HipHopDx Reviews
Apathy - Baptism By Fire
Apathy's penmanship runs the gamut from comedic to vicious (see "Ap Is Like"), and the original songs that appear on Baptism are entertaining.
K-Os - Atlantis: Hymns For Disco
If it is at all possible to compare his music to that of other artists - it'd have to be Lauryn Hill and Mos Def, as is often the case. Not that he sounds anything like them, he's just that good.
Ohene - The Rapademics
Ohene takes what seems to be a scientific approach to building the LP. Don't worry, you're not going to get a lot of intellectual, scholastic imagery and shit that's near impossible to understand; that's not what The Rapademics is.
MC Eiht - Representin'
MC Eiht was tearing up the West Coast long before The Game knew how to say "Dr. Dre." The veteran emcee has been making albums since the 80's and hasn't stopped since
Mathematics Presents - Wu-Tang & Friends Unreleased
Clan producer Mathematics releases Wu-Tang Clan & Friends: Unreleased, a digital only release from The Orchard of remixes and leftovers he produced for the group and its cohorts over the years.
The RZA Presents - Afro Samurai OST
Front to back I think it is safe to say that this is Rakeem's best work in a decade. From the production to the vocal performances, Afro Samurai The Soundtrack is just really ill all the way though. Call it the re-birth of a Prince.
Sean Price - Jesus Price Supastar
January is always a dreadfully slow month for releases and this does more than fill the void, thank the lord and savior Jesus Price.
Nature Sounds Presents - Natural Selection 2.0
For the most part, Natural Selection 2.0 isn't all that different from its predecessor, but there are two key features this time around that put it on a slightly higher level.
Pretty Ricky - Late Night Special
Rhyming about masturbation and meeting females on MySpace is bad enough, but it gets worse. In an attempt to sound sensual, the crew equates a woman's love to honey, "sticky and slow" and use other odd food references when seducing a woman.
Ultramagnetic MC's - The Best Kept Secret
It's been 14 long years since Ultramagnetic MC's last studio album, 1993's mediocre The Four Horseman, so it's safe to say that the title of their latest effort isn't a complete misnomer.
Peanut Butter Wolf Presents - Stones Throw Ten Years
Peanut Butter Wolf Presents Stones Throw Ten Years is must have material for everyone. Most definitely for the die hard fans and Stones Throw completists, and even more for the folks who who don't know a Stones Throw from a glass house.
Draze - Scarface
For example, his debut connected the story of Rocafella's rise and fall - connecting Hov and Dame with the classic comedy Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd. Do the math in your head and you should understand the hilarity.
Mary J Blige - Reflections: A Retrospective
"Best of" albums seldom move huge units, because those who are warranted to put out such a collection have already reached multi-platinum sales on their previous recordings.
Molemen - Killing Fields
Killing Fields is a perfect name for this album, both for it's plethora of battle-ready rhymes and as a metaphor for the tracks said rhymes are spit over.
Talib Kweli & Madlib - Liberation
Talib and Madlib breaking free from conventions still makes for an appealing project. In fact, this is Kweli's best album since Reflection Eternal in 2000, proving that maybe he just needs one producer to guide him along.
Termanology - Hood Politics IV: Show & Prove
He might not be the "holy resurrection of Pun" but then again, who could be? One thing is for sure, the man has the talent to be whatever he wants to be.
Trick Daddy - Back By Thug Demand
True to the spirit of bionics, Trick blends bass, blunts & booty to form the cornerstone of his music. Though artists are often criticized for drinking from the same well too many times, his stagnant subject matter is ironically one of his best qualities.
Styles P - Time is Money
Time Is Money is a solid album and will satisfy the die-hard fans, of course not without a few exceptions. P managed to drop a solid body of work this time around and has not compromised his lyricism even though some of the beat choices are in question.
XV - Complex
We need something defining from a brand new artist and not just the run of the mill, everyday emcee. This was a decent effort for a break out album, but it is a far cry from Complex.
Mos Def - Tru3 Magic
Once again, the wit and the lyrical talent is all there - it's the effort that isn't. What gets me the most is that despite a complete lack of effort and focus, the Mighty Mos Def can still stomp the shit out of most emcees these days.
