Reviews: April 2008 Archives

I'm just glad they didn't call this project "best of both worlds". Hahaha...seriously tho. Thank you. On one end, you have DJ Rhude, the quintessential DJ with his ear to the ground unearthing those rare jewels in the form of dope tracks that the masses need to hear. Then on the other end you have DJ 2Mello, combing the earth for the next R&B sensation who again needs to be heard by the masses. What do they both have in common you ask...they both break artist in their respective genres. 

Green Lantern once said "I don't get exclusives, I make them". That's what I enjoyed about "Welcome...". The blends took on the feel of actual commissioned tracks. I like the direction of mixtapes being artist centered. Just slapping multiple Lil Wayne tracks together doesn't make an artist mixtape. That's a quick money getter. To each his own, but I'm not really a fan of that bullshit.

I'm diggin' A-Smooth's moniker..."The New Youngest In Charge". Thing is he has the skills to back it up which is always a good thing if you're going to put it out there like that. Class is def in session if you're talking mixtape skills...track list wise...not so much. Mixtapes with 80s and 90s hip hop are a dime a dozen and make it that much harder to stand out.

Shout to DJ 4Sho...taking that road less traveled with the mixtapes. It's easy playing MCs that cats might have never heard, the hard part is doing it consistently and that's what 4Sho is bringing to the table. It says "east coast overdose edition" below the title so you know I had to listen to this joint. That mainstream east coast shit right now is like dropping your cell phone in a shitty toilet...it sucks.

Silverback gorillas are some mean son-of-a-bitches. Not the animal you want to run across in the jungle without some sort of weapon. I guess you could say the same for Sheek as an MC. He's not the most lyrical cat but his intensity is unmatched and he will verbally slap the shit out of you. In all honesty with all the D Block and Sheek mixtapes out the only reason I wanted to peep this was for the Dub Floyd mixes and to hear if Sheek stepped it up lyrically at all.

He hails from Yonkers, he has a new website www.divmusic.net and he's poised for big things. I mentioned his website because when you're talking the internet you have to have a home base and his spot is exactly what every atist should strive for; something that is simple, looks good and is easy to navigate. I think 2008 might be the year artists truly invest in themselves. If you don't spend $ on yourself you can't expect anyone else to either.

"One potato, two potato, three potato...four"....excuse me, Dimez and myself we're just choosing who was going to put the final nail in the mixtape coffin. Not really but that's how it feels to me.