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Tuesday - May 23, 2006
TIP-OFF
What: The Rockumentary
Who: Hard White
A nondescript, industrial building hovers ominously above a strip of fractured pavement, a gutter, and the mixtape that lies in it -- the case cracked, and clouded by a crushed, white fog. That mixtape is The Rockumentary -- if not in body, at least in sprit -- an offering of front-to-back gutter music.
Presented by Dirt Class Records, this first-class mixtape features Hard White, a rap quintet -- made up of Un Pacino, Scott Caine, H. Brando, Boogz, and Mummbles -- that hails from Far Rockaway, New York.
The mixtape is filled with hard-hitting street-capers spit over creamy production cooked up by Sid Roams, Ric Rude and The Alchemist -- who also serves as host -- with guests such as Big Twins, J.R. Writer, and Stack Bundles, among others.
Deep, distorted synth steps flatter Hard White's threatening rhymes on the opening track, "That's That Sh--." "Growin' Up In The Hood" features another Far Rock rapper, Seemore Cash, who boasts, "You spit average, n---- I spit savage/ this time you lose, kid, like miscarriage."
On "H-Dub/Riot," front man Un Pacino delivers a set of searing lyrics: "...N----s claimin' shoes they can't fill on some foolish sh--/ screamin' how you next to BIG 'til the fifth hit him stiff, with him next to BIG/ and that's no disrespect to BIG, he need company/ on some menace sh--, Lennox this n---- who wan' romp wit me..."
"Clik Clak" and the "Hard White Anthem" are also standouts, as is the hypnotizing woodwind, vintage loop, and raw, unruly lyrics that make up "Close Your Eyes."
While Hard White is still relatively unknown beyond their Far Rockaway borough, The Rockumentary establishes them as a force in the game. They're bringing that crack -- legitimately.
THE LINEUP
J. Period: Best of the Isley Brothers
-- instant replay: Jay-Z & Cam'ron – "Summer In New York," Masta Ace – "The I.N.C. Ride"
DJ Drama & Young Dro: Day One
-- instant replay: "What The Hell Are Those," "Presidential," "We Gettin' Rich"
A. Pinks: It's Not a Rumor
-- instant replay: "All On Your own," "If My Hood Could Talk"
Demolition Men: Nuthin' But Slap Vol. 2
-- instant replay: Xplicit, Jack Tracks, Ya Boy, Mistah FAB - "Body Rock"
DJ Drama & Yo Gotti: I Told U So
-- instant replay: "Industry Niggas," "Get Buck"
SIDELINES
What: West Coast Gangstas
Who: DJ Kurupt & Tha Dogg Pound
The West Coast never left, it was just reloading. And while its mixtape game may be just barely visible above the waistline of the creased-up coast, make no mistake: the West is packing heat, a fact evident on this mixtape. DJ Kurupt includes new and exclusive material from Tha Dogg Pound alongside classic cuts from the crew. Check for Snoop's rekindled "lodi dodi" lyrics on "Real Talk," and guest appearances from Xzibit and Dr. Dre, among others.
What: The Chemistry Files
Who: The Alchemist
Review by: Evidence of Dilated Peoples
"Alchemist seems like an artist from another era to me," Evidence told BallerStatus.net. "He's creating a catalogue that not a lot of people will be able to match when it's all said and done. Tapes like this are rare, and that gives them part of the mystique that makes them so incredible. Essentially, Alchemist is opening his files, his laboratory, by putting out these tapes. Anything Al does on the mixtape level, he puts an album effort into.
"This tape has crazy joints like the AZ freestyle, 'Professional Style,' 'What's Poppin' Dun,' with Prodigy, and 'That's That,' which has Al riding on the mic. And Alchemist is no joke on the mic. People don't' realize it, but he's been rapping longer than me. He's been very influential on my style...and still is. He's just really starting to showcase these skills lately; he's really putting his pen to work. At the end of the day, this mixtape is audio stimulation."
-- Dilated People's album, 20/20, is in stores now.
MVP (MIXTAPE VALUABLE PLAYER)
Name: Wiz Khalifa
Age: 18
Location: Pittsburgh ("Pistolvania")
Mixography: Prince of the City
Get a Bar: "...It's real rap, yea this youngin's the truth/ a live n---- from the 4-1-deuce/yea, and that's my word, I'm sonnin' one of ya'll n----s/whenever you want, I'll punish one of ya'll n----s/f--- the small change, gunnin' for the large figures/it's young Khalifa, the prince sent form the lost Scriptures/ and I believe in God, but I live nonreligious/ smokin' weed to get by deep in the dark trenches/ you're team thinkin' you fly, really you all bitches/ your man, he couldn't ride turned to the law, witness/ sh--'s clear, this year what I'm gonna do/ is make it hard for you to eat like I'm the stomach flu..."
Selling Point: "I'm a creative person and I have been inspired a great deal by other music and how it makes me feel. My gift for writing and witty wordplay led me to experiment with my own music. I consider my sound as fresh; I also feel that I have flavor and versatility."
The Business: Although just barely old enough to buy a Black N' Mild, Wiz's understanding of what hip-hop needs goes beyond his years. "I feel the game needs more substance," says the young MC. "Because we have a platform that allows us to reach so many, rappers should bring attention to all of the things happening in the world, in our towns, and in our hoods. I attempt to highlight those things in my music. I love the music and I understand the power in it."
Last Release: Prince of The City flaunts Wiz's flawless flow and ability to effortlessly morph into an array of styles over proper production. The mixtape places him on hip-hop's playing field as a first-string MC to watch for. Recently, Wiz dropped "Damn Thing," an impressive single that is already garnering radio-play in several cities. Listen to it here.
What's Next: While waiting on a major distribution deal for his album -- that he has already recorded close-to fifty songs for -- Wiz is writing and recording tracks for another mixtape. He hopes that these two releases will put Pittsburgh on hip-hop's map. "I realize that when people think of hip-hop, they don't give a thought to Pittsburgh. My mission is to change that. I am attempting to become the first major hip-hop artist from Pittsburgh. I'm out to make history."
OVERTIME
Ice Cube hosts his first mixtape, Niggaz With Gunz -- the fourth installment in the Listen N Learn mixtape series. The aim of Listen N Learn is to bring awareness to issues still plaguing the Black community through its forward thinking form of edutainment. "Today's generation does not want to be preached to," said Mike Johns, executive producer of the project, in a statement. "Hip-hop used correctly is a good method to educate our youth."
The title of the mixtape is an adaptation from the 1962 book, Negroes With Guns. Written by Robert Williams, the book advocated for Blacks to carry weapons in self-defense against the Ku Klux Klan and racist police. The mixtape features new and exclusive music from Ice Cube blends featuring Tupac and Mobb Deep, and a handful of up-and-coming artists. ...
G-Unit's resident DJ Whoo Kid is back again with a pair of mixtapes with some of the game's biggest stars -- Eminem and Lloyd Banks. With Lloyd Banks' sophomore release just around the corner, Whoo Kid helps the G-Unit soldier with part four of his Money In The Bank series, cleverly titled, Mo' Money in the Bank. The new tape is 15 new tracks of Banks ammunition, minus an intro and interlude.
Also, in a collabo with Em's official DJ Alchemist, Whoo Kid preps the latest Shady mixtape, The Re-Up, marking the long-awaited mixtape return of Eminem. It will feature songs and freestyles from Obie Trice, D12, 50 Cent and more, and expected to drop in the next few weeks. ...
DJ Jaycee -- a member of DJ Drama's Aphilliates as well as Ludacris' official DJ -- recently released Michael Jackson: The Soulful Years, a mixtape that acts as a breath-of-fresh with its smooth blends of classic material.
"I chose to step outside of the box because I wanted to do something a little different than what everybody else is doing in the mixtape game," Jaycee told BallerStatus.net. "I was never concerned with chasing exclusives and freestyles because it seems like people only give a sh-- about them for about a month, if even that long. On the other hand, Michael's sh-- is so soulful and influential that you'll always be able to rock to it, no matter what time of day or year. He's an absolutely timeless artist."
Not one to stop 'til you get enough, Jaycee is already working on the follow-up mixtape entitled Michael Jackson: From Black To White. ...
"I swear I'm the best rapper you will ever hear," says DK, whose arrogance may be due, in part, to the fact that Jay-Z cosigned him when he was just 17-years-old. However, the now 21-year-old MC maintains that his unabashed attitude is warranted because he embodies all of the necessary components needed to become rap's next king.
"A lot of people is going for the crown, but there's something lacking on their side," DK told BallerStatus.net. "They're marketable, but they got no street credibility. Or, they got lyrical ability, but they're not marketable. I feel like I'm Nelly, but with lyrics; I'm Canibus, but with hooks; I'm Kanye, but with street cred. When you talk about street credibility, lyrical ability, and marketability, that's DK. I'm the best at my job, and if people get mad at that, let them get pissed off enough to pick up the CD."
DK recently released the appropriately titled mixtape, King Me, and is currently working on his upcoming album, Words of Art. "I want to put the focus back on the word, and I want to commercialize being lyrical," he says. "I'm improving on the formula given to me by the greatest; I've studied and broke it down. I didn't bite n----s, I tried to out-write n----s. Don't get mad, get money."
— Zio Vitus
mixtapebuzz@gmail.com
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