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  • MIXTAPE MONDAY vol. 4

    This week’s Mixtape up for review, DJ Whoo Kid’s “POW Radio Vol. 1”.

    When I talk to rap fans about mixtapes, a very common complaint is that the annoying shout-outs that seemed to be laced in every song like a batch of bad drugs, take away from the music. Mixtape music for my sake is a way of listening to music I would never have access to outside of a mixtape in a raw form. While I understand the reasoning behind a DJ wanting to insert random sounds or sayings that authenticate a song as being produced by them, you can’t deny the presence of these annoyances in mixtape music and their negative effect. DJ Whoo Kid’s newest mixtape “POW Radio Vol. 1” is guilty of using the shout-out to a point where the music gets compromised. It’s sad to think that the energy, soul and lyrical excellence rappers put into their music gets ruined when all of a sudden a classic rap track gets hit with “WHOOOOOOOO KIDDD….” or a gun shot or any other of a plethora of annoyances that fall under the umbrella of being a shout-out.

    “POW Radio” is a mixtape full of very commercial, pop sounding, radio friendly music. The names on the mixtape are huge whether it be 50 Cent, Jay-Z or T.I. The lead track of the mixtape is T.I.’s “Hands in the Air”. The first part of the song isn’t incredible, but T.I. kills it on the song’s final verse: “I don’t want to make it seem like I’m bragging to you/ ‘Cause I don’t think that’s one of the things a rapper should do/ but if I happen to forget I’ll be back in a few/ I got a Phantom, leather truck, Cadillac and a Coupe”.

    Lloyd Banks has a few appearances on the mixtape including a 70 bar long freestyle. Banks, as he has since he came on the mixtape scene a few years ago, improves any mixtape he raps on including this one. In the freestyle, Banks has a clever rhyme scheme rapping about “having a bitch for every letter in the alphabet”. In a very Pappose-ish “Alphabetical Slaughter” style, Banks rhymes names of woman for every letter in the alphabet (well at least up to the point where he gets stuck on the letter J), while still rhyming. Freeway also has a hot freestyle on the mixtape to the beat of Lil’ Wayne’s “Hustler Muzik”.

    There are a couple of interesting appearances by Jay-Z on this mixtape, but not Jay-Z the rapper, Jay-Z the businessman. In an interlude between tracks, there is audio of an interview with Jay-Z by an unnamed interviewer in which Jay talks briefly about how he is focusing on the business side of rap for right now, essentially squashing any rumors of a lyrical comeback. The two-minute interview then turned toward the subject of Cam’Ron. When asked what he was going to do about the beef that Cam has with him, Jay responded simply “I’m really trying to doing the boardroom thing right now”. Later in the mixtape, on a track called “Talent Search” we hear Jay-Z the comedian come out. In an unnamed radio appearance, Jay addresses a caller trying to rap for him by simply telling him his lyrics are “hot” after the caller only spoke one word. The conversation between the two is funny, and Jay-Z has a couple of hilarious lines.

    Kanye West gets on the mixtape with a track a few seconds longer than a minute called “Murder She Wrote”. In addition there are tracks by Jae Millz and a hot track from Peedi Crack. With a fast flow and constant rhymes Peedi’s song “Bury Niggas” serves the mixtape as a hot song from a lesser-known artists. One of the hottest beats on the album is from a Lloyd Banks and Avant collaboration called “Xclusive”. Papoose has a hot verse on the song “Throw Yo Guns in the Air” which also features a rapper named Riz.

    Overall this mixtape has some quality to it. There are some hot freestyles and a couple of tracks you won’t find on the radio. However, the shout-outs are way to frequent and disrupt the flow of the mixtape. Additionally, this is a very mainstream sounding mixtape, which will definitely dissuade some hardcore rap fans from picking this one up.

    OVERALL SCORE: 7 out of 10

  • MIXTAPE MONDAY vol. 3

    This week’s mixtape up for review, DJ Scarface’s “I Got That Product”

    After a week off, the official musichelpweb.com blog is back with the third edition of Mixtape Monday. I hope you all enjoyed your week off, but now it’s back to business as usual. This week’s mixtape comes from DJ Scarface and it’s called “I Got That Product”. The mixtape features a spectrum of rappers from the mixtape standard (Stack Bundles), to the securely mainstream (Mobb Deep), and a lot of what’s in between.

    The first thing that caught my attention on this mixtape was a track called “If it’s on”. The track featured Dipset member J.R. Writer and two females, Lady Luck and Babs. I was shocked when I heard the song’s first verse from Babs. Babs, no if’s and’s or but’s about it, killed it. If you take a short stroll down memory lane you might remember Babs was the top female rapper to come out of the P. Diddy catastrophe known as “The Band”. Babs referenced her stint with the group and an infamous experience she and her “Band”-mates went through on the show “Making the Band 2”; “From the same label as Mase/ Don’t get it twisted, the heat put a bitch in her place/ …but I never wear lace/ plus I walk over bitches in the game like I walk for cheesecake”.

    Dipset artists have been known to rap on some beats with unexpected samples. Whether it be Cam’ron rapping to Billy Joel or Jim Jones riding a beat courtesy of Sting, these guys never cease to shock you every once and a while. This mixtape was no exception, as J.R. Writer continues this time-honored tradition with the song “New Kid in Town”, sampled from an Eagles song of the same name. The vocals aren’t incredible, but combined with the beat the song is very entertaining.

    The mixtape also gave a little love to a couple of old timers, Royal Flush and AZ. Royal Flush has two songs on the Mixtape, the best of which is “In these Streets”. In one stellar verse, Royal Flush spits the following: “You ain’t ready for the street life homey/ Got this gun up on me/ And I’m gonna treat you like Sosa did Tony/ I’m the hottest shit out like PSP for Sony/ And I’m like T.I. ‘cause you really don’t know me.” AZ gets on an Alchemist produced track called “Professional Style”. The song is raw and running a shade under two minutes I was left wanting more from the Brooklyn born rap veteran.

    The rest of the highlights of the mixtape:
    – Method Man brought some of his usual ridiculously engaging lyrics with the song “Who I’m Is” (English teachers all over the world cringe upon hearing the song’s title)
    – Mobb Deep and fellow G-Unit member 50 Cent talk about the girls who try harder to get backstage at their concert “then the politicians on the campaign” on the song “Backstage Pass”.
    – 50 cent also gets on a track with Lloyd Banks on the curiously catchy song “Cake”.
    – Killa Sha does a great job rapping on the “Pearly Gates” beat with a freestyle called “Pull Da Wool”

    Overall, the mixtape will have you skipping just as many tracks as you will listen to. However, there is some interesting stuff here and the mixtape maintains as listenable from start to end.

    OVERALL SCORE: 6.5 out of 10

  • David Lee Roth continues to suck at life

    People make mistakes. That’s why pencils have erasers, elderly people have “Depends” and the Mets have a second World Series banner (any chance to bash the Mets and Red Sox in the course of eight words is a chance I’m taking). Sometimes, those mistakes never seem to be fixed. Some mistakes seem to follow people wherever they go (another reason why “Depends” are good). In the case of former Rock n’ Roller and former could have mistaken him for an 8-year old who ate to much sugarer David Lee Roth, a mistake he made a long time ago seems to haunt him till this day.

    The Associated Press is reporting that Diamond Dave will be yanked as host of his nationally syndicated radio morning show sometime soon, maybe next week. Dave will be replaced by veterans of free radio, turned satellite, and once again free radio talking heads “Opie and Anthony”. According to the report, an official announcement of his firing will not come till next week. However, it’s safe to say already that with the report of his firing we must ask the question, “How dumb do you have to be to leave Van Halen in the 80’s?”. The answer, David Lee Roth dumb.

    As you might know, in 1985 Roth left what was at the time one of the most popular music acts in the world, Van Halen to take a shot at a solo career. Dave had minor success with a few hits on his own, but nothing near what Van Halen had done. The move to go solo and then suck at life has befallen many rockers in the history of music. The move has become so popular in Rock music that it’s now called pulling a “Diamond Dave” (at least that’s what I call it.) Here are some other members of the esteemed club known as “Double D’ers” aka “Diamond Davers”:

    –Ricky Martin– This Latin sensation was great as part of the Hispanic teen singing group Menudo. Ricky got a big head and thought it would be cool to try it on his own years later. After leading the “Vida loca” for a while, Ricky can now be found working at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Recida, Idaho leading the “Vida mocha”. (that report is not fully confirmed)

    –Pete Best– Ok, Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Star as the Beatles drummer. So, technically in that regard he isn’t a Diamond Daver. However, even if it takes killing the future conductor at the “Shiningtime Station”, you find a way to stay in the Beatles, they are the God danm Beatles. Pete Best, Honorary DD’er.

    –Dave Navarro– I’m never the kind of person to kick a man when he’s down, but I gotta mention this guy. Navarro chose drug addiction over Jane’s Addiction in 1991 and actually overcame his addiction to record music with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and once again Jane’s Addiction in the late 90’s. However, letting super hottie Carmen Electra get away earns you a DD’er stamp of approval. Even if it takes sleeping with a woman who’s been with Dennis Rodman, she is way to hot to let go.

    –Axl Rose– He was probably the man most responsible for the success of Guns n’ Roses. He was probably also most responsible for the bands untimely break-up. Axl has threatened to release the newest “Guns n’ Roses” (I use quotes as loosely as you call the current band Guns n’ Roses) album for the past God knows how many years now, but the fact still remains that we will never see one of the great rock bands of the late 80’s into the 90’s as we knew them before, because of him. For that reason, the apperance of “Buckethead” and misplaced dreadlocks makes Axl a “Diamond Daver”.

    So, Dave must now do as many of his fellow DD’ers have done and try and make something of his life. Radio is now a better place, the world rejoices.