REVIEW: HOT BOYS: GUERILLA WARFARE: This is a decent album, although not as good as their first one, "Get It How U Live!". The songs on this CD just did not appeal to me like the first one. One thing that really hurt this CD is the lack in variety from song to song. All of them practically sound the same. This can get annoying, however you have the lyrical talent of Lil' Wayne, Young Turk, Juve, and the B.G. to make up for this. The best song on this CD has to be "Respect My Mind". This is a VERY VERY powerful song. I love the beat. Another one that stands out in my head is "We On Fire". Other than that, the songs just don't move me that much. don't get me wrong. This is a very nice CD, i just wish they could have swichted things up a bit. Maybe some guest artists OUTSIDE Cash Money would be nice. Still go get it, there is no other sound like whats comin' outta Cash Money.
RATINGS
BEATS: ****
ORIGINALITY: ** (talking about 20" rims and lex Jeeps every damn verse is not original)
CONTENT: ** (same as above)
LONGEVITY: *** (it all depends on whether you like or dislike Cash Money)
OVERALL: *** (not bad especially if you just love Cash Money)
REVIEW: TRU: DA CRIME FAMILY: This is an awesome album. i don't konw what Master P does, but I do know one thing, when serious albums like this come out, he saves the good beats for them. Let me tell ya. Just about every song on this CD BEATS!!!! I'm Tellin ya. "Hoody Hoo", "Bounce Dat Ass", "Hard N's" and "TRU Homies' will easily make this album go multi-platinum. No complaints here, other than a few sampling gripes. But hey.... who in the hell doesn't sample these days! I recommend this CD highly. Hopefully, P will continue to release good product like this. We'll see.
RATINGS
BEATS: ****
ORIGINALITY: ** 1/2
CONTENT: ** 3/4
LONGEVITY: *** 3/4
OVERALL: *** 3/4
REVIEW: MURDERDOG PRESENTS: SOUTHERN XXX-POSURE: THE SOUTHERN RAP COMPILATION: I almost fainted when I saw this. Holy crap. Muderdog releases a comilation???? On DogDay records? No way. And it has all of the good southern independent label artists! This compilation is VERY Nice. I suggetst that you buy this NOW. The songs by J-Mac and Project Playas are my favortes, also features artists from Shreveport (Jako james), Monroe, LA, Little Rock, Memphis, Birmingham, AL; Jackson, MS and many other southern cities.
RATINGS:
BEATS: ****
ORIGINALITY: ** 1/2
CONTENT: ***
LONGEVITY (this is a new rating for.. about how long the average rap listener can stand this album before he/she gets sick of it): ****
OVERALL: *** 3/4
REVIEW: JT MONEY: PIMPIN' ON WAX: This was an expected dissapointment. I never expected much frm this album, even though I did like the hook on "Who Dat". JT Money is a former member of the Florida booty music group called Poison Clan. He used to write songs for Luke, and brought Luke much fame with songs such as "Pop The Pussy". Anyway, after Luke was getting all the credit for the songs JT wrote, he finally said "Fuck It" and went solo. you have to admit, "Who Dat" is a catchy song. Either you hate it, or you love it. Most people I know hate it. I do hate the rest of the album though. Track 2 is OK, called "Playa Ass Shit", but other than this one the album sucks ass. I highly recommend that you stay away from this. But of you like JT then go buy the album. There are other better albums. Dub it fror a friend. PLEASE!
RATINGS:
BEATS: **
CONTENT: *
ORIGINALITY: *
OVERALL: * 1/2 (GARBAGE)
REVIEW: BIG MIKE: HARD TO HIT: This was a dissappointment. I was really expecting a better album than his first 2, "Something Serious" and "Still Serious". I was wrong though. I have always remembered Big Mike's albums as sounding totally different from other Rap-A-Lot albums, but now it sounds too much like the other artists. There are some tight cuts though. Track #9 and #10 are very tight called "Better Now" and "Claiming Real" respectively, with the latter showcasing Cajun music laid over a tight as drum beat. The album just doesnt hit home like his first two. Not one song souds similar to favorites of the past like "Burbans and Impalas" or "What A Dream" or even "Playa Playa". I understand coming different, but he kinda did it too fast too soon on us, and it will probably hut his album sales. I suggest buying this later... get the new TRU album first.
RATINGS:
BEATS: ** 3/4
CONTENT: ** 3/4
ORIGINALITY: *** (for the song "Claiming Real")
OVERALL: ** 3/4
REVIEW: BEELOW: BALLIN' 4 MILLIONS: I have never heard of this guy. I just happened to be in the recird store, and saw this album, and I just had to buy it. And it sounds good too. It features many artists including C-Loc and Juvenile and other artists i am not familiar with. The album is bumpin. I can't say they are talking about anything important. but the album is still tight as hell. The beats are really what carry this album. One very interesting thing about this CD is the similarity of one of the guest artists to Mystikal. I swear he sounds JUST like him. You can really see what I am talking about if you listen to a song called, "Soulja Rag". Other good song is "Beat 'Em Up", my favorite. There really isn't much else to say other than this is not necessarily a must buy, but it is good to have.
RATINGS:
BEATS: *** 1/2
CONTENT: **
ORIGINALITY: **
OVERALL: ** 3/4
REVIEW: EIGHTBALL & MJG: IN OUR LIFETIME: VOLUME 1: This album was not a suprise, since they tend to release good product. This is their 4th solo album, and probably ranks as one of the best in my books. One of the most important things about about this album sithe fact that contains some solid beats. That is the first thing you must have is tight beats to get the listener's attention. For example, the song called "Don't Flexx is simply unbelieveably tight. Also track 2 with Cee-Lo of the Goodie Mob is solid. The songs that really stand out are the songs with Outkast and Through, called "Put Your Hands Up" and "Armed Robbery" respectively, with the later being my favorite, since I liked the original which was on "Comin' Out Hard". This is amust buy. I love it. It sounds like they have changed their production a bit, but they have always used T-Mixx to lay the tracks. It just sounds better. the only song I don't like is "speed"... can't stand it. Otherwise this is a tight ass CD. BUY IT NOW!
RATINGS:
BEATS: ****
CONTENT: ***
ORIGINALITY: ** 1/2
OVERALL: ****
REVIEW: B.G.: CHOPPER CITY IN THE GHETTO: This album is the third to be released on Cash Money since the Universal Records deal. This one I guarantee will not blow up like Juvenile did. B.G. is good, but just doent have that charisma that Juvenile does. The beats are still on point. "Cash Money Is an Army" is a good example. Even though the title is kinda retarded, this song is bumpin. And B.G. seems to blend in well with the Mannie Fresh produced track. The production on this album doesnt compare to Chopper City (the original) or It's All On You Vol. 1, his best albums, but it comes pretty damn close. The only thing that I see that hurts this album is the fact that he kinda gets old after a while. I mean, after hearing his voice after about 5 songs I was ready to put the Crooked Lettaz album back in. And he really doenst talk about much of anything else but fancy cars, jewelrey, money, etc, so there is NO new ground being covered here. A big minus. This CD has serious bass, which helps, much more that previous releases by Cash Money. The entire album is nice, but didn't move me like the Juvenile album did. I still recommend that you listen to it, and judge for yourself. I guarantee, if you like Cash Money, you will like this. Enjoy!
RATINGS:
BEATS: *** 1/2
CONTENT: **
ORIGINALITY: * 1/2
OVERALL: ** 3/4
REVIEW: CROOKED LETTAZ: GREY SKIES: Now this is a HUGE suprise. I had in the back of my head that this album was going to be ass. I mean, I knew the Crooked Lettaz were lyrically talented, something that southern rappers are not known for. But I figured the production would be bootchie. Well I was wrong. The best way to describe these guys is an East Coast/Southern rap group. They at times sound East Coast, but they are definately keepin it real for the Dirty South. I was expecting another Wildliffe Society type album, but this far exceeds anything I have heard from any Mississippi artist. Take the song "Firewater". This has got to be one of the tightest songs I have ever heard in my life. AWESOME. And Noreaga actually sounds good on this song. Crooked Lettaz is composed of members DJ Phinga Print, Kamakaze, and David Banner. All are really good friends of a friend of mine, whose name is J-Clip. You can find his name in the thank you's inside the leaflet. I have strong Mississippi connections having used to live in Vicksburg, and I had first heard of these cats back in 1994, when they were members of the Stewpot Stowaways. They later broke up into smaller groups (Wildliffe Society and Crooked Lettaz). This album is a huge must buy. To appeal to the Texas crowd, there is a song called "Get Crunk", which features a collaboration between Pimp C of UGK and the 'Lettaz. A solid piece of work. Other good songs are "Chicken and Swine", "A Girl Named Cim" and "Trill", which also has an incredible beat. As far as lyrical skills, these cats showcase some of the best rhyming I have heard from a Southern rapper. They are actually taking about issues that most people might stop and think about, rather than BMW's and Lex jeeps. A PHENOMENAL ALBUM.... GO BUY IT! BY THE WAY... DID YOU KNOW THESE CATS BOTH HAVE AT LEAST A Bachelors Degree? how many rappers do you know have accomplished that? I didn't know any before now.
RATINGS:
BEATS: ****
CONTENT: **** (I think the high score here has a lot to do with the fact that they are college educated and know other things besides Scrilla, Slangin' Crack and Pimpin' females)
ORIGINALITY: **** 1/2
LONGEVITY: ** (unfortunately, poor promotion and lack of support overall is going to kill this album FAST)
OVERALL: **** (This is a must buy. If not that...At least listen to it!)
REVIEW: COOLBREEZE: EASTPOINT'S GREATEST HIT: This album sounds so much like "Southernplayalistik..." by Outkast. There really is no difference in the two albums in sound. The album has all of the classic Organized Noise sounds that you have heard on albums ranging from Outkast to Witchdoctor. Coolbreeze has an interesting style of rap . It is almost if he is reaching to you when he raps, and his flow is butter smooth, blending in well with his beats. The best song on this album is "Hitman" And of course you know about "Watch For The Hook", another very nice song. The rest of the album features songs with Kurupt, Goodie Mob, Outkast and 8-Ball. Overall a decent album. My only complaint is that the song with Kurupt, number 6 on the CD, "We Get It Crunk" is edited. THAT PISSES ME OFF.
RATINGS:
BEATS:***
CONTENT: ** 1/2
ORIGINALITY: ** 1/2
OVERALL: ** 1/2
