each track:

Money Over BS- This cut has a nice melodramatic track, though the beat is okay, its got those lyrics about street life values and its a good opener to the album.

You Can't Kill Me-This song has a strong beat, and he's talkin' about hitting a spot, you know, the club, and this kinda reminds me of his "It Was Written" album. Me being a Capricorn, I dug the lyric "Son of a capricorn, my Dad's a Don."

Carry On Tradition-He's talking about this new school of rappers he don't like, but paying tribute to the old school rappers, and the need to take hip hop back to its roots!

Where Are They Now-Roll call of old school rappers to a James Brown (RIP)beat. Dope.

Hip Hop Is Dead-I thought this was the best song; I liked how he used the Iron Butterfly sample (the song is called In A Gadda Da Vida, for all who dont know. Of course this is all over BET, dont know if the radio is liking this though.

Who Killed It?-Sounds like one of those mobster Soprano type songs; I liked the beat at the beginning, kinda reminded me of Rakim's "I Aint No Joke".

Black Republican-Straight up, this was some fire from 2 great rappers of the same era, and its got a hot beat, lyrics and is a good radio type single. Plus the title, though vague (I dont know too many RICH Black Republicans, or Black Republicans known for their wealth), I know what they are getting at.....

Not Going Back-Starts out with a skit about a drive by; kinda chilling that this would be taken so lightly......

Still Dreaming-I like the Kanye beat, and Nas is talking about not being a lazy nigga.......

Hold Down the Block-Another of my personal favorites on the album, its got a hot chorus and a hot beat, and he's talking about, well, holding down the block.....

Blunt Ashes-I dont know why, but this song reminds me of "One Mic", which was good, but this song is so-so.

Let There Be Light-By now, the hip hop and street life thing has worn thin, but I like the chorus of this song and Nas's flow on this one.

Play On Playa-Another song about street life with Snoop Dogg sampling Marvin Gaye. Original....

Can't Forget About You-On this track he samples some song from the 50s, with a basic hip hop beat and something you dont hear to much in hip hop these days, some good ol' DJ scratchin'

Hustlers-Song with the GAME; good to hear them on a track together, but not the greatest.

Hope (Acapella)-gospel sounding ending to album; choir sings "Hip Hop will never die, Hip Hop is forever." Amen to that.

IPOD KEEPERS-Hip Hop Is Dead, Black Republican, Hold Down the Block, Can't Forget About You, Let There Be Light

SONGS I LIKE BUT WONT STAY ON THE IPOD: Money Over BS, You Cant Kill Me, Where Are They Now, Still Dreaming, Play On Playa, Hope (Acapella)

SONGS THAT ARE "ALRIGHT":Carry On Tradition, Who Killed It, Not Going Back, Blunt Ashes, Hustlers

BUY ON AMAZON!