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It's been a minute on a new mixtape review right? I ask myself once a day...are mixtapes even relevant anymore? Reviews...not so much. I mean you can Google any mixtape and find a link and decide if you fuck with it or not. Why do you need to know what I think?

I'll take some Purple Kush over these generic ass pause tapes all day every day. Give me some sort of feeling with the music and put some timing to it. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so and when it comes to block hugging music, that soft white and hard yellow music few do it better than Lust, Diggz and Evil Empire.

Ransom can do no wrong in my mind. I mean you can say Joe Budden this and Joe Budden that but when I listen to an MC I want shit to be as believable as possible and Joe is Styrofoam made...sorry. Ransom on "Mighty Healthy" makes it sound easy, some quick mixtape shit to get ya veins throbbing for more dope. Same with "Uncut"...that's an honest ass track. Dead ass, I never really heard French Montana, not my wave I guess, he getting his weight up in the game, can't front on that. The joint with Max B was ok besides that corny ass hook. "Take Me To NY" stayed on rewind today. It's the perfect soundtrack to a sunny fall day. I don't like 50 Cent on "Dreaming", Dre on the beat or not. I'm checking for Lloyd Banks tho. Take your pick "Green Thumb", "Living Like A King" or "Bandana" with Maino. Each track will give ya ears the flu. Ron Paul getting his shine on with "One For The Money". They rocking more and more south joints on here now. Not sure how I feel about that with my east coast bias and all. Hahaha. I tried to pick a south joint I dug but I couldn't, lol. That "Swag Flu" made me want to kick myself in the nuts. I can't believe there's masses of people who listen to that bullshit. That Beanie Sigel freestyles was much needed. Something I can nod my head to at least. As usual the hardest track up on here involves Un Pacino and Hardwhite. "Cath You Slippin" is that go getta anthem. You def can't go wrong with Snub Hollow & Big K.R.I.T on that "Krushed Kush" track. I mean besides the Ran I bumped this the most.

The first half of the mixtape I was like damn, cats pushing classic or damn near it but that last half lost me a lil. I def don't hate the south in the least but those tracks don't cut if for this old timer. My age is most def showing these days. Regardless of that tho, DJ Lust on a mixtape is like milk on cereal...the shit just works.

"This that gotta stay strapped music"...hell yea it is. I remember the first Uncle Murda and Green Lantern mixtape that dropped. I went in on the review harsh. Back then tho I didn't think UM had what it took to be honest. His bars were ultra violent but to the point where it was not believable. We like to deal with real life over here and that shit was 80% ficticious, to me anyway. He stayed consistent tho, bars got better and he perfected his craft. I can't hate on that and his content is more consistently authentic too.

I love me some Mobb Deep. (pause) Seriously they have classics in the bank, no disputing that. In 2009 you hope you find a glimpse of that classic-ness. Just give the people a glimpse and stay true to what they're known for. Nothing more nothing less.

I love the title to this mixtape series. A-Alikes (K & Ness) been doing their thing for a minute now. If you're a fan of real street music, you had to have heard of them, if not now you do. It's that balance between what authentic street music is and knowledge of what's wrong with the world today.

Tap a vein people cause the new west got that dope. I could understand if some white broad in Vermont doesn't know about Nipsey Hussle but damn if you're a mixtape fan or even a marginal hip hop fan you know about Nipsey Hussle. That "Hussle In The House" remix left a crater in the concrete that is hip hop, fuck what ya heard. Bullet's Ain't Got No Names was the wheel. Part 2 was rider music. Part 3...

Man, Nipsey career on the MIC is coming full circle. I mean you got a joint like the "All My Life" freestyle, which is classic mixtape music, bars like..."yellow gold chain, blue chucks, white Tee / you do what you can, me I does what I please". He setting the tone people. "We Gangbanin'" is that head nod, that slow crawl anthem, that rewind material...hook got me open too. "Gotta Take It" knocks too. I'm figuring that hook will do nicely on radio but I'll be damn if that shit doesn't wanna make you poke out ya chest and talk some shit. If you bought bars you def fucking with "Speak My Language" with Banks and Corey Gunz. NOt much I can say about that joint, you just gotta hear that one. "Diamonds" with that Biggie sample and slick bars gotta be one of my favorite joints up on here. He said: "cause I'd rather sit up with Shyne then lay stiff in the pine / box, ni99as out daily / south central crazy like a angry Israeli in a bullet proof Mercedes". Ahhh man I listened to this joint like seven times. If I had to pick one joint that I'm hatin' on it's gonna be "Rich Roll". The auto-tune vibe, overly polished beat and random broad on the hook had me hiting the FF button. Shit sounded forced to me. Don't get if fucked up tho. I'm a fan of that polished sound. "Hoodstar" is my shit and that beat polished as hell. I'm a fan of the flow on this one, Nipsey got control of that shit like a vet. "Fast lane, pocket's on swole when I cruise by...".

This is a balanced ass project people. I mean Nispey ready to go to that next level, the sound is there. There's a couple mediocre joints on here. You know that older shit that hit the cutting room floor. It's to be expected. Cats are learning to keep that potent shit on the album. The main selling point for me is lyrically Nip Hussle got it and when you throw him of some slick production he shines like crazy. Fuck with this joint cause it's good hip hop music period.

It's that high school rapper you all love people...you ain't know? Mac Miller coming straight out the Steel City with a lil bit of a chip on his shoulder and a growing fan base. He's in dues paying mode right now but best believe you will hear him in even more in the future.

"Sound Like" is that clever shit, that less is more type song. Mac produced that joint and the hook is flu like. He very well might be the future. I love the vibe of "What Up Cousin". I know it's a R.I.P type of track but it doesn't get more honest on the MIC than that song. Not only that he owned the beat too. On the subject of "owning beats", Mac owned "Got A Clue" as well. Peep the visual for that joint here. I mean just off the song alone you can hear the star potential in dude. I don't give a fuck high school chics eating this up and as an artist that's trying to grow a fan base that's a demographic you want to OWN. Lol  "Get It On The Foor" is that energy providing the balance to the project. I mean it could def be a club joint but I'll be damned if that shit doesn't work as some highway music too. "Crusin" might be laid back but the word play is top notch. I mean Mac got MIC skills people, ya'll need to wake up. "On Some Real Shit" is exactly what you want on your mixape. Known beat, 100 bars of raw hip hop and some slick word play. The homie Beedie slide thru and destroys that joint with Max B called "The Chow Line". He got that focus flow MCs would kill for these days. The sleeper track is "Keep Me Alive". Mac got that raw emotion working overtime with this one.

I fuck with Mac Miller on the MIC. No other way to put it. From listening to some of his early stuff till now, the kid is growing. He's basically been developing his talent. Something labels used to do now artist have to do on their own. Like I said above he's due's paying right now. Even so he's got joints on here that will outshine major label backed artist with a real push behind them. That's a credit to hard work and a solid team. Now it's just a matter of timing, patient's, harder work and some luck.

I don't know about ya'll but I've been fiendin' for this project. Nothing but good shit can come from a DJ Scream project and one of the most lyrical cats in the game Mista FAB. Bar for bar I put Mista FAB up against anyone out right now he will steal their shine. Not only can he spit he got songs, concepts, raw emotion and overall balanced music.
Truth be told the grind is a terrible thing to waste. MCs now a days running place while hustling backwards. Following trends, relying on the net to much or not enough while not hitting the streets at all. Mistah FAB the poster child for effective grind tho, take notes MCs.

Mistah FAB breaks down what a real grind is on "The Grind"..."fresh up out the house with that where that money at stare"...I can dig it. "25/8" is kinda fresh too, anthem potential right there. "Don't Know My Pain" is that raw emotion and storytelling. "But When ya life's like fright night hard to fight right." Word play is serious throughout. I'm not gonna front like I bump the shit but "Hit Me On Twitter" grew some legs and opened some ears. At the very least it shows the potential that Mista FAB has commercially. The metaphors were potent on "No 420", def not your average weed song either, horns had me open too.

One of the reasons I dig this project is that I know it's not Mista FABs best music. He's not about to fall victim to the "mixtape is better than the album" syndrome that a ton of MCs fall victim to. Its a well balanced project tho, just enough to keep you fiendin' for some more new shit and that's what a mixtape is really supposed to do. DJ Scream and Mista FAB on their game cats need to take notes.