March… It’s that time of the month (no not like that), but for bracket projections, lower seed upsets, and cinderella stories (George Mason anyone?). As with every year around this time, the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament begins and CBS rules the tube with games. By now I’m sure your brackets are completely filled out with the Wallcats Kentucky as the champs or Obama’s pick aka Kansas, but there might be some “risky” people out there taking chances with underdogs like Morgan State or St. Mary’s. Let’s see who knows their basketball around the ‘fro with your Final Four, Championship, and Champion picks (maybe we can make this interesting somehow)…

SBK’s Picks:

*Final Four: Kansas, Kentucky, Kansas State, Villanova

*Championship: Kansas, Kentucky

*Champion: Kansas

Wait… Isn’t this exactly Obama’s picks *Kanye shrug*

Side Note: Team Anti-Wall over here, so Kentucky is lucky I placed them that far. Kansas gon’ beat that ass though so it’s all good.

Being an individual on the pursuit for a career in the music industry, I often find articles like this to be very intriguing. Said article is a posting from industry powerhouse Wendy Day and her blog site The Day Report about the ills of 360 deals, which are becoming the standard for record label deals for recording artists. In an excerpt from the article, Wendy Day says:

In the early 2000s, the music industry went through a severe change. Music sales plummeted, the importance of the Internet reigned supreme, and there was an influx of artists into the industry causing an over saturation never seen before. It’s gotten worse, not better, for the major record labels.

Once used to a healthy profit margin that afforded grand lifestyles for those at the top of the food chain, the major labels became disgruntled as sales dropped while they missed the boat on less profitable digital sales. Taking on the role of dinosaurs fighting for survival, they tried everything from stopping the new digital revolution, to fighting it, to suing it, to bandwagon jumping too late. Nothing worked for them. And they still haven’t learned from their mistakes—they still continue to fight the ways the consumers want to receive their music.

With the article, Day provides some great insight (as well as real number examples) into the details and inner workings of these 360 deals that record labels are offering artists in exchange for their hard work and talent. Personally after reading the article I would be very hesitant as an artist to sign to any label offering a 360 deal and would stick to the indie route, which seems to be perfect for up-and-coming artists nowadays.

This is must read article (much like anything from Wendy Day) for any up-and-coming Hip-Hop/Rap artists looking to get in the game and not take the independent route. Follow Wendy Day on Twitter (@RapCoalition) as she’s always dropping gems for artists to find and the Rap Coalition Intelligence Program site RapCointelPro, which is basically a how-to guide on everything from “Starting A Label” to Radio to Distribution for new and independent artists.

Side Note: Big props to the homie B-Easy for the necessary words to get the nappyafro crew back on track… We said this was going to be our year, time to make it happen!

Damn, I can’t believe it’s been four months since my last Boomin’ System entry back in July with Blaq Poet’s Tha Blaqprint album. I guess now is a better time than ever then to drop something new with the recent slowness on the music scene (which is due to pick up with new albums from the likes of 50 Cent, Rakim, Wale, etc.). In between my prevalent rotation of The Salvation (Skyzoo), The Blueprint 3 (Jay-Z), and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II (Raekwon) since September, I found a chance to listen to new music that has been circulating. In light of the albums and mixtapes that I found on the surface including No Ceilings (Lil’ Wayne), Street Hop (Royce Da 5’9”), and K.O.D. (Tech N9ne)… No, Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s trilogy mixtapes didn’t occupy space on my hard drive… I came across Sean Price’s latest mixtape entitled Kimbo Price: The Prelude To Mic Tyson. This was a mixtape whose release I was actually anticipating and was looking forward to listening to after hearing some of the tracks (“Duck Down”, “Boost”, “MegaSean”) that leaked before its official release.

I can admit that I took a late pass on Sean Price in not really starting to listen to him until 2005 with his debut album Monkey Barz and not realizing that he was half of the rap group Heltah Skeltah. With that said, Sean Price is definitely not a newcomer in terms of the rap scene having been around since 1996 with Heltah Skeltah’s debut album Nocturnal, being apart of the Hip-Hop collective Boot Camp Clik, and having released two solo albums since then. His latest offering, Kimbo Price, in mixtape form serves as a prelude and lead up to his 3rd solo album Mic Tyson due next year letting listeners and fans alike know that he’s still been grinding since Heltah Skeltah’s D.I.R.T. album released last year. Sean Price happens to be one of the most creative and comical rappers in the game today as evident by his witty monikers (Deceptacon Sean, MegaSean, Kimbo Price, Donkey Sean, Jr.) and album titles (Mic Tyson, Jesus Price Superstar). This wittiness and comedy is also heard with his lyrics as Price throws comical punchlines in the midst of his confidently strong flow (“You do Coach bags, I do kush bags/You a douche bag, I’m the truth fag”…“Shared greedy, y’all niggas get scared easy/Queer like multiple pairs of Air Yeezy’s”) as heard on tracks like “Duck Down”, which sees Sean teaming up with Duck Down labelmates Skyzoo and Torae over a beat in similar likeness to Raekwon’s “Have Mercy”. Each emcee displays exactly why they’re a force to be reckoned with and the lyrical prowess of the Duck Down label.

The creative of Sean P. as mentioned earlier is seen on songs like “Pork Chops & Apple Sauce” in which he jacks not only Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know” beat but his flow in making a mockery of the artist and his song (while making it better and listenable at the same time) and “Boost” where in theme with Boost Mobile phones Price delivers a stellar verse in chirp mode over the phone. Other spots on the mixtape sees Sean Price in customary mixtape fashion putting his own spin over other artists’ beats as heard on “Abortion”, “Car Thiefs”, “Get Ya Sket Mic”, “This Is Us”, “P’s Up”, and “Bullshit (Radient Jewls Remix)”. There are some original songs to be heard on the mixtape as well like the aforementioned “Duck Down”, “Goodnite!!!”, and “Weed & Hoes”, which has to be one of the most clever sampling and turns of a Gospel song into a Hip-Hop song. Sean Price proceeds to make it one of the highlights of the mixtape with an effortless flow along with a nice guest verse by St Maffew. After 23 tracks of good material with various Kimbo Slice and Mike Tyson clips thrown in between songs, Kimbo Price does exactly what it’s supposed to do as a mixtape. Just as the title reads with it being a prelude to his next album, Sean Price delivers suitable music that will surely hold his listeners over until next year when Mic Tyson is released. A lot of people might not be too familiar with Sean Price as an artist and something like this is definitely a proper introduction to him and his lyrical abilities on the microphone. I look forward to hearing what Sean P. comes with next year on his Mic Tyson album and until then Kimbo Price will find a home next to the other three albums currently in my rotation.

Playlist: “Duck Down”, “Weed & Hoes”, “Boost”, “Car Thiefs”, “This Is Us”, “P’s Up”, “Bullshit (Radient Jewls Remix)”, “Goodnite!!!”, “Abortion”

Damn it’s been a while since I last dropped something for The ‘Fro (almost a month ago with Alchemist’s Chemical Warfare album review), I guess Hip-Hop music ain’t the only one that’s been in a drought for the month of August. But nonetheless in my absence I’ve been listening to a lot of music both old and new, and it got me to thinking about the current state of Hip-Hop and the music industry in general as it relates to artists. As you most likely have noticed over the last few years, the genre of Hip-Hop has probably been one of the most expansive in the music industry with new artists, producers, and DJs seemingly starting careers everyday. But in light of all of these new additions to the game, very few of them ever see the success that they strive and dream of when starting their careers.

Success in the realm of Hip-Hop has come in a different styles and forms, whether it’s viral video rise to fame (Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em) or mixtape industry domination (50 Cent), with every new artist and producer searching for the formula to their own success. But for every one success story there are often hundreds more that never reach that plateau and those that never reach that level often wonder why. While it can be said that many different elements apply when describing success and what’s needed to be successful, the one major aspect that many artists and producers overlook when it comes to their own careers is Originality.

Think of all of the Hip-Hop artists, producers, and DJs that have achieved and are achieving success in their careers over the years: Jay-Z, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, J Dilla, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, Drake, DMX, Big Pun, Lil Wayne, T.I., Jam Master Jay, Kid Capri, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Twista, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Run-DMC, N.W.A., Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, Mobb Deep, UGK, Little Brother… The strengths and weaknesses for these various individuals can differ but the one thing that remains the same is originality. Out of all of the names listed they can all be stated as being different and having an identity and not being the same or a copy of somebody else.

With the unparalleled amount of artists, producers, and DJs that are trying to make a name for themselves in the music industry, the one thing that I can attest as to why a majority of them aren’t seeing the same success as their peers is because originality isn’t present. When it comes to an artist like Soulja Boy, it’s a fact that his love/hate ratio with listeners greatly favors the latter, but it can’t be argued that he lacks originality when compared to other artists that might be more skilled on the microphone. I remember a couple years ago back in a music business course I was taking I was asked the question of in a given scenario of having my own record label if I would sign an artist like Soulja Boy or an artist with better skills and ability, and of course I selected the better skilled artist almost instantly. I made this selection based off my knowledge of Soulja Boy’s music and being the kind of listener I am who favors lyricism over lucrative, but failed to see the real deciding factor between the two being originality. Sure Soulja Boy’s lyrics are mediocre and lack substance, but his originality stand atop his characteristics. Given a rapper that’s lyrical and better skilled, how much different would he be from the 25 other lyrical emcees in the same position trying to get signed for a record deal compared to an artist like Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em.

Soulja Boy’s career took off based on an instructional video for his song “Crank Dat”, which led to him signing a deal with Mr. Collipark and Collipark Records. Soulja Boy saw his success from the creation of a viral video that was uploaded on YouTube and that’s where his originality comes into play. Ever since then, countless artists have been uploading videos hoping to be the next artist discovered this but unfortunately it won’t happen. 50 Cent’s career took off after the release of three mixtapes in 2002 (50 Cent Is The Future, No Mercy, No Fear, God’s Plan) that led to him signing a deal with Aftermath and Shady. 50 Cent saw his success from dominating the mixtape industry with multiple mixtape releases when nobody else was really controlling it. You already know how many mixtapes artists release nowadays on the Internet for free download and/or purchase, but the same results that 50 had with it won’t be seen with them.

Just using the examples provided in the cases of Soulja Boy and 50 Cent’s careers they defined their careers by venturing into areas that were previously uncharted and doing something different that everybody else wasn’t doing at the time.

As an artist sure you could upload a video of you freestyling or a low-budget video of your latest “hit” single, but who hasn’t already done that before you. You could release a new mixtape every other month for listeners to be able to download for free, but who hasn’t already done that before you. Following trends and doing the same thing that every other artist is doing won’t portray you as original or different, it will just place you in the category of being the same as everybody else and not bringing anything new to the table. This has been Jay-Z’s key to success for his entire career and it’s no wonder as to why he has been so successful with his music. From putting away throwback jersey and donning more appropriate “grown folk” attire to soul sampled beats on Blueprint to “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”, it’s all examples of originality and going against the grain of what’s popular and what everybody else is doing. So while skill, passion, and dedication are some of the necessary aspects to becoming successful in what you do, the biggest one of all is originality.

I always enjoy it when I get a chance to check out an album that I’ve been anticipating and waiting to hear, and in the case of Blaq Poet’s second album Tha Blaqprint, it fits that category. Even though this is only the Queensbridge native’s second album, he’s not a new figure in the rap game. As a matter of fact Blaq Poet has been around since the late 80’s when he was dropping lyrical bombs on KRS-One (“Beat You Down”) during the infamous bridge wars. Other than his early career lyrical battles, Blaq has been most known for his affiliation with New York rap group Screwball. This group was best known for the 2000 release Y2K The Album, which featured the singles “H-O-S-T-Y-L-E” and the classic “F.A.Y.B.A.N.”.

Blaq released his debut album Rewind: Deja Screw back in 2006, but things are different this time around as he’s currently linked up with DJ Premier’s Year Round Records imprint. With Premier behind the boards and the beats (13 out of 15) you’re about guaranteed a quality Hip-Hop product. Right from the jump Blaq Poet let’s you know exactly what you’re getting with this album. “I-Gititin” sees Blaq spittin’ some hardcore-laced lyrics over a pounding beat from Premier, which really sets the tone for the rest of the album to follow. Listeners expecting to hear another rap album full of Auto-Tune lyrics, catchy hooks, and gimmicky production will be sadly disappointed (were you really expecting that with a DJ Premier production?). Those that have been craving for a return to the better days of Hip-Hop music (read: 90’s Hip-Hop) will be satisfied to know that’s what they’ll get with this album. A throwback feel to those days is best heard on the track “Ain’t Nuttin Changed”, which served as the 1st single for the album. DJ Premier’s magnificent sampling and chopping of 3 different records blends nicely with Poet’s rough and rugged rhymes about how the hood is still the same from the last time he was there.

In a time where it seems like too many rappers are afraid to speak their minds and go against the grain of what’s popular or “hot” in the industry, Blaq Poet lives for the moment to speak just how he feels. That’s one of the strongest characteristics of Poet as a rapper, which is perfectly heard on the track “Don’t Give A Fuccc”. The pulsating beat produced by Premier gives way for Poet to do some aggressive shit talking and not really care who he offends (you saw the song title, right?). Throughout the length of this album Blaq Poet does a nice job of keeping the song topics diverse and not repeating himself too much in his rhymes. From speaking about the hood and hood politics (“Ain’t Nuttin Changed”, “Hood Crazy”) to drug dealing (“U Phucc’d Up”) to death (“Never Goodbye”) to violence and guns (“Let The Guns Blow”). One of the most interesting and unique tracks comes in the form of “Voices”, which sees Blaq telling about his beyond the grave conversations with the late Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, and other deceased rap legends as well as some living about the grim state of Hip-Hop. Poet also displays his storytelling abilities on the tracks “S.O.S.” and “Sichuwayshunz”, which give listeners another insight into the mind and skill level he possesses.

Over the 15 tracks in total that span this album, the only negative aspect to be found is in terms of the album’s energy. At the start of the album through the first 3 tracks listeners are presented with strong energy in regards to the lyrics and production. But after that the album takes a dip in energy and quality somewhat with a couple average tracks before it starts picking back up by the album’s end. In handling a majority of the album’s production, DJ Premier provides Poet with some trademark bangers that are able to convey both the energy and topic of the songs. There are times though when the quality you come to expect from a legend like Premier isn’t presented as was the case with “What’s The Deal?”, “Legendary Pt. 1”, and “Hood Crazy”. These beats come off as bland and monotonous, and as a result limits the songs’ potential. The only other two producers (Easy Mo Bee, Gemcrates) featured on the album also do a quality job with their offerings (“U Phucc’d Up”, “Sichuwayshunz”) respectively.

In terms of Blaq Poet, he does what’s expected of him on the mic with his rhymes and stays true to himself as an artist. Blaq isn’t the type of rapper that’s going to deliver thought provoking rhymes or multi syllable lyrics. He’s a rapper that’s going to get straight to the point with what he has to say and he does a nice job of that on this album. Obviously this is an album that will receive much support from the underground Hip-Hop scene and will probably get overlooked by the mainstream/commercial audience… But quite frankly I think the underground listeners is whom Blaq Poet and DJ Premier were aiming for. This is one of those albums that should have a sticker on the cover stating “This Is Not For The Mainstream…Underground Only”. If you can make such a claim, this album is too Hip-Hop for the mainstream to understand and with that in mind it fits just find where it is. If you’re one of those listeners that have been waiting for some genuine Hip-Hop to listen to, you definitely need to pick up a copy of this album.

Playlist: “U Phucc’d Up”, “Ain’t Nuttin Changed”, “Rap Addiction”, “Don’t Give A Fuccc”, “S.O.S.”, “Stretch Marks & Cigarette Burns”, “Sichuwayshunz”, “I-Gititin”, “Never Goodbye”

Download: Blaq Poet – “I-Gititin”

Download: Blaq Poet – “Don’t Give A Fuccc”

While some might be trying to figure out if this is a standard album review by nappyafro terms, I’d like to introduce you to SpeakerHead’s Boomin’ System (props to LL circa 1990). SpeakerHead (aka SBK) is a nickname that I picked up for my love of music and constant collection of it from vinyl to CD to cassette to mp3’s. While sneaker heads are coppin’ the latest Jordan Package or AF1’s, I’m at the record store getting that rare 45 or foreign soundtrack. This is designed to highlight albums that are currently getting play in my boomin’ system and to review them overall rather than track-by-track like the standard ‘fro album reviews. So to kick off the initial review we’re going to look at the latest album from a producer on my Top 5 list in J Dilla’s Jay Stay Paid.

One of the best music producers of all-time is back at it again, this time teaming up with another legendary producer in his own right. J Dilla’s mother (Maureen Yancey aka Ma Dukes) called up legendary Hip-Hop producer Pete Rock to oversee this project and it would only seem fit as he was considered Dilla’s only musical idol. It’s great to see Dilla’s mother so involved with her son’s work in making sure that his legacy remains strong and relevant while not letting it become tainted by folks in the industry looking for $$$. We’re gonna continue to raise it up for Ma Dukes and support Dilla no matter what. Combine material from old disks, DATs, and beats produced by J Dilla while he was in the hospital battling Lupus and you get the next chapter of his legacy entitled Jay Stay Paid.

This album follows the format of a radio station (cleverly named KJAY) with Pete Rock serving as the Host in delivering unreleased and unheard J Dilla productions as well as newly composed songs by various artists. With the amount of J Dilla posthumous albums and compilations being released (Jay Stay Paid, Dillanthology 1, Dillanthology 2), some people might think we’re headed towards the “Pac Syndrome” with Dilla’s music. But in reality it’s far from that as the releasing of these albums and compilations displays an individual that worked on his craft passionately and took care in perfecting it. These projects continue to add to the growing legacy of J Dilla as it also those that didn’t recognize and appreciate his talent while he was still alive or even take the time to listen or know that they’re favorite song was produced by him, to understand how special he was and why he’s so sorely missed by the Hip-Hop community.

On this album we are blessed with unreleased beats that not only showcase Dilla’s soulful side (“Coming Back”, “Mythsysizer”) but his experimental side as well (“On Stilts, “In The Night (Owl N Out)/While You Slept (I Crept)”). Not to be labeled as the same style as his Donuts album, which was an instrumental album, this album features choice emcees droppin’ rhymes over Dilla beats. As with other artists’ posthumous albums (2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G.) you usually get songs featuring artists that either don’t sound right on collaborating with them or wouldn’t have worked with the artist if they were still alive. But with songs on this album it works, as many of the artists are those that previously worked with Dilla (Black Thought, Blu, Frank Nitty) and the ones that didn’t have a chance to collaborate with him don’t sound out of place (Lil’ Fame of M.O.P., Havoc, Raekwon). Of these songs “Reality Check” works extremely well with Black Thought delivering some “reality TV” themed rhymes over Dilla’s fast paced beats and “24K Rap” sees Dilla delivering a grimy, dark beat for Havoc and the Chef to deliver making you image how Dilla would have collaborated with other artists of the same type.

Not all of the production featured on this album are unreleased or unheard as Dilla enthusiasts will recognize beats like “caDILLAc” (“Hip Hop Quotable” – A.G.), “Smoke” (“JLJ Intro” – J Dilla), “Digi Dirt” (“Put Ya Stamp On It” – Akrobatik), “KJay and We Out” (“Ma Dukes” – Frank-N-Dank) from previous Dilla releases and other artists he produced for. But this doesn’t take any from the beats at all as they are fantastic productions you don’t mind hearing again.

Now while this album doesn’t have the lasting effect of Donuts or isn’t as soulful as The Shining, it shouldn’t be compared to his past albums anyway. That’s the aspect of J Dilla and each album released before and after his death that a lot of people don’t understand or overlook. Each J Dilla album is unique and as a whole reflects something different every time. Welcome 2 Detroit couldn’t be said to be the same as Ruff Draft just as Donuts is in no way the same as The Shining, and the same thing could be said about this beats and production. This uniqueness and sense of individuality is what made Dilla one of the best producers in Hip-Hop, as he took his time while crafting and perfecting his works. He was somebody that was passionate about what he did and it continues to show in his music even after his passing. Just listen to songs released this year (“Stress” – Guilty Simpson, “History” – Mos Def) and it sounds like Dilla is still here producing these gems.

Passion is something that separates somebody from being great and just being another, and Dilla definitely wasn’t just another producer in the game. This thing called “passion” is something that sorely missing in the game today with most artists and producers in their works, and is the reason why most of these “hot” artists and producers won’t really be remembered years later after careers are done and over with the likes of J Dilla, Big L, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun, Jam Master Jay, Aaliyah, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopez, etc. As I said previously, Jay Stays Paid displays a span of Dilla’s career as it features productions from early in his career to the last stage of his life, and it was put together to further extend his legacy to fans of his music and introduce new listeners to how great of a producer he was. Jay Stay Paid is definitely an album I would recommend adding to your collection whether “Dilla Changed Your Life” or you just heard about him.

Playlist: “Reality Check”, “24K Rap”, “Smoke”, “See That Boy Fly”, “Coming Back”, “On Stilts”, “Mythsysizer”, “In The Night (Own N Out) / While You Slept (I Crept)”

J Dilla feat. Havoc & Raekwon – “24K rap”

“Better late than never”… That saying probably holds the most truth when it comes to this Rewind Review of Black Milk’s second album release entitled Tronic. Coming out of Detroit, a place that has a history of producing some of Hip-Hop greatest artists and producers (Jay Dee aka J Dilla, Eminem, Proof, D12, Royce Da 5’9”, Slum Village, Elzhi, etc.), Black Milk has a lot of weight on his shoulders in continuing the legacy that has been laid before him. This is especially the case when people have already been comparing him to the late, great J Dilla in terms of his music production behind the boards. Lets see if Black Milk does the legacy justice with this album or if his star is fading just as fast as it started.

Long Story Short
Featuring Dwele; Produced by Black Milk
Black Milk starts off the album with a bang as the “Intro” track he provides give the listener a great introduction of who he is and everything that he’s been through to get to this point in his career. From his early starts in producing to landing a spot on Slum Village’s album (“Reunion”) to his tenure with the B.R. Gunna group to landing a deal with Fat Beats, Black Milk gives you his career autobiography in five minutes. The hard hitting drums blended with the smearing synths along with featured artist Dwele on the horns provides a great backdrop for Milk to spit rhymes over. I can see why this song was posted on so many Top Hip-Hop Songs of 2008 list, this is a great way to start off the album and bring new listeners up to speed.

Bounce
Produced by Black Milk
Right after the first track we immediate go into the next without a stop in momentum or energy. Just as the title suggests, Black Milk produces a fitting beat with enough bounce to have listeners nodding their heads. In terms of the lyrics Black Milk is on point in talking about how he’d rather see all of these commercial radio ringtone artists bounce from the industry and make room for better artists to shine such as Milk himself.

Give The Drummer Sum
Produced by Black Milk
From the smooth track “Bounce” we jump right back into it with the pounding drums and horns of “Give The Drummer Sum”, which happened to be the album’s lead single. It’s no surprise that it was selected because Black produces a live sounding beat and delivers rhymes that match the intensity. This track is a prime example of why Black Milk is one of the best upcoming producers in that he has a lot of diversity to his music production. He doesn’t rely on the common beat of claps, snaps, rolling snare hits, etc., but give the listener an experience through the music.

Without U
Featuring Colin Munroe; Produced by Colin Munroe
At first listen I was really feeling this track too much but over time this song grew on it and I can say that it’s a pretty good track. Colin Munroe who provides vocals on the track also supplies Black Milk with a beat that allows his to spit lyrics about how live after his girl and relationship has been great. This song ends up being a good listen with a topic that guys can relate to. Peep the nice beat interlude following the song, which sounds like Black Milk’s rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon In The Sky” (that’s his Dilla side showing).

Hold It Down
Produced by Black Milk
After slowing things down a bit on the previous track, Black Milk elevates back to high gear with this track. Black up-tempo beat gives the bounce that was heard on the second track as his lyrics are focused on whether he should do songs that reach more of the commercial audience or stick true to his underground roots in delivering that real Hip-Hop music that so many crave nowadays (hopefully he sticks with the latter).

Losing Out
Featuring Royce 5’9”; Produced by Black Milk
This track is the second single off of the album as Black brings along Royce Da 5’9” on this hard-hitting track. Black Milk provides a nice beat that allows him and Royce to drop some quality lyrics on how they will always come out on top and overcome the opposition that they face.

Hell Yeah
Featuring Fat Ray; Produced by Black Milk
Talk about a hard-hitting beat, this is probably the hardest track on the entire album. The track that Black Milk produces is a speaker-blowing beat that sees him straight spitting lyrics showing that he can handle both behind the boards and behind the mic. He also hooks back up with his former partner Fat Ray of B.R. Gunna that provides the chorus.

Overdose
Produced by Black Milk
After a brief interlude we have reached the halfway mark of the album, and after seven tracks it has been very good so far. On this track Black Milk produces a synth heavy beat that has him spitting some average lyrics. This track is good but doesn’t get beyond the average mark or reach the level of some of the previous tracks.

Reppin’ For U
Featuring AB; Produced by Black Milk
Black Milk produces a soulful sounding beat that allows him to speak about all of the things that he represents for like Hip-Hop music, Detroit, etc. This track works well as AB provides some great vocals on the chorus to make it complete.

The Matrix
Featuring Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price, & DJ Premier; Produced by Black Milk
This was initially the first track that I heard before the album’s release and it got me really interested in picking up the album. As the B-Side of the lead single “Give The Drummer Sum”, this track features the most lyricism out of any other tracks on the album. Black Milk, Pharoahe Monch, and Sean Price all drop great verses that match up nicely to the beat that Black produces. This song is straight Hip-Hop compete with the chorus scratches by none other than DJ Premier.

Try
Produced by Black Milk
Black Milk goes back to the soul sample sound that he presented on his previous releases Sound Of The City and Popular Demand and it works well for him. The track tends to come off a monotonous since much of the production on the album strayed away from sampling for the most part, but Black makes the song work for him in the end.

Tronic Summer
Produced by Black Milk
This track serves as a musical interlude of sorts featuring Black Milk’s production. It’s good production from Black, but nothing really too special in that regards. Just think of this track in the same essence of the beat interludes on some of the previous tracks.

Bond 4 Life
Featuring Melanie Rutherford; Produced by Black Milk
At the close of the album we are blessed with this great track by Black Milk featuring the vocals of Melanie Rutherford on the chorus. This is probably my favorite track on the entire album as Black produces such a great beat that blends nicely with Melanie’s singing and allows him to spit lyrics that are simple and straight to the point. This song is a great way to close out the album as it has that finale/closing feel to it and lets us know that the journey is complete.

Elec (Outro)
Produced by Black Milk
This track which is the “Outro” of the album is another musical interlude similar to that of “Tronic Summer” that just features some lasting Black Milk production to close things out. Again it’s good production by Black but nothing too special in terms of what we have heard throughout the album from him.

Bottom Line:
After 14 tracks it’s clear to say that Black Milk has clearly avoided the sophomore jinx that so many artists are cursed with after their debut album. But more importantly than that Black holds true to the Detroit Hip-Hop legacy that has such a strong foundation. He shows that he’s able to hold it down in both production and rapping with much room to grow in terms of lyricism. But I don’t think that’s what Black Milk is striving to be known for as his music production skills outweighs his lyrics behind the microphone. Similar to how J Dilla was known for his beats as well as spittin’ lyrics while in the group Slum Village, as time went on more people recognized Dilla’s legacy for his production and not his lyricism. That is much the case with Black Milk and it’s clear to see why people are comparing him to the likes of Jay Dee. But I think that Black Milk doesn’t need to be compared to J Dilla and he’s able to stand on his own as a producer. People are comparing him just because he’s a great upcoming producer from Detroit so they expect him to be the next Dilla. But he’s not J Dilla or is he ever gonna be, he’s BLACK MILK and that name alone is starting to hold weight. This album was definitely one of the finest Hip-Hop releases in 2008 and one that everybody who calls themselves a Hip-Hop fan needs to pick up and have in their collection. Black Milk has shown that he can carry the torch and continue on the Detroit legacy, and at the same time shows that he has much more great music to come and is becoming an established name in the industry.

nappyPicks: “The Matrix”, “Bond 4 Life”, “Give The Drummer Sum”, & “Long Story Short”

Emilio Rojas… That’s a name that many Hip-Hop fans might not recognize. Well that’s understandable since he’s kind of new on the Hip-Hop scene, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out for him. Emilio Rojas just happens to be the new breed of rappers that bringing life back into the genre of Hip-Hop with lyricism and flow, not by relying on catchy hooks and corny dances. When I first saw the video for Emilio’s song “That Time” to be featured on his upcoming album The Nouveau Slick I was immediately hooked to check out more work from him. Lets see how this mixtape holds listeners over until his next album drops…

Intro
Produced by M-Phazes
Right at the start Emilio comes out of the gates with force in letting you know exactly what you’re getting in listening to this album. M-Phazes provides Emilio with a strong track that’s a perfect fit for an intro track as Emilio gets straight to the lyrics and shows you that he’s a force to be reckoned with.

Keys To The City
Produced by Midnite
Emilio doesn’t let up with this next track that keeps the energy going thanks to the synth heavy beat produced by Midnite. Emilio talks about how he’s on his grind with his music dreams and is on a mission to run New York rap and bring it back to the top where it once resided.

On The Ave
Featuring Fashawn; Produced by M-Phazes
Everybody knows that you gotta grind if you want to make it in this industry and the rap game is just like the crack game as stated by Emilio and Fashawn who drop verses about how they can be found on the ave getting that paper. M-Phazes produced a hard-hitting track that sounds like something M.O.P. would be at home on while both emcees here do it justice.

Just One Night
Produced by Deheb
Emilio decides to slow things down just a bit with this track produced by Deheb who provides a beat that allows him to spit about how he doesn’t fall in love in just one night. Emilio doesn’t stray from the current Auto-Tune trend as he incorporates it on the chorus to a minimal effect. This track is okay but starts to go dull after a while.

Young, Fresh, & Fly
Produced by Illmind
You can call this one of the single tracks off of this mixtape as it’s one that Emilio has been performing at concerts recently. Illmind provides Emilio with a bouncy synth track that sees him talking about the reasons why he’s young, fresh, and fly. This track is good but I don’t know if it’s the one that I would be pushing as a single and performing.

Here I Am
Featuring Mela Machinko; Produced by Khrysis
Coming back with a bang is exactly what Emilio does with this Khrysis produced track as he spits lyrics letting the people know who is and that he’s here to stay in the industry. Emilio displays great lyricism on the track that meshes well with the beat.

Let It Out
Produced by Timbaland
On this track Emilio borrows the Timbaland produced track “Bounce” from his Shock Value album to spit some rapid-fire bars. There’s no doubt that the Timbaland beat is nicely produced and surprisingly it fits with Emilio’s lyrics and chorus telling the girls to let the freak in them out and stop concealing it.

Don’t Go
Featuring Mela Machinko; Produced by DJ Noodles
This next track sees Emilio spittin’ lyrics about how he doesn’t want his girl to go because of his actions while recalling his past dealing with his mother and father. Emilio’s lyrics hold up on their end but don’t really fit well with the average production provided by DJ Noodles who also hosts the mixtape (DJ Drama/DJ Khaled??…NO!!!)

585 Remix
Featuring Hassaan Mackey, Black Sinatra, LI, & Nikal Fieldz; Produced by M-Phazes
M-Phazes produces a nice beat backed with guitars and menacing piano riffs that sets the backdrop for Emilio and the other emcees to spit about the 585 (Rochester, New York). No one emcee outshines the others on this track as they drop some nice lyrics about their hometown and how it is where they’re from.

Murder
Featuring Donny Goines & Mela Machinko; Produced by Illmind
On this track Illmind comes through with some more nice production as Emilio spits about what’s going on around him from robbery to cheating to gun clappin’. Emilio drops a nice verse but Donny Goines is on point with his verse displaying his lyrical skills.

10 Player Commandments
Produced by Reality
Reality provides Emilio with a high-energy beat that allows him to give the listeners (both male and female) the commandments/rules about being a player and how to not get caught up while getting around. It’s an okay track and creative idea in building off Biggie’s “10 Crack Commandments”, but this type of song has been done before in a better fashion.

Way She Moves
Featuring Stat Quo & Marvin Priest; Produced by M-Phazes
This is my choice for the best track on the mixtape as M-Phazes really does his thing and produces a great beat for Emilio and Stat Quo to drop lyrics about the chicks and how they catch their eye. Marvin Priest does a nice job in providing a Charlie Wilson-like chorus. Emilio needs to make this a single off of this project as it has the appeal to catch fans and listeners alike.

Free
Produced by Zaire
This track serves as the outro of the mixtape so to speak as Emilio gets lyrical over a nicely produced beat by Zaire. Emilio talks about the various forms of being free and how it’s something that everybody needs to be.

Bottom Line:
At the end of this mixtape Emilio shows why he’s an artist that people need to be checking for and not just blowing off as another emcee trying to make it in the industry. In a time where lyrical skill and ability isn’t the deciding factor in whether a rapper will be successful or not, Emilio displays much of that skill and shows he doesn’t need the radio hits or club bangers to make it. Even though this is only a mixtape, it shows the potential that Emilio has to be a great emcee and why he considers himself a “breath of fresh air” (just check out his debut album bearing the same title). More and more new artists are coming into the industry that are displaying more lyricism and flow in their lyrics and Emilio can be added to that group. Now we just have to wait and see just how far he can take it in bringing a renaissance of real Hip-Hop music back to the industry.

nappyPicks: “Way She Moves”, “On The Ave”, & “Let It Out”

Download: Emilio Rojas – Recession Proof (Mixtape)

Now when I saw the category of “Man Of The Year” I didn’t know exactly what to think because in my mind that would definitely go to the President-elect Barack Obama for his major accomplishment. But I’m guessing that we’re keeping it Hip-Hop (like Barack isn’t Hip-Hop) and with that in mind, my choice has to be Jay-Z for the year. Now I know everybody already thinks that 2008 belonged to Lil’’ Wayne, but if you look at the big picture and what the title of “Man Of The Year” means then you have to give the award to Jay…let me explain.

Even though Jay-Z didn’t release an album in 2008 (Blueprint 3 coming 2009) he still managed to do more for Hip-Hop music regardless of the fact. He headlined a major international festival being Glastonbury amongst the animosity and anger he received from Oasis’ Noel Gallagher. He completely smashed the show and brought the Hip-Hop industry across the seas as the first Hip-Hop act to play the festival. That’s a major milestone for the genre and will certainly open the doors for artists like Lil’ Wayne to be able to do the same in the future and be accepted as a Hip-Hop artist. He married arguably one of the hottest women on the planet in Beyoncé Knowles after there tenure of dating. Even though they kept it discreet, we all knew what the case was with Hov & B. Now watch all of these other rappers try to go out a put a ring on some chick’s finger (probably an R&B singer’s). He was able to land a $150 Million deal with Live Nation, which is one of the richest contracts ever offered to a musician. He teamed up with Mary J. Blige to put on a very successful Heart Of The City tour and he still leads the rest on the Forbes list as the most successful rapper currently.

Lil’ Wayne definitely reached another level this year with Tha Carter III being the highest selling Hip-Hop album of the year and accomplishing the near impossible feat of selling a million copies in the first week of its release. Weezy also had the most freestyled over song of the year in “A Milli” which has also put Bangladesh on the map as the go-to producer for a hit single (Beyoncé – “Diva”…the formula still works). This year also saw Wayne garner the most support and popularity seen recently for a rapper. From the rock star image to styrofoam cups to tattoos, everybody was trying to get on Wayne’s level with their own swagger. This was definitely Wayne’s breakout year much alike to Jay-Z back in 1998 when Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life was released and everybody started catching on. Things can only go up for Wayne at this point in seeing his image grow even larger (hopefully without his ego doing the same), but I think Jay-Z’s accomplishments and work top much of what Wayne did this year. Keep in mind that Jay did it all without releasing an album, not if Wayne hadn’t released C3 I don’t think we would even been talking about him like we were this year.

That’s right folks, it’s about that time again to sort through the massive pile of bullshit that’s occupying space in the music industry and other areas of the world. I couldn’t wait for October to arrive to bless y’all with another edition of That’s Some Bull%!*# as there were some matters the clearly needed to be addressed and couldn’t wait. I may end up doing two editions per month as there is enough bullshit going around to supply plenty of material for it to happen. Well enough of the small talk, let’s get down to business with this 2nd edition of the most outspoken individual since Bill “Mr. Bullshit” O’Reilly (lol).

After reading a recent posting by B-Easy regarding VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs and seeing the complete list from 100-1, I was in total disbelief to what I saw. Their list of the “100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs” is complete bullshit without a doubt. I really want to know the heads that got together and decided on that as the final official list to put out cause I want to personally kick all of them in the throat. “Get Low” (Lil’ Jon & The East Side Boyz), “Oh Boy” (Cam’Ron), “Hard Out Here For A Pimp” (Three 6 Mafia)…how can these songs be considered the absolute greatest of all-time for Hip-Hop. A genre which dates back all the way to 1979 has produced far too many great songs that weren’t even included on the list. Now this isn’t the first bullshit list that I’ve seen nor will it be the last that we’re graced with. Remember MTV’s Hottest MCs In The Game and Vibe magazine’s current Best Rapper Alive Tournament; those were both some bullshit lists to the highest degree. I have come to the conclusion that these TV networks and magazines that are supposed to be associated with urban music are way out of touch with the genre. Most of these lists are catered to include more mainstream/commercial appeal than real Hip-Hop. Honestly I’m really getting tired of seeing these bullshit lists and tournaments as they are very inaccurate and far from being considered official. I mean everybody has their own opinion and views especially regarding Hip-Hop’s best and greatest so why not just do away with all of the lists and categories all together. If you ask a group of people their Top 5 Emcees of All-Time the lists will never be the same as you’ll get a wide range of names from 2Pac to The Notorious B.I.G. to Jay-Z to T.I. to Lil’ Wayne to Kanye West to Young Jeezy to The Game to even Soulja Boy (yeah I said Soulja Boy, go ask that to a 14 year old and he’ll be on their list). I don’t think a composite list could ever be created with everybody agreeing completely; so just let everybody have his or her own personal lists.

For the past two weeks I have been getting mass emails and text messages telling me about the concept of “campaigning” and how it could greatly affect the outcome of the 2008 Presidential Election next month (damn, we’re one month away from a new president and the end of the “terror era” know as George W. Bush’s term…FREEDOM!!!). This concept of campaigning is an interesting one and something that should have been talked about a long time ago. Basically campaigning means on Election Day you can’t:

1. Wear or display clothing (T-shirts, buttons, hats, etc.) promoting a party or candidate.

2. Distribute or display anything showing political party or candidate names.

3. Cover up or take down all election signs.

There are more rules to this concept that can be read about at (http://www.elections.org.nz/news/ceomedia-election-day-rules-150905.html) and I think this is something that everybody should be aware of especially supporters of Barack Obama. McCain and his party know how much African-Americans are supporting Barack Obama and they know that we purchase and wear T-shirts, buttons, hats, and anything else with his name and/or picture on it to show our support. They know that people would wear this attire to the polls on Election Day to show great support for victory and since there hasn’t been much talk about this concept a lot of us don’t know about it. If you are caught campaigning on Election Day you are not allowed to vote and this is the election where we need all the votes to count. I really think it’s some bullshit how McCain and his party is counting on this concept to help them pull off a victory for the Republican Party in McCain becoming the next president. They have been making sure their party members know about this concept and have been in the background laughing at all of the Obama supports who buy shitloads of Obama gear and wear it everywhere they go (that’s some real shady shit McCain!!!). We really need to spread the word around about campaigning and not let it be a factor in this all-important election.

If you ask people to name some classic Hip-Hop albums you’ll get answers like Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, Ready To Die, All Eyez On Me, The Low End Theory, Paper Trail, The Recession…wait did you say Paper Trail and The Recession?!!!?? Those albums were just released last month, how can they be classics already? My point exactly, Paper Trail was just released yesterday and people are already labeling it a classic….BULLSHIT!!! I think that the term “classic” is used and thrown around too often in the genre of Hip-Hop as everybody quickly labels an album as a classic as soon as it’s released. According to my knowledge, a classic album is one that you remember vividly some 10 years after it was released and it still gives you the same feeling that it did when you first listened to it. I know that every time I listen to Illmatic and Reasonable Doubt in their entirety I get a chilling feeling throughout my body as both the lyrics and beat take me to another place mentally. I can listen to those album and recite every lyric perfectly and on time while understanding the depth and message of each song beyond its surface. It’s been over 10 years since those albums were released respectively and they are both as superior as they were on their original release date. A classic album is one that other emcees state as something that inspired and motivated them to want to start rapping much to the likes of Ready To Die or ATLiens. An album has to have time to settle before it can be considered a classic and this settling takes some years…not one day or a month after it’s released. Listen to The Recession or Paper Trail some ten years later in 2018 and see if you still have the same feeling and reaction that you had on September 2 or September 30, 2008. That will really let you know whether that album is a true classic or if it was crowned just too quickly. I don’t think there will be a 10-year anniversary special for Paper Trail or The Recession as a groundbreaking album like there was for Reasonable Doubt and why do you think so many people want Nas to go back to his Illmatic days and style of rhyming. If you notice with Illmatic and Reasonable Doubt, neither Nas nor Jay-Z has been able to create another album of that caliber or go back to that way of rhyming…because that time for them was so special and different. There’s no way that they could recreate the feeling of those albums. But The Recession and Paper Trail, Jeezy and T.I. could recreate those albums and make even better albums. So let’s put a pause on the word “classic” for a while and stop being so quick to use it for everything. It’s 2008 and 10 years ago was 1998…It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot (DMX), Capital Punishment (Big Pun), Aquemini (Outkast), The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (Lauryn Hill)…CLASSICS!!!!