While DeVaughn’s niche lie in his penchant for love melodies, The Love & War Masterpeace additionally sees him tackle subject matter of a political and social nature comparable to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On?. “Black & Blue” touches on a dark side of affection; a volatile love in which he pens a letter to a female companion, consistently a victim of domestic abuse. He colorfully paints the intricate details from late night 911 calls to a constant constant fear of her life. Wale joins his DMV brethren for a groovy, uplifting number dedicated to the ladies on “The Greatness”. Even his foreboding lead single “Bulletproof” sees the soulful crooner touching on the world’s misfortunes on all fronts, both “here, overseas and across the waters” before giving way to an aggressive Ludacris, who delivers another show-stealing feature from his vast catalog.

For a project over an hour in length, feature-laden tracks are few and far between yet stand out nonetheless. The epic “Nobody Wins a War” sees DeVaughn accompanied by a bevy of neo-soul cornerstones like Jill Scott, Bilal, Anthony Hamilton and Dwele as well as relative newcomers like Algebra Blessett and Chrisette Michele for an optimistic reflection of the violence occurring worldwide. DeVaughn remains political as he enlists Dr. Cornel West to guide the album while Damien Marley arrives to wax apocalyptic visions with Raheem over the Issac Hayes-sampled “Revelations 2010?. G.O.O.D. Music’s Malik Yusef supplies spoken word pieces to open and close the ethereal ballad “Fragile” as Raheem’s supple vocals glide over the rising soundscape, echoing a request for complete trust and the most “fragile” part of a woman’s being: her heart.

Of course, Raheem DeVaughn stays true to his craft, supplying beautiful love compositions for behind closed doors. “Mr. Right” and “My Wife” are nearly companion pieces; the former, an expression of DeVaughn’s desire to practice monogamy while the latter sees him recounting past experiences before taking the ultimate step in his commitment to his partner for life. Masterpeace also features no shortage of sincere babymakers including the steamy sessions of “Bedroom” in addition to the oral sex innuendos of “Microphone” without becoming excessively raunchy. Reminiscent of Quincy Jones’ “Secret Garden”, Raheem DeVaughn reaches the climax of a lovemaking session on the stellar “Garden Of Love” and even manages to playfully compare and contrast the difference in intimate lovemaking and female one-on-one action with her favorite toy (“B.O.B.”).

An infusion of the blueprints of his predecessors combined with his own trademark sound and style have led Raheem DeVaughn to unimaginable heights on his latest opus. Outside of a few somewhat lengthy interludes and a choice questionable track (“The Greatness”), The Love & War Masterpeace is nearly flawlessly in its execution. Borrowing heavily from the template set by Marvin Gaye with What’s Going On?, the self-proclaimed “R&B Hippie Neo-Soul Rockstar” contributes a masterpiece of his own to the genre, securing his place with one comprised of both sincere love and socio-political awareness. This is his Baduizm, his Urban Hang Suite, his Words & Sounds Vol. 1, his Voodoo; unfortunately, it is this once-in-a-lifetime listening experience that will be nearly impossible for him to match for the remainder of his career.

5 spins (out of 5)

An opener exuding Rae’s trademark charm, “Are You Here” exhibits an intimacy not seen on records in today’s music scene. The rising and falling tempo molds perfectly with the songbird’s silky vocals as her heart calls out to her late husband in remembrance of their tragically, short-lived time spent together. The Sea coolly advances into the lead single “I’d Do It All Again”, a soaring yet heartbreaking record that was penned a few months before her husband’s untimely passing. It beautifully chronicles the definition of marriage: a lifetime commitment to the vows one takes in front of God as well as practicing the art of loving and forgiving. The jazzy sounds of “Feels Like The First Time” are amplified by tinkling piano keys that echo a dreamy Corinne, recalling the innocence of falling in love; simpler times like late night phone calls into the wee hours of the night or the first kiss shared between two aspiring lovers.

The closest example of an R&B record, “Closer” sees Rae pursuing an epic love (one almost mythical) while “Love’s On Its Way” features the artist patiently wandering through endless thoughts of aspiring love behind an eerie, nearly nonexistent backdrop that beats from within the darkest recesses of her soul. The final two records, “Diving For Hearts” and “The Sea”, bring this opus to a fitting close as “Diving” finds Rae metaphorically diving to the darkest depths of her emotions, in search of her gentle yet still beating heart. Corinne Bailey Rae comes full circle at the close of the album as she willingly cedes herself to “The Sea”, due for a thorough cleansing as the grief is washed away. Closure is found in a fitting goodbye to the love of her life.

The simplest approach of critiquing this record would be a likening of it to her adventurous debut (the closest instance of such comparison being “Paris Nights/New York), but this work stems from an artist at their most emotional peak; unwilling to conform and dealing with their loss. The Sea is a therapeutic piece of self-expression as Corinne Bailey Rae echoes a sea of emotions over lush soundscapes, which unpredictably shift from titanic heights of happiness to unimaginable depths of heart-shaking grief. Yet her heart whispers to her to press onward. Like Picasso at the peak of his abilities, Mrs. Bailey Rae produces another enchanting mural of the power that everlasting love can have over one, stroke by delicate stroke.

4.5 out of 5 spins

Edited by Kingsley “Young Kingz” Osei

The Element Of Freedom

J Records/MBK

Producers: Alicia Keys, Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, Jeff Bhasker, Swizz Beatz, Noah “40″ Shebib

Since the dawn of her career, Alicia Keys has been a critically acclaimed musician as well as a philanthropist and media darling, contributing to non-profit organizations around the globe as well as co-founding her own, Keep A Child Alive. With a musical career that includes twelve Grammy wins and over 30 million records sold worldwide, Keys appeared to have everything she could dream of… everything that is but love. 2009 saw reports of a rumored relationship with divorcee Swizz Beatz blanketed by rumors that she was the cause of his divorce from singer Mashonda. With The Element Of Freedom, Alicia Keys seeks to finally address her new found freedom and at the same time, exhale.

A brief spoken word guides listeners into the delicate “Love Is Blind”, a standout which finds the singer expressing her thoughts on negativity hanging over her head through a voice that almost does not sound as if its her own. She defiantly addresses doubters and naysayers who feel the need to express their opinions on circumstances surrounding the origins of her personal relationship with producer Swizz Beatz. Soft piano keys dramatically compliment the songstress’ supple vocals on initial single “Doesn’t Mean Anything”, an mature number where she recounts all the material items she’s amassed and how worthless they are without that special someone to share her joy with. The previous record impeccably transitions into Keys’ second single “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart”, an inspirational ballad dedicated to those who have experienced shattered love and using a trip down memory lane to fuel her to finally let go.

The songbird promptly reverts to her bread and butter, heavily relying on the piano on “Wait Til You See My Smile” and “That’s How Strong My Love Is”, the latter seeing Keys reverberate vocals similar to a vintage Mariah Carey. The midway point of The Element Of Freedom includes the only collaboration(s) on the project. The only “official” collaboration comes in the form of “Put It In a Love Song” where she unites with fellow diva Beyonce on a track that reeks of Mrs. Carter’s “Single Ladies” and would have been better served on her next project instead. The uncredited cameo on Freedom comes courtesy of Drake, who administers background vocals to “UnThinkable (I’m Ready)”. An aura of vulnerability encases Alicia on “UnThinkable” as Drake’s in-house producer Noah “40″ Shebib merges her succulent yearning with the trademark aesthetic created on So Far Gone to craft a painfully beautiful and lovestruck record that may prove to be the benchmark for tracks concocted prior to and for the duration of her career.

Alicia Keys continues to exercise her newfound freedom, stepping outside of her boundary box to provide the 80’s inspired “This Bed”, crying out for her love to join her for a passionate rendevaous beneath the covers. The album comes to a perfect conclusion as “Distance & Time” tackles the idea of long distance relationships before concluding with the sequel to her collaboration single with Jay-Z, “Empire State Of Mind”. Part II is more elegance than flash in comparison to its predecessor and while sans Jay-Z, Alicia Keys pays homage to the city that groomed her and undoubtably proves that she is the biggest reason why the original became a #1 record.

With The Element Of Freedom, Alicia Keys provides yet another great record to install in her small (yet growing) catalogue as she continues to slowly grow and expand before the public’s very eyes. While there are a few misfires (“Put It In a Love Song” comes to mind), these flaws are rendered null and void due to the excellence of songs like “UnThinkable” and “Like The Sea”. With Freedom, Alicia Keys takes listeners on a lush journey, one that showcases her consistency as well as a foundation of strength, vulnerability and ultimately, hope.

4 spins (out of 5)

“Am I my brother’s keeper or for himself, every man?” (c) Malice: “Freedom”

“We in the same group, but I don’t share my brother’s pain” (c) Pusha T: “Freedom”

2009 saw cocaine rhyming re-infiltrate hip hop’s core, boosted by dope (pun intended) records from Cam’ron, Raekwon The Chef and finally, The Clipse. Joined at the hip since birth, the Thornton brothers strive to find their own “voices” on their third studio album entitled Til The Casket Drops. While their initial offering blessed both the streets and the club (Lord Willin’s “Grindin” & “When The Last Time”), their critically acclaimed followup saw the pair in a state of paranoia (“Nightmares”), the results of cocaine powder being their formula for success (“Keys Open Doors”). Til The Casket Drops sees the brothers return with their hat trick as “the third time’s the charm”.

Most well known as (formerly) apart of Sean Combs’ Hitmen crew, Sean C & LV contribute an intense, yet soulful opener in “Freedom” as The Clipse discover their inner duality and proceed to bombard the track with two potent verses, exhibitions infused with their trademark disgust, resentment and introspection over epic guitar riffs. While both brothers’ verses illuminate Casket, it is Pusha T’s perspective from within his own mental prison that “finally give critics a verse of his to jerk off to”. The Hitmen provide another jewel in “Never Will It Stop”, a slight glimpse back to The Clipse of old, the trinity effectively reunited as Re-Up Gang member Ab-Liva provides some lyrical testimony of his own next to his kinfolk. The always controversial Kanye West joins the Thornton brothers on the DJ Khalil-produced banger “Kinda Like A Big Deal”, an future anthem that finds the egocentric West right at home as he out-boasts the two brothers with a number of witty quotables.

Familiar piano keys grace fan favorite “Popular Demand (Popeyes)”, which sees a long anticipated collaboration of The Clipse’s finally develop into fruition as Killa Cam provides one of his trademark playful cameos and together, the pyrex trio “dance with the stars, stepping on blow, doing a toe-tap”. Other contributions from Chad & Pharrell consist of the Yo Gotti-assisted “Showing Out”, highlighted by a backbreaking verse from Malice as he passionately indicates his disgust with hip hop’s continued deteoriation (”Common loved H.E.R., I wish I never met her/ They slutted her out, there’s nothing left to treasure”) as well as initial single “I’m Good”, the celebratory centerpiece of the record that finds the cocaine handlers appreciating life and its vast riches.

It is damn near second nature for The Clipse’s major label releases to be consistently tormented by delays, but Til The Casket Drops ultimately delivers a full course meal and is well worth the wait. The Neptunes cultivate the bulk of The Clipse’s latest opus (they were the sole providers on previous Clipse projects) and The Clipse continue to flourish over their sound as evident on the stellar banger “Door Man” and the Thornton brothers’ synth-happy victory lap, “Champion”. At only thirteen tracks, the album is concise yet still plagued by filler. “All Eyes On Me” is a mediocre pursuit of attention from the masses as guest Keri Hilson appears lost amongst the sonic soundscape and The Clipse provide her no help as they drown in virtually virtually unfamiliar waters (the next track, “Counseling”, fairs somewhat better in this regard). Production-wise, MVP DJ Khalil finally misses a last minute jumper with “There Was a Murder” as the lyrical one-two punch sound bland and bored amongst the island-tinged beatbreak. In essence, Til The Casket Drops sees the lyrically formidable pair stray away from the darkness, forseeing prosperous days ahead yet maintaining lessons learned, hints of pyrex still enveloping their hands.

4 spins (out of 5)

The aptly titled “Triumph” sees the quick witted emcee flexing his lyrical prowess over Dave Sitek’s probing, horn-infused beatbreak. Southern veteran Bun B joins Wale on “Mirrors” as the twosome wax poetics on those individuals who choose to “fake it ’till they make it”. The emo record that appears to be prerequisite for hip hop albums nowadays comes in the form of “90210″ as Wale touches on females with cocaine addictions and those that suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia. Great idea, but flawed execution bring down the record, however.

“Diary” comes as a refreshing opposing viewpoint of women from “90210″ as Wale pens a heartfelt letter to his lady, a woman having a hard time opening up her heart after many failed relationships while the refreshing Marsha Ambrosius glides over The Sleepwalkers’ dreamy backdrop. “TV in The Radio” sees Wale teaming up with K’naan for a quick lyrical blitzkrieg with the latter effortlessly delivering arguably “the” verse of the entire album as well as providing hook duties. The haunting “Contemplate” sees Wale at his darkest aided by Rihanna’s echoing coos contemplating what exactly is his “place” in hip hop before uniting with Roc Nation signees Melanie Fiona & J.Cole on the soulful “Beautiful Bliss”, the smooth, feel good jam of the album.

Producer Best Kept Secret contributes two gems to the project in the form of “Shades” and “Prescription”. The former sees Wale aided by arguably the premier go-to songstress for hook duties as Chrisette Michele provides her nostalgic croons while Wale sincerely recounts issues with colorism he suffered during his childhood, jealous of those with skin lighter than his. The mellow “Prescription” brings Wale’s hyperactive debut to a firm conclusion as the DMV’s frontman searches for just the right “medicine” that hip hop has desperately been in search of.

Critiquing this album can easily find reviewers between a rock and a hard place. It is commonly looked down upon to feature so many artists on an album (especially a debut) as it takes the attention off of the artist whose project it is in the first place. While many features work (Jazmine Sullivan, Bun B), some are out of place (Gucci Mane) and some even overshadow that of Wale’s, specifically J.Cole’s toe-tagging of “Beautiful Bliss” and the desolate wasteland K’naan leaves “TV in The Radio” in. Another issue that proves problematic is the inaccurate sequencing that Attention: Deficit suffers from. On the bright side, there is a little something sprinkled here for everyone: feel good joints, social commentary, potential singles and self-reflection for the man himself. There are alot of great records presented, but Attention Deficit (as a whole) appears to be a water-down carbon copy of the Wale that fans fell in love with, the MC talent who was once inspired by Seinfield to craft a mixtape about “nothing”.

“Jay-Z is not selling drugs anymore and has went from a Brooklyn boy who rapper to a business [...] Jay-Z closed the old book and started a new one while Nas has been stuck on the same book, same chapter since Illmatic damn near”.

I agree with the statement that Jay-Z is not selling drugs anymore and transformed himself into a business, but wasn’t Jay, not 2 years ago, rhyming about drug dealing/hustling on American Gangster? After the release of the critically panned Kingdom Come (an album of Jay’s that I enjoy), Jay-Z went right back to rhyming about drugs on the critically acclaimed American Gangster. Jay recently rhymed on BP3:

“I move onward, the only direction

Can’t be scared to fail, in search of perfection”

Why then, instead of rehashing familiar territory with American Gangster, did Jay not ignore critics and fans alike and proceed with an album in the vein of The Blueprint 3 after the “dud” that was Kingdom Come? A familar rhyme from Joe Budden comes to mind in this situation: “Are we hustling or are we grown up? Every time I hear you, you changing your tone up”(Joe Budden: “Talk To Em”).

Like Nas, Jay is an artist that will always be compared to his greatest work, his debut album. When it comes to Nas however, he has continued to grow as an artist since his debut. He went from the young visionary on Illmatic to painting the Mafioso lifestyle in his own image (i.e. the aptly-titled It Was Written) to a prophet on I Am… & Nastradamus. Stillmaticsaw a return to form for Nas while God’s Son saw him at his most naked emotionally. Street’s Disciple saw growth into a conscious emcee and a family man while Hip Hop is Deadsaw an elder statesmen concerned with the dying art-form and finally, Untitled saw him lyrically at his peak since Illmatic, a politically conscious emcee. It was also on Untitledthat Nas showed that he had firmly slammed the door on his magnum opus and the gift/curse of his career, Illmatic.

Jay’s career has seen great heights on a commercial scale, but his catalogue artistically has seen its share of duds. For an emcee to call themselves the greatest, should they not present their best effort on every album? When you look at both emcee’s catalogue, the odds are definitely in Nas’ favor as he has 5 arguable classic LPs (Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic, The Lost Tapes & Untitled) while Jay has around 2-3 in Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and American Gangster.

“Jay began to think globally while Nas only saw things locally, as his circumstances so did Jay’s lyrical content. [....] Nas may very well be the best NY lyricist while Jay is the better lyricist in general. Both are deserving of the title but only one has stepped up to the challenge and put the crown on his head. This is not just my opinion: look at the numbers, Jay has beaten Elvis! Jay has retired and came back while Nas has almost given up on hip hop”.

I’d say this was the part in her argument, which irked me the most. When it comes to both emcees, I agree that they are both artists in their own right, but to say Jay is a better artist or lyricist than Nas is flat out wrong imo. Jay proved long ago that he cares more about how many zeroes are in his bank account than about the art-form that hip hop is while Nas continues to grow as an artist and push the boundaries into unfamiliar territory. Another example would be the two premier emcees of the new generation: Lil’ Wayne and Lupe Fiasco. Lil’ Wayne continues to attempt to force his way to rockstar status and sell millions of records while Lupe can rap over rock-type instrumentals while still creating great music and selling a fair amount of records himself. Lyrically, when you compare the two however, there is no competition as Lupe is light-years ahead of Wayne and still relatively young into his burgeoning career. Is Lupe less of an artist for remaining true to his true fans yet still trying new things and not selling out to sell records while Wayne continues to attempt and force himself onto everyone in an attempt to sell more records? I think not.

At the end of the day, Jay-Z will have better numbers than Nas and will have enjoyed a better career than Nas due to the amount of records sold and money made, but when it comes to the essence that hip hop is and consistency in their respective catalogues, there is no comparison: Nas stands tall. Fin.

~ Royce Da 5′9″: 8-11 (Freestyle)

As regarded a city as there is in America, Detroit has buit as big a name as they come, boasting hip hop acts such as Elzhi, Black Milk and of course, the technically enhanced veteran, Eminem. Almost forgotten amongst the cold confines of the “D” is one Ryan Montgomery, better known as Royce Da 5′9″. After a year long stint in prison for a DUI, Royce sought to reclaim his hold on the underground, unleashing the initial two installments of his famed Bar Exam series, patching up misunderstandings with longtime friend Eminem and forming a lyrical juggernaut with the likes of Crooked I, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz in Slaughterhouse. Working under the radar with the legendary DJ Premier, Royce Da 5′9″ entered the studio diligently to finish up work on his long delayed, much anticipated Street Hop opus. With the Slaughterhouse project available for release and backing coming from some of hip hop’s greatest acts, Royce Da 5′9″ allows listeners to join him on his quest to be mentioned among hip hop’s elites and (in a way) escape the shadow of one Slim Shady.

Royce Da 5′9″ explodes out of the gate on the energetic opener, “Gun Harmonizing”. Backed by Emile’s melodic production, Royce likens his rhyming skills to that of an AK-47, even mimicing the gunfire with dramatic scatting on the hook before fellow Slaughterhouse mate Crooked I bats cleanup with a damn near show-stealing guest feature. Nickle enlists Phonte, one half of famed hip hop group Little Brother, for hook duties on the smooth “Something 2 Ride 2″, a slow burner produced by the legendary DJ Premier. Mimicing the execution of Premier’s use of a Public Enemy’s numerical sample on The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments”, Royce delivers punchline after punchline on the blistering “Count For Nothing”.

“Dinner Time” shows Royce literally as hungry as they come as he spends a little over three minutes devouring wack emcees, with even cameo legend Busta Rhymes becoming a morsel for the Detroit Native as he absolutely “toe-tags” Quincey Tones’ militant backdrop. The self-proclaimed “Sergeant Slaughter” is joined by the rest of his Slaughterhouse conglomerate on “The Warriors”, another Emile-produced gem that features the fearsome foursome unleashing two verses a piece, wrecking a cinematic backdrop with numerous quotables and Royce emerging from the destruction triumphant with two absolutely stellar verses. “Shake This” is easily another classic addition into Royce’s belt as the famed rhyme spitter reflects on past problems with alcoholism and prison time and details his journey of redemption, aided by Premier’s lush production.

Street Hop also offers a musical epiphany for listeners as Royce Da 5′9″ allows listeners to partake in his twisted thoughts for a few of storytelling murals, easily painting himself among the underrated when it comes to cinematic narratives. Listeners enter Nickle’s version of The Twilight Zone (nicknamed the “5′9 Zone”) on “Part of Me” as he details a pecuilar night at the bar for a young man who enters a beautiful dream in the form of a threesome with two gorgeous women before awakening to an ugly nightmare as the vixens numbed his body before a vengeful act of castration takes place for the unlucky chap. “On The Run” sees Royce incased in a hotelroom, gripped by a state of paranoia as he goes over the past 24 hours in an attempt to figure out exactly what happened to him. The subsequent track, “Murder”, acts as a Nas-esque “Rewind” as he recounts the bloodbath he witnessed the day before from start to end (which ties into “On The Run”).

Lyrically, Royce is a force throughout the album, bombarding each beat with relative ease and calm. Executively produced by DJ Premier, Primo possesses an excellent ear for beats, selecting excellent backdrops for Nickle’s rhymes to run rampant over. Royce even manages to dip his feet into commercial waters on “Thing For Your Girlfriend” and the autotune-laden chorus on “Far Away”. The biggest detriments to Street Hop’s case as a classic album are the lengthy tracklisting (clocking it at 19 cuts) and the inclusion of generic subject matter on obvious filler (“Gangsta”,”Bad Boy” and the useless skit, for example). With enough spins, the gangsta talk grows tired and its fire is eventually snuffed out. Noticeably missing (after the addition of the year old and previously leaked “Shake This” and “Part of Me”) is the classic “Taxi Driver”, an absolute gem of a record that was originally planned for Street Hop, but leaked as part of Royce’s The Revival LP and was thus, not included. With that being said, Royce Da 5′9″ presents another solid addition to his growing catalogue, but sees him still in search of that undeniable classic record that would elevate him into the company he thirsts to join: the likes of Jay-Z, Nas and his fellow Detroit friend/native, Eminem.

The Wizard commences his latest project with the uptempo number, “Not Your Average Girl”, and while Shareefa does the cut justice as Ghost’s “down ass chick”, it begs to wonder whether or not this track was crafted with either Keyshia Cole or Mary J. Blige in mind. The self-proclaimed “R&B Neo-Soul Hippie Rockstar” Raheem DeVaughn joins Ghostface for two cuts including the reflective 1st single “Baby”, in which he belts out an autotune-riddled chorus as Ghostface rhymes about the beauty and rigors (hunger cravings, yikes!) of pregnancy. The remorse depicted in DeVaughn’s hook duties on the soulful “Do Over” allow the Shaolin soldier an effective foundation as he laments over past indiscretions after his infidelity leads to the loss of his good girl, his “crown jewel”.

The somber soundscape of “Lonely” echo a different aspect of Ghostface’s, down on his luck and making himself heartsick at the thought of another man curled up at night with his girl with even his son unknowingly feeding into his detached state of mind: “Most of the time we watch flicks, on your Surround Sound, he watch boxing/ You better go beg or something, before she go love him/ He’s taking your spot cause you was dissin Mommy, you buggin/ They don’t argue, he send her flowers for no reason/ She’s cheesing… I’m wishing you could come back and see this”. It is also on the nostalgia-inducing cuts “Stay” and “Forever” where the wizard is his most sincere especially on the latter in which he promises forever to his one and only, backed by a mesmerizing instrumental.

While this “R&B” album virtually stands as uncharted territory for the Wu-Gambino, it is his detailed storytelling that continues to shine brightest through his expansive catalogue. The raw and uncut “Stapleton Sex” features Ghost at his best, presenting as vivid a sexcapade on wax as possible between he and wifey (assisted by the lovely Milani Rose) that would make even the late great Pimp C shudder. The piano key-driven Paragraphs Of Love is a theatrical masterpiece as Ghostface enlists singer Vaughn Anthony and UK superstar Estelle to articulate on the age old tale of “love at first sight” as Starks encounters another man’s pregnant fiancee, “the most beautifulest queen I’ve ever seen” who brings forth the inner gentleman in him as he questions whether she is in need of help and offers her sustenance. While many will recognize the backdrop as Rick Ross’ “Yacht Music”, Ghostface flips the Justice League’s triumphant horn-driven composition into “Guest House”, a concise, paranoia-infused epic that features the masterful storyteller on a crusade in search of his significant other, who he subsequently finds cheating on him with cameo king Fabolous.

With Wizard of Poetry…, Ghostface further solidifies his stature among the greatest emcees to ever grace the microphone while also showing his willingness grow as an artist. Backed by incredible production throughout, Ghostface utilizes his stellar pen game and continues to paint as vivid a picture as they come, though instead of his vintage cocaine tales, he focuses on the various twists and turn that can occur in the art of love. The album tapers off near the end especially on the bland, Lloyd-assisted “Goner” and the questionable inclusion of the remix to 2006’s “Back Like That”, a record that appeared on More Fish, but the initial ten to eleven tracks are substantially worthwhile and more than make up for a small addition of filler. Sticking out like a sore thumb amongst other records in his extensive catalogue, Ghostdini, The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City further validates Ghostface’s extensive range as an artist as well as his confidence to step outside of his lane, a feat that continues to shape among veteran emcees in the latter years of their established careers.

4 spins (out of 5)

“This is black emo rap”
~ Illionaire

A fine-tuned combination of Kanye West’s charisma and personality and OutKast’s eclectic persona perfectly describes Cleveland native KiD CuDi. Apart of XXL’s 2009 Freshman Edition, CuDi was joined by the likes of West Coast emcee Blu (who released the critically acclaimed Below The Heavens with beatmaker extraordinaire, Exile), the prolific machine Charles Hamilton and the DMV’s lyrical mastermind, Wale. CuDi stands out and is arguably the best act of the group as he embodies and exudes one of the most important aspects of music: innovation. After just missing the Grammy Awards deadline, KiD CuDi is geared up to release his debut album as he allows listeners a safe passage into the mind of the man on the moon.

Man On The Moon begins on a high note with “In My Dreams”, a somber (yet concise) look into the mind of Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi. “Dreams” comes to a dreamlike close with the legendary Common beginning narration duties as the dream and nightmare sequences that riddle this concept record begin. The album itself is divided into five acts (each narrated by Common) and acts as a space age, psuedo-biography of Mescudi’s life. Following Common’s initial duties is the heartfelt “Soundtrack 2 My Life”, a look into the adventures and trials that CuDi has faced including the death of his father, which he has yet to get over (“I’m super paranoid like a sixth sense/ Since my father died, I ain’t been right since / And I try to piece together the puzzle of the universe / Split an eighth of shrooms just so I could see the universe”).

Acting as an introduction and in-depth look into the mind of KiD CuDi (slightly influenced by with his weed-laced mindset), the initial act (The End of Day) concludes with “Simple As…” before Common steers the story into Act II: The Rise of The Night Tremors. The hauntingly piercing “Solo Dolo” sees CuDi’s versatile style taking over as he both raps and sings, relaying his self depreciation and self-pity before finding the inspiration to rise from amongst ruin on his very own theme music, “Heart of a Lion”. The conclusion of the Billy Craven-featured “My World” sees Common returning to lead the album into its third act, Taking a Trip. The “lonely stoner” follows up cult classic and initial single “Day ‘n’ Nite” with the epic sounds of “Sky Might Fall” as he continues to maintain the spacial theme through his debut, seeking to inspire listeners even when things are at their bleakest.

The fourth act, Stuck, consists of four cuts: “Alive”, “CuDi Zone” as well as followup singles “Make Her Say” and “Pursuit of Happiness”. The former two continue the spacial theme that takes place throughout the album, firmly entrenching the album with CuDi’s brilliant concept while the awe-inspiring “Pursuit of Happiness” concludes with a final narration from Common as we enter the final act of CuDi’s tale: A New Beginning. The album comes to an beautiful close with CuDi showcasing his rhyming abilities on “Hyyer” and bringing the album full circle with “Up Up & Away” as Scott Mescudi finally awakes from his dreamlike state of mind.

With Man On The Moon: The End of Day as his debut opus, CuDi has truly created a work of art and arguably, the best alternative album to be released for quite some time. “Make Her Say” may be the only misstep on the album. While it features Chicago’s own Kanye West and Common dropping some of their most deviant verses, CuDi’s hit single sticks out like a sore thumb. On the other hand, “Make Her Say” could be placed on the album intentionally so as to provide the album with a “break” so its eclectic soundscapes would not merge together and become redundant. Comparable to to the video game “Portal”, Man On The Moon: The End of Day is brilliant, nearly flawless and short enough to not overstay its welcome while also challenging enough to maintain interest. With his debut, KiD CuDi has released a near-classic piece of art while firmly establishing himself as a leader of the new school and building anticipation for the next ambitious installment in his Man On The Moon trilogy.

4.5 spins (out of 5)

For the complete and unabridged version of this review, click here

Picking up where the original left off, the sequel sees a return to the North Star as Papa Wu drops some of his age-old wisdom before being devoured by a soulful beat and the return of the Chef as he plots his return to the Cuban Linx formula. Familiar Kung Fu samples signal the return of the Wu-Gambinos as Rae, Ghost, Deck and Meth arrive perfectly on cue to decapitate “House of Flying Daggers”, a gem crafted by the late beatmaker J Dilla. The architects of the original Purple Tape, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon shine brightest throughout Cuban Linx II, contributing some of their detailed and grimy narratives to Raekwon’s latest release.

Unlike the original album, which was produced entirely by in-house producer RZA, Raekwon enlists a bevy of producers including Erick Sermon, Marley Marl, The Alchemist and even the perfectionist, Dr. Dre, who all offer masterful soundscapes while still remaining true to Raekwon’s vision and the Cuban Linx sound. Raekwon maintains his namesake as “The Chef” throughout the album, never directly leaves the topic of cooking up that white unless it’s to bear his soul on the “Ason Jones”, a touching tribute and memorial to the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, arguably the crown gem of CL2.

On the few occasions in which Raekwon calls for help outside of the Wu conglomerate, they rarely fail. Jadakiss and Styles P grace “Broken Safety” appropriately, not quite reaching Rae’s level though standing as able compliments. Beanie Sigel stands toe-to-toe with the Chef on the Icewater composition, “Have Mercy” delivering a verse that only strengthens the argument that he’s a possible legend in the making. The album concludes similar to the original: with the fantastic “Mean Streets” and the inspiring Scram Jones-produced “Kiss The Ring”. From bagging up the cocaine to the introspection of a seasoned individual, the overall greatness of the original Purple Tape is apparent throughout the sequel.

While Cuban Linx II is definitely a spectacular follow-up to the original, the expanded tracklisting of the 2nd installment alone makes for unnecessary filler, however good it may be. The vast assortment of guests ultimately weighs down CL2 (the Wu members do not count as guest seeing as how the Wu act as a unit) and none of the appearances are those that would account for a musical orgasm (example: Nas’ appearance on “Verbal Intercourse”). At the end of the day, while not touching Rae’s cinematic masterpiece from 1995, he comes dangerously close. From the graphic interrogation scene on “Sonny’s Missing” to recounting the intimate details of cooking the finest cocaine on “Pyrex Visions” (in under a minute, no less), Raekwon lives up to his moniker as “The Chef” and though the album saw numerous delays, he proves that which a chef already knows: rushing greatness can only spoil the finest product.

4.5 (out of 5 spins)

*NOTE: For the full, unabridged album review, click here.

After releasing a bevy of albums over the years, Jay-Z knows how important it is to begin an album on a high note and the synth-happy “What We Talkin’ About” is no slouch. Over the foreboding backdrop, Jay-Z dazzles like an clever boxer, issuing jab after jab, touching on grievances with foes (both old and new) while echoing sentiments of an elder statesmen feeling underappreciated for his contributions to hip hop. The horn and kazoo-laced “Thank You” features shades of his now legendary debut as his nimble flow finds him contemplating a lyrical assault on enemies before proclaiming that they did it to themselves: “Not only did they brick, they put a building up as well/ then ran a plane into that building and when that building fell/ ran to the crash site, with no masks, then inhale/ toxins deep inside they lungs, until both of them was felled”.

The lovely Alicia Keys laces President Carter with an eventful chorus as he dedicates “Empire State of Mind” to New York City, painting a detailed mural not through the eyes of his usual hustler persona, but through the eyes of a savvy businessman. There has finally been a Swizz Beatz sighting as he laces Jay-Z with heatrocks in the form of “On To The Next One”. Jay’s confidence is at an all-time high as he quiets those wishing for the Jay-Z of old (“Hov on that new shit, Niggas like how come/ Niggas want my old shit, buy my old albums/ Niggas stuck on stupid, I gotta keep it moving/ Niggas make the same shit, me, I make the blueprint”) while also pondering his next landmark move as if bringing the late Michael Jackson on stage during Summer Jam, being text buddies with President Obama and chopping it up with mogul Oprah Winfrey in Marcy Projects was not big enough.

“A Star is Born” sees Mr. Carter officially giving Roc Nation’s signee J. Cole “the look” and he arguably steals the show (a la Lupe Fiasco on Kanye West’s “Touch The Sky”) while Jay takes time to survey and acknowledge those essential to hip hop’s growth, even referencing the “Renegade” incident from the first installment in the Blueprint series (“But what Em did was silly/ The white boy blossomed, after Dre endorsed him/ His flow on ‘Renegade’… fucking awesome”). G.O.O.D. Music freshman KiD CuDi charms over the violin-infused loops of “Already Home” with light-hearted chorus duties as Jay-Z takes on lower level artists who fault Jay for their career not blowing up while also claiming that his time in hip hop is up to which he calmly replies “my legacy is secure, I’m already in the Hall of Fame”. Originally slated to appear on Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak, “Hate” sees the dynamic duo of Jigga and ‘Ye taking on critics over the techno-laced track, switching up their flow almost effortlessly to dazzle and punish naysayers. Jay also enlists Pharrell Williams for his smooth crooning (and rich production) on “So Ambitious”, a sequel to their epic collaboration on Jay-Z’s original “swan song”, The Black Album.

For those that claim he rarely takes risks, Jay-Z took a HUGE risk in stamping this album with the Blueprint name in the first place. As a whole, the album is a mixed bag. Gone are the soulful samples of the initial two installments in the trilogy as they have virtually been replaced by more futuristic and experimental production. Production-wise, Timbaland is EASILY the biggest disappointment on the album, providing Jay-Z with three clunkers (“Off That”, “Venus vs. Mars” and “Reminder”) while producers Just Blaze and Bink!, architects of the 2001 installment, are noticeably absent. The closest album that Jay has concocted that would merit comparison would be Kingdom Come as Jay shows his maturity; he is no longer the street hustler from Reasonable Doubt, but a corporate hustler that is living a lavish lifestyle. Missing throughout are the personal thoughts and feelings touched during his original Blueprint, replaced by his own attempts to grasp the mass appeal that right-hand man Kanye West has successfully attained as well his need to reassure critics (and himself?) of his accomplishments and bring merit to his many references to Frank Sinatra. An artist of Jay-Z’s caliber is held to almost unrealistic standards (proclaiming yourself the greatest of all-time will do that) and while BP3 is far from matching the almost-fabled 2001 release, Jay succeeds in his underling plan: providing a new blueprint as he allows the new wave of hip hop talent a canvas to showcase their talents that will influence the art form in the years to come.

3.5 spins (out of 5)

Tremaine begins his quest for R. Kelly-status with the aptly titled “Panty Droppa” followed by “Neighbors Know My Name”, a slow burner that oozes sexuality as the singer reflects on his sexual prowess and the effects it has on his lover (and her neighbors’s sleeping habits) during late night sexcapades. Young Money Entertainment’s latest signee Drake joins Trey on the mid-tempo banger “I Invented Sex” as one of music’s dynamic duos showcase their chemistry in their attempt to seduce the female gender. Famed writer Brian Michael Cox produces the beautiful ballad “One Love”, which features a touch of rock-influence and finds the singer contemplating commitment & monogamy while “Does He Do It” sees Songz questioning a young lady on the differences between himself and her current significant other when it comes to lovemaking.

After dabbling in the art of steamy sex sessions and party tunes in the first half of his latest release, he returns to his roots and the key to a successful R&B record: love. Trey’s soft coos echo across Troy Taylor’s mellow backdrop on “Ready to Make Luv”, leading into the amazing babymaking gem “Jupiter Love” while the multi-faceted sounds of “Be Where You Are” showcase Songz’ freedom to experiment with different types of production. While fresh red/white roses signal courtship and the possibility of a blooming relationship, Trey explains that relationships end with the delivery of “Black Roses”, roses that signal the end of love or “a dying love”.

Miscues include the unnecessary inclusion of Drake’s hit single, “Successful”, swapping out Lil’ Wayne’s verse for an extra Trey Songz verse and the horrific collaboration with Soulja Boy Tell’Em & Gucci Mane on the overly cheesy “LOL (Smiley Face)”. The club banger “Say Aah” would likely serve as an excellent upcoming single, but is an obvious spinoff (or rip-off) of Jamie Foxx’s monster hit record, “Blame It (On The Alcohol)”. From the ad-libs to the subject matter, the record in question even sees guest cameo Fabolous shouting out the famed Oscar winner in his verse.

Working extensively with Troy Taylor throughout the project, Ready is very cohesive and displays how focused Trey was in crafting his third opus. At the same time, the album strays far too much between sweat-her-hair-out sex and the soft kissing and caresses that take place during intimate lovemaking sessions. Trimmed of a few records, it would easily stand as a contender next to the best R&B albums of the year (as his mixtape, Anticipation does), but it appears that Trey is not yet ready to be mentioned next to R. Kelly as a household name… not just yet.

4 spins (out of 5)

Still feeling the after-effects of battles with personal demons on Padded Room, Escape Route finds Joe (defiant as ever in his search for an escape from his depression) lyrically bombarding the orchestral “Intro” with quotables, backed by a flip of the triumphant “Requiem For a Dream”. True to form, “Anti” presents one of his concentrated “vent” sessions, even tossing a few subliminals near Staten Island before Budden eases down the somber backdrop of “Never Again”, the tortured emcee reflecting on various points in his life and career, points that he vowed he would do again, a record that everyone can relate to.

Budden continues to spill his soul on wax with “Forgive Me” as he reflects over his image while also penning a noble apology letter to Method Man resolving their “situation”, all while backed by an elegant soundscape courtesy of Jared F. “State of You” and “Good Enough”, two additional gems provided by Jared F., showcase Joe’s introspective side, the latter seeing him acknowledge and relay his faults to his fans and how it seemed nothing was ever satisfactory so he strives for better than “good enough”.

The subliminal diss “No Comment” is a clever gem that stems from a movement in which Joe started in response to “bloggers, Twitter and BuddenTv” who lecture him over his honest opinion, opinions that some would consider to be outlandish. Who is he talking to/about on the record? No Comment. StreetRunner makes another strong case to be Slaughterhouse’s go-to producer with the energetic “We Outta Here” as each member of the conglomerate shreds his composition accompanied by an autotune-laden chorus. Subtlety reigns supreme on “Clothes On a Mannequin” as 1 quarter of the Slaughter presents his testimony about the difference between public perception and reality when it comes to his life, likening his very own “Truman Show” to that of a mannequin.

Escape Route stands as yet another stellar release in Joe Budden’s ever-growing catalogue of quality (his 4th release since 2007’s Mood Muzik 3). As fluid as this project is, had the album ended with the intense thrill ride that is “Freight Train”, it would easily be a five-star release. The addition of the Young Chris-assisted “Connect 4″ as well as the Wale-featured bonus “Tito Santana” slows the album’s momentum though Royce and Budden’s chemistry on “For You” is undeniable. E.R. features the misunderstood mind of Joe Budden at his best: personable and honest, defiant yet focused and hungry as he’s ever been. Billed as a mere appetizer before The Great Escape, Route has a Mood Muzik-feel, Budden’s own “release therapy” session and an apt escape route as Joe Budden maps out his way to daylight and his own salvation.

4 spins (out of 5)

The triumphant horns backing “Sound Off” signal a new age, the arrival of the Voltron Crew. Nickle Nine leads off, as each member introduces themselves while explaining the construction of the Slaughterhouse machine before momentum picks up and each emcee proceeds to bury the record with rapid-fire, double-time flows (Joell exhibiting a blistering flow, rivaling those of even the legendary group Bone Thugs-N-Harmorny and absolutely bodying StreetRunner’s epic backdrop). The machine continues its ascent on the heavily West Coast-influenced “Lyrical Murderers”, but it is Crooked I and Joell that emphatically butcher the track as Crooked states his claim as a lyrical all-time great (“Lyrical murderer, blame Rakim / I’m a sniper, shooting my way into ya lame Top 10 / Pistol at your head if I ain’t next to Eminem“) while Joell arguably steals the show with a dazzling musical motif of bars, courtesy of the self-proclaimed “instrumental hitman“.

The sparse piano keys on “Microphone” allow for one of the best showings of the four wordsmiths (as a group) as they pay their respects to what defines an emcee before dismantling the microphone, Budden taking the W with several quotables including a gem that perfectly sums up today’s hip hop scene (“Too many blueprints, not enough architects”). Fresh off his excellent Padded Room release, Joe Budden’s influence on the group (and the album) is evident midway through the album as listeners take a trip into his mind during a drug infested episode before proceeding into the synth-heavy “Cuckoo”. The machine combines to drops some of their sickest thoughts, but this is where Joe shines and easily steals the spotlight with one monster quotable after another: “I’m on fire, trying to make the devil proud of me / sleeping in gasoline, ‘case the nigga got it out for me / Hang my baby mother off a 30 foot balcony, then look over the body like “bitch shouldn’t have doubted me”.

The four wordsmiths return for the sequel to an originally leaked record titled “OnSlaught” and along with Fatman Scoop’s hypeman duties, the quartet manage to batter Emile’s energetic instrumental, leaving destruction in their wake once again in yet another heavyweight bout. Joe Budden takes a backseat and provides prayer (hook) duties for “Pray (It’s a Shame)”, giving his fellow groupmates the chance to assume one of Budden’s greatest assets: the opportunity to get personal. A message to hip hop, Mr. Porter provides the sample-ridden “Cut You Loose” as each lyricist vents about the current state of hip hop and the changes that have occurred within such a commercialized environment. The self-titled opus comes to an almost cliffhanger ending with the morose “Raindrops” as Crooked I channels and nearly sounds like the late Tupac Shakur before the collective concludes their project with one final lyrical assault on “Killaz“.

The album itself is a pretty versatile and well-rounded offering from hip hop’s newest regime (especially to have been recorded in just under a week), one that includes semi, but not mainstream-aimed records like “The One” and “Not Tonight”, all-out battle royales in “OnSlaught II” and “Microphone” while also presenting introspective cuts like “Pray (It’s A Shame)” and “Rain Drops”. Minor drawbacks include the skits that were included (excluding “In The Mind of Madness”) as they were virtually useless and the lack of a Joe Budden verse on “Pray (It’s a Shame”) was certainly disappointing. While each emcee certainly shined, Royce noticeably appear to be on cruise-control, noticeably lacking the fire that he has had on projects as of late (The Bar Exam 2, The Revival EP, freestyles and the like). The album itself, however, features few weak bars and is chockful of quotables as each emcee shines, leaving blood on both walls and speakers alike. Listen closely… and you’ll hear the screaming lambs, right before the slaughter commences….

4.5 (out of 5 spins)

With the CATS that push
- CATS refers to Caterpillar Inc’s steamrollers

40 ounces through the hood, like King Cobras
- King Cobra is a malt liquors, mostly commonly known for its 40 ounces and seen in the hood

See me sling soda
Cause the extra foam in the split is mixed
It’s really 36
- Double meaning: King Cobras are famous for their 40 oz, 36oz is the beer and the other 4 oz is the foam; 36 oz – a key of cocaine

Used to buy toasters and clips
- Nicknames for guns and ammo

You can tighten your circle or boa constrict
- Boa Constrictors are known for squeezing their prey (“tightening their circle”)

While you was lighting your purple, I was over the scripts
- While folks were getting high (“purple” refers to kush, weed, etc.), Lu’s eyes were over his glasses, studying up (“scripts”)

See, I couldn’t walk the walk, couldn’t really talk the talk
Had to get my talk to properly explain my walk
Cause this lack in talk had my walk looking off
Now I’m over the limp
Watch how they mugs drop when they see my Verbal’s able (That’s the Usual)
- Last two lines refer to revelation in The Usual Suspects when Palminteri drops his coffee “mug” and realizes that Verbal Kint is “able” to walk (he’s “over the limp”,)

When I was po’, I was lo
Now me and my chaps cop Purple Label
It’s Ralph Lauren on the Rap Laureate
- Po & Lo refer to famed designer Ralph Lauren’s “Polo” clothing brand. “Chaps” is a British term, which ties into Purple Label, Ralph Lauren’s signature British line.

Niggas brownnose, they are like Alf to him
- Alf is a brown alien from late 80s/90s sitcom ALF (who has a “brown nose”)

Runners at Interscope are not as stout as him
- Interscope is an record label while stout is a play on words and a reference to Steve Stoute, who once held an executive position at Interscope Records.

Please don’t enter scope
- Plays on “Interscope” from previous line

It’s gonna be a whole lot of IV’ing and respirating
- IV’ing is a play on words referring to Jimmy Iovine, one of the founders of Interscope Records.

If I lean out this window with Irene
- People used to call their guns by female names so they couldn’t be traced (like how a 9mm handgun is referred to as a “Nina”), which also ties into the previous line (getting shot, put in the hospital, being on IV’s and respirator systems)

Niggas as tall as Yao Ming
With L-U-P-Emperor
Is the foundation’s high beams and the antennas
It’s so serious every time I write my John Hancock like
Could damn near see Detroit
Niggas is scared of heights
- Serious is a play on words, a reference to the Sears Tower in Chicago; John Hancock Center is a Chicago skyscraper and antennas sit atop it. Lupe is the “foundation” of hip hop and niggas is scared of the depth of his rhymes (“heights”)

This is saran wrap and aluminum foil
Some potpourri, a little machine oil
I, stack my paper and throw off my cents
This is top flo’, better look out below
Pennies from heaven is the same as the semi from the second
And I reign supreme
Turn your umbrellas upside down
Did you even catch the change in theme? (this is gangsta man)
- Saran wrap, aluminum foil, potpourri and machine oil are all used to disguise the smell of drugs from police dogs; Cents is a double meaning for “scents” (which ties into the previous lines); Flo is a play on words for “floor” and “flow”, continuing the building metaphor; Pennies (a known myth stating if dropped from a building, a penny could kill a human) & bullets from a semi “rain” at you, which ties into the next line (“I rain/reign supreme”); Normally, an umbrella is right-side up, but you turn it upside down to literally “catch the change” (referring to the “pennies from heaven” line)

The entire first verse features a subtle movement of height theme from paving streets, then he’s “over the limp”, meaning he’s getting taller, then up to the foundations, to the John Hancock center where “you could damn near see Detroit”.

[2nd Verse]
And them niggas ain’t Was, nor from his regime
-Was’ is short for Wasulu, Lupe’s government name and “regime” refers to his label, 1st & 15th.

Gangsta lean
Hats on tilt like your Snickers ain’t drop out the vending machine
You gotta put more money in
And I shake niggas up every time I drop a bar (2 for 1)
- “Gangsta lean” plays on “tilt” in the next line. When a person’s Snickers gets stuck in the vending machine, people either put more money in (to get 2) or shake the vending machine (or “tilt” it). Bar is a double meaning for bar (as in rhyme) and bar (as in candy bar).

It’s horse in the Porsche and bricks in the box
Like mo’ money them, every time I cop a car
- Horse refers to the horsepower in a Porsche and bricks refer to stashed kilos of cocaine. He gets more money every time he gets a car (because of the cocaine in the box).

You see I’m a roller, right
So it might be a Rover, right
But every time I drop a ‘r’
It’s “over” aight
- “Rover” refers to a Range Rover. Drop an ‘r’ from “rover” and you get “over”… pretty simple.

Bet I be in her head like overnight
Like rollers, right
She the chauffeur, right
So I keep her sober
She don’t get fed ex like overnight
I am Dolemite
- Women put rollers in their hair when they go to bed (overnight). Fed Ex acts as a double meaning; Fed Ex (as in the overnight shipping company) and Fed X (as in fed ecstasy, which is why he “keeps her sober”). Dolemite, refers to the first line (“Bet I be in her head like overnight), a pimp, stays in his girl’s head and controls her mind.

All that gas can’t help you, but solar might
So just call on ’sun’
Drop a ’s’
Pick up an ‘o’
U-no, put it all on “one”
- Pretty self-explanatory: Solar power refers to the sun. SUN – ‘S’ + O = U-NO. Uno is spanish for the number “one”.

And, brace yourself like overbite
For that quiet nigga that relocated down south
Coming back to floss
Nigga get your molars right
Fix your grill
No plaque, but a whole lot of cheese
This the drill, Mr. Chill
- This particular set of bars feature a running dentist/mouth theme (“Brace”, “Overbite”, “Floss”, “Molars”, “Grill”, “Plaque”, “Cheese”, “Drill”). Braces are used to correct overbites. No platinum “plaque” but a whole lot of money (“cheese”). Mr. Chill is a reference to Lupe’s 1st & 15th partner, Chilly.

Gave me the green light like Yoda knife
So I’ma force my will
Like the Force I will
Of course you will
- Green light refers to Yoda’s lightsaber, of Star Wars fame. The next couple of bars feature a double meaning; one meaning refers to the use of the Force and the Jedi Mind Trick used to control people in Star Wars while the other meaning refers to Green Lantern, whose ring receives its power from sheer WILLpower.

Take my time
But weight behind only pertains to that Porsche grill
It’s snakes in the hood
Gotta watch for that Cobra bite
Let me see, there’s snakes in the hood
A bird, a horse behind the grill
Some gator on the seat
And a fox behind the wheel
No, it’s not Noah’s ark
Ahk, it’s just a flower’s start
- Weight is a play on words; (wait, which ties into the previous line (“take my time”), and weight (drugs), which is usually stashed behind the grill of a car. There’s also a continuing animal theme (“snakes”, “cobra”, “bird”, “horse”, “gator”, “fox”) and it’s tied together by Lupe revealing that it’s not Noah’s ark, a biblical boat that was used to store animals. “snakes = backstabbers”, “bird=drugs (behind the grill)”, “horse = horsepower”, “gator=alligator seats”, “fox=attractive female”.

[3rd Verse]
For achiever
My procedure’s
To proceed at all cost, no breather
I’m all walk
Rain, snow or fever
I’m all coughs, coming after your teacher
- Postal Service: through Rain, Sleet or Snow. “Coughs” line connects with the previous line’s fever reference.

I’m on the ball like FIFA
Viva, Lupe Dulce
Love Live the Leader
- FIFA is the Federation Internationale de Football Associatio (soccer). Dulce is Italian for “emperor”. Viva II Dulce is an Italian reference for “Long Live the Leader”, most famous for being Benito Mussolini’s catchphrase.

I remember I ain’t have sneakers
It was welfare
Coming up for air like whales there
Filas
But now I’m well here
I’m Shamu with twelve pair
And niggas wanna take my back to zero like tare, fare
Well, my scale’s clear
- Whales have to come up for air to breathe (unlike fish); Air is also a reference for (Nike) Airs, which ties into the sneaker theme and the next line’s reference to Filas. “Coming up for airs” also refers to how Lupe had to “come up” to be able to cop sneakers. “Well here” is a play on the world “whale”. Lupe is Shamu(the whale) with twelve pairs (of sneakers). On a scale, the “tare” button resets the scale back to 0 (“clear”).

You see world
It’s Braille here
I’m Bumpy Johnson, I stick to the streets
Keep my dogs out in front of me
You see what I’m saying
And I push keys wonderfully
- “See World” is a play on words for the marine mammal park “Sea World”, where Shamuis the name of the whale attraction; “See World” ties into the next line as Braille “shows” blind people how to read andwrite. “Bumpy Johnson” is a play on words (as braille lettering is “bumpy”) as Bumpy Johnson was a well-known Harlem Gangster. The “Keep my dogs” line has a double meaning (blind people usually travel with guide “dogs” and Bumpy Johnson kept his “dogs (protectors)” in front of him. He asks do you “see” what he’s saying and the final line is a double meaning (one meaning, being selling kilos of coke, andthe other, a reference to blind pianists (who push piano keys wonderfully).

Loso begins his most daring project yet over triumphant production by StreetRunner as he addresses the press with flames, dropping clever gems like “Fuck em all, motherfuck em all / Y’all done turned a Good Guy into a Chucky doll / I woulda been ya friend to the end, bitch”. DJ Khalil continues to show why he’s one of the freshest producers around, supplying Fab on “Imma Do It” as he drops heatrocks, as hungry as he’s ever been before hopping on some boardwork done by premier production team The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League on “Feel Like I’m Back”.

Fabolous recruits charming newcomer Keri Hilson for assistance over the grandiose “Everything, Everyday, Everywhere”, arguably the summer’s next surefire hit. The multi-talented Ryan Leslie contributes to Loso’s Wayvia the piano-driven “The Fabolous Life” before Fabolous slows the album down for the ladies. Jermaine Durpi provides soothing production for the (now) standard ladies tracks “Makin’ Love” and “Last Time”, the former featuring frequent Fab collaborator Ne-Yo (begging to wonder whether their rumored collaboration album will ever come into fruition) and the latter featuring arguably R&B’s premier hook man Trey Songz.

Sid V (of Duo Live) teams up with Fabolous for easily the album’s standout cut, the eeiry “Pachanga” as Fabolous goes in over the fine parallel line between a friend and an enemy and how easily the lines can be blurred and change. The menacing “Lullaby” showcases a grittier Fabolous, one arguably not seen since 2004’s “Breathe”, with excellent scratches of “Rock-a-bye, Baby” (of New Jack Cityfame) infused by Just Blaze into Alchemist’s concentrated soundscape. Neo-soul songbird Marsha Ambrosius makes a key guest appearance on “Stay” as Fabolous gets introspective, touching on personal memories of his father walking out on him and how he recently became a father himself and missed out on significant moments in his son’s early life before concluding his latest disc with the haunting narrative “I Miss My Love”.

While originally slated to be a concept record influenced by famed flick Carlito’s Way, Loso’s Way fails in the same vein as Jay-Z’s American Gangster: it’s more of a Fabolous album then it is a concept record (as the concept only remotely appears during the final couple of records). Fabolous incorporates a variety of producers and production is excellent throughout, but the massive amount of guests combined with Fabolous’ reliance on ladies-oriented tracks weighs this “R&B” album down in the long run. While his attempt to craft a successful concept album fails, his ability to appeal to all audiences makes Loso’s Way a success and quite possibly his best opus since his debut on the scene.

4 spins (out of 5)

[Verse #1:]
Well, well
Is that our little author?
Coming back; Humming his hymns, a little altered
Your attention, put back on the flow like the department of water
Taking off with the dough, like Little Walter
Chess? Yes. Baby, I’m Jerry Lawler
Rebel with a cause; outlaw with the lawyer
Judge, jury, like a loo;
Rap name Lupe, but my daddy named me Warrior
This is his memorial

[Verse #2:]
[Auto-Tuned] No, I ain’t that nigga trying to get a liquor line
When I be scripting lines, want this petition signed
It says I’m sick of dying, sick of this prison time
I really love my people, I’m sick of pimping mine [Auto-Tuned]
Now if we autotune that shit
We can hear the songs from that opera groomed fat bitch
Telling us not to pursue it, just to shoo (shoe) it like a blacksmith
We’re trapped, and moving round in circles like it’s chapstick
And that’s the same encircled way of thinking that we chat with
We’ll wrap this, around your, head like the bandanas Fabolous
Used to wrap his hats with
Rather be in F.E.D.S. instead of National Geographics
Well, I’m not having it

The first couple of lines are merged with auto-tune, which is Lupe’s way of saying that if important lines are immersed in auto-tune, the true message will never be discovered and it will be the end (the fat lady singing (“the opera-groomed fat bitch”)) of hip hop. His return is spawned by his desire to contribute to hip hop and wrap his message around minds (“like the bandanas Fabolous used to wrap his hats with”) unlike the music that has been around in his absence. It is his plan to rebel against these popular trends in rap music as he feels people would rather read FEDS magazine, a magazine that glorifies rappers and gives breakdowns on gangs & inner-city violence, instead of educational material like National Geographic.

[Verse #3:]
So, I say hello and this is for the third time
To everybody out there who ain’t never heard mine
And if you have, then you know you ain’t never heard lying
Lu don’t move no cowards, you only heard lines
Not a facade cherisher, I’d rather have the scars
I don’t idolize America, I’m dancing with the stars
Uh huh. All of them? Yea, they are, too.
You look up and you see us shining down on you.

In the final verse, he reintroduces himself for the third time (3rd LP, 3rd verse of this record), speaking to new fans and those who have been with him since the start. He is not one to tell lies nor put them in his records. The next line can be interpreted in a variety of ways (with a subtle Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz) reference thrown in):

“Lu don’t move (moo), no cowards (cow-words/cow-herds), you’ve only heard (heard) lines (lions)”

The lion/lying theme throughout the song is also a subtle dedication to Lupe’s father, Gregory Hamza Jaco (“Hamza” means lion in Arabic and the last thing Lupe’s father told him was “not to lie, tell Wasulu to tell the truth”. He doesn’t hide nor accept facades as he’d rather have “the scars” (which also a play on the word “disguise”) and finally, he completes the verse (and song) with two references to two world famous talent competition (American Idol & Dancing With The Stars).

The renowned crooner’s trademark falsetto signals his return on “Bad Habits” before the funky instrumentation takes over and continues onto “Cold”. The beautifully somber “Pretty Wings” continues to rise on the Billboard charts while also continuing its secretion from speakers during intimate late night sessions. Maxwell’s rich vocals echo over the supple “Stop The World” as he proves that no one can serenade females in an intimate session quite like he can.

Maxwell continues to dazzle over the uptempo melodies of “Love You” before proceeding into another of the album’s standout gems, “Fistful of Tears” as continues to sing his way back into both the mind and hearts of the female gender. Maxwell poignantly concludes Black with no vocals, only a jazzy instrumental in “Phoenix Rise”, metaphorically acting as a symbol of Maxwell’s resurgence and marking the close of the first installment in the Blacksummers’night trilogy. Backed by a 10 piece band throughout the album, at eight songs, an instrumental and a rumored bonus cut featuring Nas, the exceptional Blacksummers’night acts as a concise and able teaser until Maxwell’s supple vocals reappear next year with blackSummers’night.

4 spins (out of 5)

His self-titled debut begins on cue with “That Body”, an interesting concoction so obviously spawned from lyrics of his monstrous hit single “Birthday Sex”. The aforementioned raunchy tune is up next, serving as a steamy lullaby that should be a staple for future intimate birthday celebrations. The awful stop and go vocals on “Runway” are followed by “Raindrops”, one of the better cuts on the album.

Backed by a soft backdrop mixed with a heavy drum pattern, Jeremih drops infectious vocals on this smooth number, but the track itself would have been better served without Jeremih’s rapping aspirations. “Starting All Over” sees one of Def Jam’s latest signees doing his best Stevie Wonder impression while second single “Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)” stands as a solid tune, but sees the young kid feeling himself just a little too hard. “My Sunshine” stands as arguably Jeremih’s best vocal performance on the entire album, a true gem in its own right.

The majority of the album as a whole though, appears to be spinoffs of records done by other artists. “That Body” is spawned from his own “Birthday Sex”, “Birthday Sex” is this year’s “Bed” while “Hatin’ On Me” feels like the R&B sequel of rapper Maino’s “Hi Hater”. The album ends on somewhat of a high note though with another possible single choice in the catchy “My Ride”, the uptempo number “Buh Bye” and as a bonus, an uptempo rendition of hit single “Birthday Sex”.

Jeremih is underwhelming at best. While the guy certainly has the talent, his debut project was doomed to fail (which probably explains the lack of promotion he has received from his label thus far). Most labels will not back a project they know will be a bust. The album has a whole seems to have no singular focus; just a short collective of tracks. It does not help in the fact that the album breaks no new ground and covers generic and essentially, retread subject matter. While he does have the ability to make a name for himself, for now it appears that Jeremih is on track to forever be known as “Mr. Birthday Sex”.

2 spins (out of 5)

Aubrey “Drake” Graham has come a long ways since his role as the physically disabled hoops star from Degrassi. Following the release of his initial mixtape, Room For Improvement, as well as the critically acclaimed Comeback Season, Drake caught the eye of Young Money CEO Lil’ Wayne who became a mentor of sorts to Graham. February 13, 2009 marked the

release of the highly-anticipated So Far Gone (originally scheduled for release a day before, but pushed back because of mixing down problems), which spawned 8,000 downloads within its initial two hours of release. The only question is: was it worth it?

So Far Gone commences with the soothing “Lust For Life” as Drake, in an almost dream-like state, touches on his ambitions and plans in life. “Houstatlantavegas” extends the lush vibe established on “Lust” as Drake alternates between both rhymes and vocals as he echoes his sentiments on the story of a black girl lost before Trey Songz and Lil’ Wayne join Drake on “Successful” as the three wax poetics on their strive for success in the form of “the money, money and the cars, cars and the clothes, the hoes”.

“November 18th” serves as an apt tribute to the late DJ Screw as Drake pays homage to the innovator of “chopped & screwed” while showcasing his talents by alternating between singing, rhyming and finally, a few chopped & screwed bars. Underrated crooner Lloyd accompanies Drake on the steamy “A Night Off” as the two serenade their respective ladies by taking a night off from the studio to spend some time during the course of a romantic evening. The passionate “Say What’s Real” serves as the centerpiece of Gone as Drake hops on Kanye West’s instrumental and successfully dismantles the record, painting a vivid sketch of his his surrounding environment as he examines and ponders what’s really real.

Drake continues to show his versatility as an artist as he jumps on overnight sensations Lykke Li’s “Little Bit” as well Santigold’s “Unstoppable” respectfully, melding his presence so well with the records that no one would know that he did not appear on the original. The latter part of So Far Gone appears to be designed to appeal strictly to the female gender with cuts like the heartfelt “Sooner Than Later”, “Bria’s Interlude” (most likely referring to model Bria Myles and the now-monstrous hit single “Best I Ever Had” before So Far Gone comes to a precise close with a simple champagne cork pop on “The Tourist Outro“.

The music and overall flow of So Far Gone allows it to stand as arguably one of the greatest mixtapes ever created, the one bump in the road being the questionable inclusion of “Let’s Call It Off” featuring Peter Bjorn and John. Chalk it up to Drake’s confidence getting the better of him for once. In reality, it stands as more of an album than many of the major label releases that are sold every year. Mixtapes have forever been used by artists for “promotional use only” so it is even more amazing that without a major label deal or the release of a debut opus, So Far Gone has garnered two charting singles in “Successful” and the (in)famous “Best I Ever Had” as well as a buzz not seen since Lil’ Wayne’s release of Tha Carter III or even 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin‘, a buzz so big “he could probably sell a blank disc”.

5 spins (out of 5)

The Ecstatic begins Mos’ return to prominence with “Supermagic” as the Boogeyman bursts out of the gate with his unhinged brand of lyrical genius, declaring his return before switching up his flow to perfectly compliment the tuba-laced bassline of “Twilite Speedball”. Mos enlists the legendary Slick Rick to join him on “Auditorium” as the two drop conscious gems over Madlib’s almost mesmerizing backdrop (the latter dropping a show-stealing narrative).

“Priority” and “Quiet Dog (Bite Hard)” act as lyrical exhibitions for Mighty Mos before he blesses the Middle-Eastern influenced “The Embassy” with his lyrical mindstate. “Pistola” is the ever-popular “love” song that every emcee HAS to do, but leave it to Dante to leave his listeners pondering: Is he talking about the gun or the woman?

“Workers Comp” sees Mos flipping his socio-political wordplay to address the current state of the American economy while the sincere “Roses” features Mos going into a short, but sweet tour de force. Mos Def and Talib Kweli reunite as BlackStar on the exquisite “History” as the two potent lyricists trade verses over the late J. Dilla’s excellent production and memories of nostalgia arise of their time as BlackStar. The Ecstaticcomes to a fair conclusion with one final lyrical exercise in “Casa Bey”, Mos’ most recent single.

The Ecstaticstands as a great opus to add to Mos’ (spotty?) catalog and it stands, virtually, without faults. When the official tracklisting dropped, comparisons to Madvillian’s Madvillany were sure to occur. Most of the cuts are rather short and the conscious wordplay compliments the odd, yet sexy production. The format of The Ecstatic is a bit off; it flows flawlessly between tracks as if it were one huge track, but the eclectic nature of the production makes the flow purely physical in its flawlessness.

The biggest problem with The Ecstatic lies in the same nature as the one Nas has to deal with: the eternal sophomore jinx. For the remainder of his career, all of his works will be compared to Black On Both Sides (or if you want to get technical, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are BlackStar). While The New Danger & True Magic failed to reach such a platform, The Ecstatic is the closest that Mos has gotten to meeting the bar that he set with Both Sides. If this is a taste of things to come from one of New York’s “Thieves in The Night”, then Mighty Mos may be nearing that apex, but until then The Ecstatic stands as his strongest effort since his immaculate debut.

4 mics (out of 5)

For the full, and unabridged review of The Ecstatic, click here.

The DJ Scratch-produced “Wheel of Fortune” opens with a symphony’s conduction of “back on my bullshit” before proceeding into an old school backdrop that acts as a masterful “soundcheck” to open Rhymes’ latest opus. Recent Def Jam signee Jadakiss and Cash Money’s own Lil’ Wayne stop by to assist Busta Rhymes on the LP, trading bars with the crafty legend and forcing emcees to “respect their conglomerate”.

The highly controversial ode to foreign riches, “Arab Money” features etherboy Ron Browz and serves as a solid, catchy single, but the numerous remixes (and the idiotic dance that accompanied the track) have since made the track essentially redundant. DJ Scratch comes through and provides production again, this time on the hilarious “I’mma Go & Get My…”, which acts as a conceptual record based off the lucky lottery numbers comedian Mike Epps (who also appears on the cut) used to hit the lottery in the 2002 comedy “All About The Benjamins“.

Memories of his 1999 Janet Jackson-assisted hit “What’s It Gonna Be?” arise on the syrupy “Sugar” as Jelly Roll contributes an excellent guest spot as well as a slow clapping backdrop from behind the boards as Busta seduces the opposite sex with lyrics like “I wanna taste your body / I wanna taste your face / I wanna taste your breasts, taste below your waist (*slurps*)” that is sure to lead to some moist passenger seats. Pianos keys grace the heartfelt “Decision” as Trevor Smith reflects on past memories, accompanied by an all-star cast consisting of multi-talented superstar Jamie Foxx and R&B legend Mary J. Blige as well as relative newcomer John Legend and Chi-Town’s own Common, who provides one of his trademark guest spots as all perfectly compliment Busta.

After being so highly anticipated and suffering numerous pushbacks, it is not a wonder that Back On My B.S. sinks with a thud. There are a few gems littered throughout, but the album fails to establish any type of consistency. The album itself features a vast amount of guest appearances (never a great sign) as well as some horrible cuts including the (now) mandatory cliche T-Pain cut with “Hustler’s Anthem ‘09″ and the massive posse cut “We Want In”. Also noticeably missing are Busta’s vintage club hits (“Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em)”) as well as other previously leaked bangers (the Ludacris and Lil’ Wayne-assisted “Throw It Up”, the DJ Khaled and T-Pain-featured “Blown”, “I Got Bass”). It turns out that after the release of his highly underrated seventh LP, The Big Bang, there was only one thing that “the godfather of the club banger” could provide with an album titled Back On My B.S.: complete and utter bullshit.

2 mics (out of 5)

“Bagpipes From Baghdad” showcases one of Shady’s best wordplay performances on the album as he takes aim at celebrities Mariah Carey (and Nick Cannon, who gets caught in the crossfire) over Dr. Dre’s noticeably evolving production, this time enlisting the use of Irish bagpipes. The poppy “We Made You” finds Shady taking his comedic shots at female celebrities with his frantic flow bouncing all over Doc Ish’s production. The thumping “Medicine Ball” sees Shady inviting the world to continue to hate him (again), his lyrics engulfed in multiple syllables and graphic as ever: “Drop kicked the bitch before her second trimester / Performed a home abortion with Dexter then I guess I’ll / Dig her fetus out with a wire hanger then digest her”.

A brief attempt by Paul at being the voice of reason advances into the menacing gem “Stay Wide Awake” as Slim Shady lyrically dazzles and paints his own twisted mural (“Soon as the flow starts, I compose art like the ghost of Mozart”), inviting listeners into his own maniacal thoughts. The short “Mr. Mathers” reveals why Slim Shady has returned so suddenly: it is due to Marshall Mathers‘ overdose on sleeping pills as a result of his insomnia.

Eminem makes his way to the forefront, allowing listeners into the depths of his mind on the melancholy “Deja Vu“. “Deja Vu” sees him reliving his pill addiction as well as touching on his absence from hip hop and potential death as the result of an overdose on methadone (previously reported to be simply a bout with pneumonia). Aided by a beautifully morose sample, the aptly titled “Beautiful” signals the return of Marshall Mathers, hip hop’s own “tortured artist”, assessing his career as well as contemplating life outside of hip hop and questioning whether anyone would want to walk a thousand miles in his shoes as he would truly “be one tough act to follow”.

First single “Crack a Bottle” acts a harbinger, signaling the return of the “platinum trio” (Eminem, 50 Cent & Dr. Dre) with 50 offering only a whimper from the self-proclaimed 3-Headed Monster before Relapse concludes and reaches its pinnacle with “Underground”, signaling Eminem’s theatrical resurrection (“Dre, I’m down here / Under the ground, dig me up / Broken tibias, fibias, yeah fix me up”) as well effectively acting as the calm before the storm, the release of Relapse 2 later this year.

Relapse acts as a concept album as Eminem relapses into his alter-ego and his true self, detailing the void his absence left in hip hop, what he’s been up to as well as his bouts with pill addiction. The cinematic feel of the album allows it to flow well as a whole (the only mishap being the questionable inclusion of obvious Detox reject “Must Be The Ganja”). Lyrically, Eminem is as sharp as ever, proving that the lackluster Encore was a fluke (or an intentional brick) and showing no signs of complacency while his experimentation with different flows on cuts like “Stay Wide Awake” and “3am” aid the argument that his is arguably the best in the business.

In an interview leading up to the release of Relapse, Eminem defined the concept of the album as a relapse back to his first two albums and Relapse largely stays true to form as it features Slim Shady’s playful antics as well as Marshall Mathers confronting his inner demons and planning his return to hip hop. In the end, Relapse serves as only half the piece of the puzzle as well as a tasty appetizer before Eminem relapses again later this year.

5 mics (out of 5)

There was no place to go but up for Chrisette Michele Payne. After breathtaking cameos on albums by two of hip hop’s greatest (Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come and Nas‘ Hip Hop is Dead), Chrisette Michele released her hopeful debut, I Am, to much critical acclaim. 2008 saw only two cameos by Michele, on The Game’s “Let Us Live” and The Roots’ “Rising Up”, as she was in the studio working on her followup album. Enter Epiphany, as Chrisette Michele touches on various aspects of relationships while at the same time showing the numerous emotional layers that women possess.

The album begins with slow knocks and the summer sounds of Chrisette’s first single, “Epiphany”. Chrisette Michele breezes through the pastoral-influenced production, crooning “I’m leaving” to a cheating lover that she feels has deprived her living her life. The magnificent ballad, “Notebook”, should undoubtedly be the songstress’ next single as she spills her heart about a crush as she can’t find the strength to tell him how she feels so she simply “writes in her notebook, X’s and O’s, beside his name”.

“Blame It on Me” showcases Ms. Michele and arguably her best vocal performance on the album as she takes the blame and responsibility for a failed relationship even though the two tried their hardest to make it work. Chrisette’s sultry vocals personalize the push and pull tug-of-war that relationships can become on “All I Ever Think About”, one of the album’s standout cuts.

“Another One” finds Chrisette detailing the insecurity of a significant other and how he switches his demeanor when his friends are around (something that women can relate to) before handing him an ultimatum: get it together or she’s on to “another one”. The uptempo “Fragile” serves as another potential single and yet another standout record as Ms. Michele begs her man not to leave or tell her no because “her heart is fragile”.

The comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald come full circle as Chrisette croons to her ideal man, her own “Mr. Right” while “Porcelain Doll” stressed female empowerment as Michele firmly states that while she appreciates all the love and attention, she is not “simple, nor naive” and that she is a real woman, never a porcelain doll. Chrisette’s sophomore disc, Epiphany, comes to an excellent close with the piano-laced ballad “I’m Okay” as Ms. Michele says goodbye to a relationship, allowing only their memories to comfort her .

Epiphany features a little of everything from smooth ballads like “Notebook” and “On My Own” to uptempo numbers like “Playin‘ Our Song” and “Fragile” while at the same time being short, concise and sweet. Like her debut, the album finds Chrisette Michele solo throughout the album except for a sole duet with R&B crooner Ne-Yo, whose influence is evident throughout the entire album. Epiphany comes as a HIGHLY recommended purchase from me and it arrives just in time for the summer. After such an immaculate debut, it would seem almost impossible for Chrisette Michele to avoid the sophomore slump, but she finds a way by simply catering to an age old rule: just create great pieces of music.

5 (out of 5 mics)

Keri Hilson provides an excellent guest appearance for Roth on the surprise club record “She Don’t Wanna Man” as Asher rhymes about a chance encounter with a young lady that “don’t wanna a man, man, man, man, man…. she just wants to dance”. Following is “As I Em”, which is sure to be the most talked about record on Bread Aisle. “Em” sees Asher Roth tackling the Eminem comparisons head on in hopes of deading the comparisons, once and for all.

The uptempo “Lion’s Roar” acts as another excellent cut on Asher’s debut as he enlists New Kingdom and Busta Rhymes (who sounds right at home) as both emcees lay down their best double-time flows over a bouncy backdrop. Asleep in The Bread Aisle comes to an end with the soulful narrative “His Dream” and “Fallin”, in which Asher details his beginnings as a rapper and falling in love with hip hop, even giving a shoutout to Jay-Z over the Ben Kweller-sampled record.

Asleep in The Bread Aisle is definitely an acquired taste. Asher jumps through numerous topics throughout the album, but at the end of the day, this album is simply about having fun. There are few weak records on the album (the generic “Blunt Cruisin” and “Bad Day”, which features a horrific hook by Jazze Pha), but Asher Roth delivers with a promising, yet unorthodox debut. While the Eminem comparisons surely will not stop, Asher has quietly shown that the only ways the the two are alike are “they have the same complexion and similar voice inflections”.

4 mics (out of 5)

The album’s mellow mood continues with “Magnificent”, as Ro$$ continues to paint the lavish lifestyle he lives while enlisting soulful crooner John Legend for hook duty. “Usual Suspects” continues Ro$$’ string of strong album cuts as he goes head-to-head with one Nasir Jones, who in turn shows why he’s “nasty” as well as showing traces from his immaculate debut.

“Rich Off Cocaine” features more production by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League as well as a guest appearance by Avery Storm, but what shocks the most is that Ro$$ gets conscious with arguably his best bars on the album: (“Vacation to Haiti, it nearly broke my heart / Seeing kids starve, I thought about my Audemar / Selling dope ain’t right, I put it on my life / Chickens put me in position to donate the rice”).

Ricky Ro$$ closes the album with “Valley of Death” and the blaring horns of “In Cold Blood” with the former featuring Ro$$ finally addressing and explaining his past as a correctional officer over a thumping backdrop courtesy of DJ Toomp: “Only live once and I got two kids / They’re for me to feed, damn I’ll get two gigs / I’ll shovel shit, I’ll C.O. / So we can bow our heads and pray over the meat loaf”.

Deeper Than Rap is another extremely strong effort by Rick Ro$$, which features few missteps throughout the album. Similar to Young Jeezy, Rick Ro$$ continues to lyrically step his pen game up (“Kimbo Slice on the pad when I write”) while also enlisting The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League to produce the majority of his album. While Deeper Than Rap is stuffed with many guest features, only those closest to him seem to hinder Ro$$ (i.e. Gunplay on “Gunplay” and Foxy Brown on the God-awful “Murda Mami“). Deeper Than Rap certainly delivers and stands as another excellent notch in the (large?) belt of “the biggest boss that you’ve seen thus far”.

4 mics (out of 5)

The album certainly begins well with “Pain & Torture”, signaling Jadakiss’ return to hip hop after hiatus. Kiss gets busy over Buckwild’s production, proclaiming himself “a poet and an author that mixes slick talk, pain and torture.” Next up is Kiss’ second single, “Can’t Stop Me” featuring songstress Ayanna Irish and a soulful instrumental, laced by Neo Da Matrix. This joint is audio heatrocks or as Jada puts it “audio heroin, so you don’t OD”.

“Something Else” enters as a grimy, instant trunk rattler by heatmaker Don Cannon, formerly of the Aphilliates. Kiss even recruits cocaine connoisseur Young Jeezy to hop on the track who obliges, getting (ignorantly?) clever with lines like “I ain’t even did nothing / It look like I’m trafficking / See these blood diamonds, sir? / My chain African”. “What If” sees Queensbridge’s finest Nas contemplating the game of life with Jadakiss. Essentially a sequel to hit single “Why”, “What If” is an excellent track, but it also serves as proof that some things should be left alone.

“Things I Been Through” features an introspective Jadakiss reflecting on his experiences with the industry, from being screwed over by Diddy to his current joint deal with Roc-a-Fella and Def Jam. On “Rockin With The Best”, Jadakiss enlists Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes to provide a glossy backdrop that screams “next single” and is sure to be a hit in the clubs. Jada continues to impress on “Smoking Gun”, teaming with neo-soul newcomer Jazmine Sullivan for a conceptual record about women who have been victimized and abused and how Kiss has a “smoking barrel” waiting for the perpetrator.

Wu-Tang emcees Ghostface Killah and Raekwon the Chef join Jadakiss for “Cartel Gathering”, which finds each emcees spitting flames and Ghost stealing the show, showing why he’s among the most underrated and one of the greatest emcees to do it. The album ends on a pretty solid note with two excellent bonus cuts in “Letter to B.I.G.”, which is a heartfelt letter to the late great Frank White (The Notorious B.I.G.) and the sinister closer, “Death Wish”, which features Jadakiss at arguably his grimiest and yet another (cliche?) Lil’ Wayne guest appearance.

This album is virtually hit or miss. It features a mix of Jadakiss at his grimiest and Kiss trying to attract mainstream attention. At sixteen tracks (eighteen, counting the bonus cuts), the album features a vast amount of filler in joints like “I Tried”, “Stress Ya”, “Come and Get Me” and the remix to the monster cut “Something Else”. Not even the back and forth cut “One More Step” with fellow LOX member Styles P. lives up to similar cuts the duo has done like “We Gon’ Make It”. In the end, Jadakiss delivers a solid offering in The Last Kiss, but also the weakest in his collection and a miss with the final part of the Kiss trilogy.

3 mics (out of 5)

01.) He has recorded and released only two studio albums. The Notorious B.I.G. had released only two albums before his tragic death and is still viewed to this day by many as the greatest emcee to ever do it. As of this moment, Fiasco has 5 discs of material: two stellar studio albums and a critically acclaimed three-part mixtape series in the Fahrenheit 1/15 series (The Truth is Among Us, Revenge of The Nerds, A Rhyming Ape). Critics often look down on mixtapes, but with the amount of work put into his mixtapes, I’d dare put them against other rappers’ studio albums and the material would stand up just fine or be considered better.

Also, there are plenty of emcees who have utilized the mixtape game to become critically revered by consumers and critics alike. A few examples include Lil’ Wayne’s Dedication series, The Clipse’s We Got It 4 Cheap series, Chamillionaire’s Mixtape Messiah series and Joe Budden’s Mood Muzik series. Recently, Lupe has announced the release of three more albums before the release of his swan song, the triple disc album known as LupE.N.D. So when he officially retires, he will have plenty of material to be judged on: 6 studio albums (8 if you want to count LupE.N.D. as three albums), 3 critically acclaimed mixtapes and (possibly?) a collaboration album with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams as part of hip hop supergroup Child Rebel Soldier.

While Fiasco does not have the longevity of say a Jay-Z or LL Cool J, he places all of his effort into each studio album. Instead of creating a ten album career in which each album has five great songs littered with misogynistic and gangsta rhymes, along with maybe one classic LP, he is compiling all of his time and effort into every carefully chosen word, lyric and concept that presents a much more concentrated level of quality 6 superb opuses that can be appreciated for years to come.

02.) He is too young to be placed above or amongst proven legends. Who makes the criteria for who can be considered one of the greats? With every creative concept and every verse he releases, Lupe further etches his name into the annals of the all-time greats. It’s understandable that he lacks the longevity of his predecessors, but when he first came out, he explained that he was retiring after three solo albums because he doesn’t want to get to the point of rehashing the same material (Jay-Z, anyone?).

All in all, Lupe Fiasco is and will retire the greatest emcee to do it because he has not allowed himself to be corrupted by the evils of commercialism or industry politics and simply makes the creative music that he wants to. A lot of underground artists have argued that consumers do not want quality music anymore and that is why records are not selling anymore, but Lupe has cracked the formula. He built himself a solid fan base without dumbing down his lyrics for the public. He contains all the technical skills that has made these emcees legends and placed upon a pedestal by avid hip hop listeners and publications. A common misconception is that to be deemed the greatest, you must be the best at every aspect of emceeing. Biggie might have captured the crowd with his mic presence more, 2Pac may have grabbed your attention fast and Jay-Z has the longevity that emcees would kill for, but at the end of the day, when you look at the work that legendary emcees have put in for years, Lupe’s body of work just seems better at the end of the day. The guy’s work ethic in penning creative bars is unparallelled as when it comes to weak lines, Lupe has little to none.

The scary part: He’s still a prodigy and younger than the rest of the emcees on this list, which gives him the time to potentially push the envelope even further. The troubling thing is the fact that his genius will not be fully recognized until after he has retired. With that, I leave you with a small sample of his genius and a small request: anoint him. Like The Company Man has said: Appreciate other artists even if they’re only fighting for second place.

Sample Song (Theme Music to a Drive-By)
“Ugh, I can’t feel a field nigga pain
Devious skill, to make a strong willed nigga wane
Since a little nigga hang, with the killers and distributors
Of caine, they dismemberers of swishas then refill it with the Jane
Then they tilt it and they lit with a flame
Then they took a pull of killer to the brain like (inhale noise) ah
Evil minded like Krang
They became, they deranged like the rover that I rode
That was the Range that I drove when I was a little bit older
Mayne, declaring war on the deck like they the Joker
All while ducking from Bruce Wayne while they poker
With the devil in our moon-littened ghetto
Hello my name, stickers on the stickers of the veins in rehab
Remembering the feelings when they used to get mellow
When they was on back of a nickel like Monticello
When the underworld had to be smarter than Donatello
No honor amongst fellows
It’s harder than sitting with a blind man and trying to describe yellow
Got me feeling like Killer Joe
My life, the album
Know the classics by heart and exactly how the filler go
Repeat it on my way to the liquor store, chocolate”

“Cause I can’t feel the field nigga’s chains
Though I covet mine, so I covered mine in bling
Then I bumped into a bum and covered mine in shame
Then I bumped into a hon and uncovered mine again
Diamonds, they’ll undermine it mayne,
They’ll give a nigga with no mack another kind of game
See, money talks in another kind of slang
Detectives can’t decipher as they listen through the wire
As I accept the call and listen to the life of
Getting religion and making voodoo in the sink of your cell
Reciting Al-Fatiha in the kitchen
In deed on his deem and in addition to doing dishes
Listen as I get schooled on the rules to rule
The fuel of fools, the obstacles, the cool
Had to slow it down homey
Chopped and screwed
They said blow it down for me
Sticks and stones make the homes
Only God’s words can stop the wolves
And don’t fraternize with pigs, those kids will think your stool
Not at the bar, but trying to put him behind the bar, like a bartender
He laid the law like the bar so I put it in a bar for dude
He said borrow my jewels and bar the fools
Cause they a playa like the space bar and tools
Theme music to a drive-by, put it in your car and cruise”

Tracks to check out: Failure; Lupe The Killer; Dedicate; Dumb It Down; Twilight Zone; Theme Music to a Drive-By; The Cool; Mean & Vicious; Gotta Eat

Best Material: Fahrenheit 1/15 (Part I): The Truth is Among Us; Fahrenheit 1/15 (Part II): Revenge of The Nerds; Fahrenheit 1/15 (Part III): A Rhyming Ape; Lupe The Jedi; Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor; Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool

“Word to the nigga that took the rap for me
Chill, I will, take rap to where niggas can’t conceive
To the point where niggas can’t agree, on which song is best
And the argument is if I am better than me…”
Lupe Fiasco: Free Chilly (Freestyle)

Prelude:
When it comes to emceeing, there are the underrated, the overrated, the elite and then, there is Lupe Fiasco. It is so hard to classify this guy because his style is so original that he is really in a class of his own. Many say that it is premature to give an young emcee a title of this magnitude, even considering the quality of his material, but the signs are there. It seems that there is always an once-in-a-lifetime emcee that explodes on the scene with such promise. In 1991, a young kid by the name of Nas spit the lyrics: “Street’s Disciple, my rap’s are trifle / I shoot slugs from my brain just like a rifle” and proceeded to take the world by storm. Though he went on to craft perhaps the greatest hip hop album ever conceived, his career has not been without his ups and downs. This rare phenomenon occurred once again in 2005 on Kanye West’s sophomore opus when Lupe Fiasco spit perhaps the best verse featured on West’s entire album.

Lyrics:
Lyrically, I have not heard an emcee whose stanzas contain as much depth, attention to word choice, etc. as his. His effortless lyricism is incomparable and he utilizes intellectual, elaborate to paint incredible mental visuals on wax. His wordplay is remarkable as well as there are few people that can toy with words like he can whether it be the intricate metaphors, references or just flat out rhyming… NO ONE does it quite like he does. While many emcees need three (or more) verses to flesh out their message, Lupe dares to go a bit further by stuffing one verse with so much information that is impossible to catch all the hidden meanings in one listen and he succeeds without losing the topic or his ground (“Theme Music to a Drive-By”). To be such a young emcee, he is also consistent with his rhymes meaning he doesn’t just drop a classic verse here and there, but he’ll consistently drop great rhymes. In the vein of the Notorious B.I.G., Lupe sets the bar so high for himself that even material that is considered “filler” for him is still better than a lot of other emcees’ material. Like only a few before him, there is no such thing as “a bad Lupe verse”.

Creativity & Subject Matter:
Next to Nas, Lupe is quite possibly be the most creative emcee ever. Unlike most emcees, he dares to be himself and still manages to push the envelope. Take “Twilight Zone”, where he utilizes personification to create his own twilight zone world over the production from Nas‘ classic gem, “Thief’s Theme”. Another example would be a record from Revenge of The Nerds entitled “Mean & Vicious”. In the first verse of “Mean & Vicious”, he personifies the fuse of a bomb, vividly describing his attempt to escape being lit on fire and exploding while in the second verse, he creates an “argument” between the first and second verse of a song:

“Truthfully, I have trouble with second verses
Cause the first one be so intimidating
It be bullying, picking on it, instigating
Pointing out all the second one’s limitations
Like “You ain’t nothing but an imitation”, like
Bits of bacon, then it gets the chorus
And the beat to get together
Then they all gang up on him and get to hating
But then around the eight bar, he tires of they conspiring and commiserating
Then he find his inspiration, to spar
He takes a few seconds of Judo lessons
Gets back on beat then punches the guitar
They stand in awe like “When did you write that?”
“That ain’t even right, black”
First verse already happened , so he ain’t have a chance to fight back”

He has also rightfully earned the title as a conscious emcee and it shows through his vast array of subject matter. Where did Kanye West get the idea to rhyme about the conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone? After hearing Lupe drop knowledge about conflict diamonds over Kanye’s “Diamonds” instrumental, West redid the song with Jay-Z and changed his lyrics in order to relay the message as well. “The Pills” sees Fiasco creating two abstract figures that represent the street life and the hustler/pimp game:

“They say the Streets is a demon in a dress
With dollar signs in her eyes and semen on her breath
Scantily clad, no panties, deepthroating in an alley
Aging badly in sunglasses, she pretty
Slain boyfriend names is tattooed on her titties
Sprinkling greed, ignorance and envy inside of a philly
Hennessey tears, ass’ll bring ya enemy’s here
Flirt with ya flaws till you run up in her raw”
[...]
“They say The Game has the belly of a beast
Blunts for fingers and hollow tips for teeth
Wire taps for ears, Nike Airs for feet
Blasphemy for prayers, a system for a heart
Rap music for beats, heroin for a son and it’s married to the Streets
Crack pipes for lungs, and he never sleeps
Just spies with dice in his eyes
Loves life cause he likes when it dies
Wit a baking soda soul, he cough up pleasure
Clothes made out of dollar bills that he sewed together
He knows, he’s clever, jail is his house
All the liquor that’s poured out, goes right in his mouth
Rides around on a stray bullet
Wit prostitutes, pimps, dope dealers and killers tied to it to pull it
A TV in his head, a stripper slides down his legs
And he’s known to ride around with the Feds, he’s OUT THERE”

“Little Weapon” sees him take the perspective of a child rebel soldier from Africa, intricately weaving a child soldier’s tale of destruction and comparing his violence to the same violence that countless take part in while playing video games. On “Gotta Eat”, he spins a tale about the health problems occurring in the world from a fresh, unique perspective…. an elongated metaphor of a mob-boss style cheeseburger.

Depth:
The major point of emphasis that differentiates him from other emcees and pushes him ahead of the pack is the amount of depth and layers that his verses feature. It seems as if a large variety of his records have a background depth to them, somewhat similar to the weaving of a spider’s web. There has yet to be a flux of emcees that hide so many intricacies so subtly and still manage to get his overall point across. There are emcees that paint beautiful pictures on wax or relay great social commentary, but Lupe is the only emcee to include so much depth to the point that consumers can listen to his songs several times and hear something new with every listen. Individuals can dive into his verses and dissect elements forever similar to great paintings. When you sit down and analyze his lyrics, each and every line is crafted perfectly, if not then, almost perfectly. Most emcees are very direct with their points, but with Lupe, it is left up to the listener to dissect the song and find their own interpretations.

Take “Lupe The Killer”, a track that shows a younger Lupe when he spit gangster/drug dealer rhymes. He cleverly rhymes about how slick he is with his rhymes as well as explains how he had a drug dealing operation, which funded his rap career and the start of his record label, 1st & 15th. His hit single, “Superstar”, also contains an underlying message. Reminiscent of Nas‘ “One Mic”, Lupe gives a personal look into his heart and his belief that maybe he is not “cool” enough to be a superstar while the chorus reinforces that if he stays true to himself, he will be a superstar. Another highlight in his career, both lyrically and depth-wise, is the incredibly dense “Dumb It Down”, which includes three verses based upon the pictorial maxim, the three wise monkeys.

Overall:
Lupe is in no way, shape or form, the perfect emcee. At the same time, it is an amazing thing to witness such a complete emcee at such a young age. You can see the traces of many an emcee in Lupe whether it be his heavy reliance on a vast assortment of metaphors and double/triple meanings (a la Jay-Z) or his penchant for creative, visual narratives (a la Nas), all delivered with a delicate, nimble flow. His flow is masterful and precise, and like his biggest co-signer Jay-Z, is agile and off-kilter. His rhymes center around intricate metaphors, loaded with detailed and complex lyrics that can only be unraveled through repeated listens. When it comes to personification, complex metaphors or just plain having fun with wordplay, he does it better than any that I’ve ever seen. Perhaps his greatest asset is his unrivaled intellect combined with such a fluid flow, which is as potent as any I’ve ever seen. What makes him different is how his rhymes feature so many twists and turns, but speak only with an observing eye.

Part Two coming tomorrow….

After a brief intro, the album begins with the catchy hit single “Rockin’ That Shit”, produced by the other half of their dynamic duo, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart. The 80’s inspired “Walkin’ On The Moon” features The-Dream and Kanye teaming up to recreate the experience of love at first sight. This record is heatrocks and features Kanye post-autotune, dropping gems like “I ain’t tryna hound you / Just tryna take you where the stars gon surround you” [....] “I know a lotta people mad cause they ain’t wit you / Wait, is it because we on the moon? / Tell em “save the hate, we’ll be home soon.”

Up next is rising second single “My Love”, a duet featuring songstress Mariah Carey, followed by back to back baby makers “Put It Down” and “Sweat It Out”. The former features The-Dream bragging on his sexual prowess while the latter finds him pining for his lover to “call Letitcia, your beautician” because he’s planning on an steamy, intense lovemaking session and her hair is not going to survive it.

“Love vs. Money (Parts 1 & 2)” and “Fancy” make for the foundation of the LP. The dual set “Love Vs. Money” continue the “Nikki” chronicles, a song from his fantastic debut. The first song features Nash lamenting over a lost love and how money can overshadow love since for her, “money can’t match love” while the sequel finds him reflecting on when “love is the problem and nothing can solve it”. The album then segues into the sultry ballad “Fancy”, arguably the centerpiece of the album, which features The-Dream softly crooning about a mate and her expensive tastes.

“Mr. Yeah” is another excellent selection, which could serve as his next (hit?) single. This record finds Dream getting extremely cocky and feeling himself, exclaiming “Cupid ain’t got shit on me”. The album concludes with the raunchy “Kelly’s 12 Play” and promo/bonus record “Let Me See The Booty.” “12 Play” references R. Kelly’s milestone solo debut and finds The-Dream playing homage by engaging in a music-ridden sex session to R. Kelly’s famed album while “Booty” sees Lil’ Jon adding some crunk juice to a club banger, ridden with The-Dream’s trademark adlibs.

The-Dream continues to making amazing music with his excellently crafted followup album, effectively increasing his stranglehold on rhythm and blues. While his first album was strictly composed of possible singles, this album features a more focused, cohesive album. Production is kept in-house, split between Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and LOS Da Mystro and a single cut produced by Lil’ Jon. Guest are kept to a minimum and while a few hooks can become repetitive (“Put It Down”, “Sweat It Out”, “Mr. Yeah”), The-Dream creates an enjoyable experience, clocking in at just under sixty minutes. Love vs. Money is a fantastic disc of music and serves as an excellent precursor to The-Dream’s third album (expected to drop later this year, the aptly titled Love King.

5 mics (out of 5 mics)

*Note: For some of my older reviews, visit my blog at sketchesofmysoul.blogspot.com

The album begins with the blaring horns and tinkling keys of “Now I Lay”. Joe blazes this instrumental, but ends up using the cliched prayer for the chorus. After the disappointing first single with The Game, The Klasix laces Joey with “If I Gotta Go”, which effectively jump-starts the aptly titled Padded Room with haunting production fused with an excellent sample during the bridge.

“Blood On The Wall” features eerie, hardcore production from a producer by the name of MoSS. The second verse features many quotables as Budden verbally abuses Prodigy of Mobb Deep fame (“Never mind me, worry about your Medicaid” … “Your sound’s old, not even worth a download”). “In My Sleep” sees Jumpoff in a conceptual sleep, an eternal sleep in which he confronts his inner demons, which is “a side effect when you trade some bad dreams for some great nightmares”.

Budden appears to be in an eternal sleep of death, but he never confirms this; he simply alludes to it (“Is that why the mirror won’t show my reflection?” … I went to see a man walking on water, asked if he’d ever get things back in order”). This record quite possibly features two of my favorite quotables on the album:

“Stuck in the room with a elephant
Opened the closet and dapped up my skeleton”

“I just bought a first-class ticket to nowhere
Everyone goes there… but they don’t stay the whole year
Me? I got 365 shows there”

The album progresses into “Exxes”, which features Budden telling the story of his relationship with a female that he keeps dealing with, which actually represents his own depression. “I Couldn’t Help It” begins the home stretch for Padded Room and is arguably the crown jewel of the album. The Klasix provides beautifully, haunting production, which is the perfect backdrop for Joe Budden to spill his guts on. This song, especially the first verse, harkens back to his Mood Muzik ensemble: vintage Joe, personal and honest:

“We had a beautiful relationship at one point
But then, that shit changed with the quickness
Maybe cause I was fucking other bitches
Or maybe we had no business, having business
Not the girl that I would wanna raise kids with
But still that shit happened regardless
I was so young, back then, so heartless
And the shit I was thinking coulda caught me some charges
Listen, I tried to talk to her normally
That shit ain’t work for one second, she was on to me
I tried to explain, how I ain’t have a dollar to my name
Pursuing this rap shit, chasing fame
Young dude stressed in the hood like Je-Sus
I ain’t ready for no child, but she was
When you, piss poor, get to having sick thoughts
While the chick probably sittin’ there, thinking bout marriage
I’m thinking abortion, like a savage
A on purpose accident to have a miscarriage
Her mothering mine, I couldn’t end up seeing
Plus, what type of mother would you end up being?
You already a psycho, I went and let that pass
I ain’t think “lifetime bond”, I thought “fat ass”
All them times you was pregnant and miserable
All them fights we had that got physical
Every time I sent you packing, pissed at you
Like I ain’t wanna live wit you, yeah, I kinda planned that
Inconsiderate, it sounds just like me
Then you pushed something out that looks just like me
I grabbed my lil dude up, looked him in his eyes
Said “You can’t understand right now, I apologize
How could I not want you here?, be that selfish?
Fuck was on my mind, at the time, my bad, I couldn’t help it”

After the rock influenced “Adrenaline” and the strangely out-of-place “Happy Holidays”, “Do Tell” manages to get the album back on course. This record sees Joe rhyming about all the things that he wishes to “tell” those closest to him including his mother, father and his baby’s mother as well as ideas like fame and love (“Tell fame I ain’t want it / naw, I’ll keep it 100 / I tried my best to go and get it, but the nigga fronted”) “Angel in My Life” sees Joe rhyming from inside the confines of a padded room while the album concludes with “Pray for Me”, which finds Budden stuck at the gates of heaven, arguing with God while both point out and question each other’s faults.

Padded Room sees Joe lyrically at his best throughout the album, but the soundscapes falter various times, hurting the album’s cohesiveness especially when the album ends at only thirteen tracks. Overall, the album is an above average, but somewhat disappointing effort after waiting six years for a sophomore album. Admittedly, listening to Mood Muzik then Padded Room will leave listeners wanting more from this album. Perhaps if a few of the cuts from Joe Budden’s prior release, Halfway House, had instead been included on Room, the album would have been well-received as a classic LP, but instead Padded Room finds itself as simply another great effort in Budden’s catalogue.

4 mics (out of 5)